Hi all,
Really in shock at the minute, so my mum who is 70 went for a chest xray as part of her high blood pressure 2 weeks ago and cancer was seen on her lung, not sure how much. During this appointment a scan of her kidneys was done which showed tumours on both of her kidneys. A Dr rang me to tell me about this and advised of the next steps. I have just spoke to the medical secretary who advises that my mum's appointment is the 25th October, so another 4 weeks away! I just assumed this would have been much quicker given she has cancer in 2 places she currently has no symptoms or pain, this has taken us all completly by surprise and while we are grateful she is not in pain, the waiting is awful not knowing what we are dealing with. Do these timescales seen correct, we have been told it is definitely cancer and she has been discussed by MDT, I know everyone will be in the same boat but I just can't work out on the time line information when the appointment should be offered- the 31 day or the 61 day pathway? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, take care all
Hi Sarahjv and a very warm welcome to the Macmillan Community but sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis.
The target times are unfortunately a ‘target’….. and during these very challenging times in the NHS these times are not being meet in many cases. The flow chart below may help you understand the targets but the main thing you need to do is keep calling the appointments line/clinic to see if you can pick up a cancellation for your mum.
A cancer diagnosis in the family can be such a challenging and stressful time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type and support challenges will help a lot.
The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Specific Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) so can I recommend you have a look at our dedicated
support groups. These groups are safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from family members who are navigating the same support journey.
It will be an emotional time supporting your mum so you might find this Macmillan information your feelings when someone has cancer helpful as well as this link getting help with your emotions, you may also benefit from joining our dedicated Carers only support group where you will connect with others navigating the same support challenges.
To connect in with a group click on the “Bold Italic Links” I have created above then once the group page opens click on “Click to Join” when the black banner appears or “Join” under “Group Tools” (this all depends on the device you are using)
When you are ready you can put up your own post by clicking “+new” or “+” in the top right next to the group title. You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
The Macmillan Support Line is open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00. This service provides cancer information, practical information, emotional support, benefits/financial guidance or just a listening ear.
We also have our Ask an Expert section but do allow a few working days for a reply.
Do get back to me if you need further help navigating the community but in the meantime all the very best.
