Awake and up all night

Err no, no named cancer nurse as such, but there are some names and phone numbers written in the booklet I was given on breast cancer, different people for different departnents. I am dealing with three hospitals, all some distance away. While I have been at regional hospital #1 for chemo for the past 6 months (1.5 hours away by car, no public transport) the main one in overall charge (a two-hour trip each way by train and tram) with the names of nurses has been silent. As I mentioned, nobody at regional hospital #1 answers the phone. When I am there, I either get no information or it is contradicted on my next visit.

We have community nurses here locally but I have no access to one these days and don't know how to solve this, or even if they are there for advice. I imagine I will have to use one for changing dressings after surgery. I had one many years ago at my house, after a hysterectomy, and she was vile. She is now banned from my house.

Bloods are done at the nearest regional hospital, #2, 45 minutes fast driving away. I need to get there at 8 am to reduce waiting time, as they are only open Monday to Friday and I am away from the office so usually missing jobs coming in.

PS My GP is a 15 minute drive away  and is only available by appointment.

Evening Gill ️ just got back and OH gone to bed. 

Aw sweetheart, what a carry on you've got to cope with. If you actually do get an appointment, is your GP a reasonable type that will take all this on board and look for solutions to help you? Or, point you in the direction of a body that could as you can't be left to untangle all the spaghetti by yourself. xxx

I whole heartedly agree with Gill H You have enough to do being ill and healing. High wire acts, fire eating and sword juggling need to be subcontracted.

Cheers

Shimmers, for a long time we were bouncing between 3 hospitals and various satellites of these for other therapies. We relied on taxis to get us to appointments on time as buses often blobbed. Cost a fortune but none of the establishments were more than 20 miles away, so nowhere near as bad as Gill has it.

If it had have been, I think I'd have asked if most treatments could have been carried out in one hospital, preferably the nearest. Dunno how things work in the ROI but I'd definitely be on to a GP and demand help. People need advocates if they're struggling xxx

Hmmmmm I was just looking stuff up ... I am assuming you have already searched support in ROI.

Not surprisingly, cold hard cash is best looked after by  cohesive cancer planning and provision too.

I know lots of people and organisations have gatekeepers to keep the grubby public at arms length but ... Hospital Social Worker may be useful and also hospital chaplaincy. I am not making assumptions about faith but chaplains are also useful knowledgeable folk with lots of connections and have counseling skills ... though operate an understanding hand holding rather than major interventions.

People who have contacts and can oil the wheels. 

Irish Cancer Care support line and email, Daffodil centres, the Marie Keating Foundation, Arc Cancer Support centres, HSE Cancer Care Support Directory.

Grandmother, eggs, suck

  I am feeling somewhat patronising so I will just ask have you considered contacting one of the patient healthcare advocacy organisations?

Cheers

I do think that healthcare is delivered in silos despite rhetoric about holistic, patient centred etc. Individual clinicians and practitioners know about and are expert in their speciality or role.

What is often lost is an overview, an understanding of the cumulative effects of shlepping around numerous appointments and venues and good old common sense.

Hence Scoots was sitting in a clinic on an industrial estate in a different city and being given details of twice weekly appointments there for 20 weeks. Stressy then asked if it was possible to have treatment back here. Response 'Oh, is that easier to get to?'

He could probably crawl to the hospital on all fours in 20 minutes!

Cheers

You've done your homework, have this sticky  and this ️ 

I'll take a guess that it's crash time for Gill, so she'll probably see your post around 5am.

We had District nurses come every Sunday to clear the bubble on OH's RIG and test his PH. Ooh matron, but not as saucy as it sounds. Anyone who's had a feeding tube directly inserted into stomach will know what I'm on about, maybe yourself. 

Some of the nurses could be stroppy, so could I, but i knew he had to have it done and it wouldn't go on forever. I actually hated them coming round but if Gill could get a mindset that it's a necessary evil to get dressings changed then maybe she could accept Cruella to come and do the business when the time comes. That'd be one problem solved for later down the line, and it could be a different, much nicer nurse.

My maxim is don't look for problems, look for solutions, but one size definitely doesn't fit all xxx

Ooh hi. Page silence for a while.