Caring for someone with cancer in Spain

I think there are two options in between oncology appointments. The first is to see the GP who may be able to prescribe something to help. The second is to go to Urgencias (A&E) where they are likely to refer her to the duty oncologist. In our experience, it’s better if possible to go first to the GP as they will give you a referral letter to take to A&E which can speed things up. My experience is in Andalucía region & the Spanish hospital system may vary depending on the region. Sorry not to reply sooner - we’ve had no internet for a few days! I hope your sister gets some relief soon for the pain she is experiencing.

Thank you Miranda for your reply. I didnt know there was an on duty oncologist so thats useful to know. I will share with my sister. Its a shame there isnt a Macmillan in Spain. She used painkillers she had for an emergency but do you think there anything better to help resolve or ease the ulcers in the mouth? 

It might depend on the hospital whether there is an on duty oncologist but, if it’s a smaller hospital (“hospital básico”) the emergency doctor should at least be able to do a phone consultation with an oncologist at the nearest bigger hospital. The Asociación Española Contra Cáncer (AECC) is a useful organisation , not quite the equivalent to MacMillan though. At our local hospital there is an AECC psychologist available. We found her really helpful, particularly in the early days when we were new to it all, but also when my husband was diagnosed with metastatic tumours in 2023. We thought it was the end of the road & didn’t know what to do or think while we were waiting for our next oncology consultation. She talked us through the likely treatments & gave us lots of information & reassurance. Worth checking if there’s anything similar in Cuenca. This is the link to their contact page. www.contraelcancer.es/.../te-ayudamos Re. the mouth ulcers, I remember when my husband started on chemotherapy he was given prescriptions for medications for various side-effects he might experience, including mouth ulcers. I can’t remember what it was called, but something does exist!