I 'got' a class 3 cancer and went for treatment, but the Oncologist did not tell me that they witheld Chemo because of the blood thinners I was on would react with the medication and possibly be fatal. Well, I only found out about this after the treatment and then approach the Oncologist to argue that I should have been in on the conversation with her. About this time another 'specialist' phones up to give me a check-up as well, because my heart was not so good either. So I tell the specialist about going for radiotherapy and the arguement with the oncologist, Well, he tells me then that the Clopidgerel could be stopped while chemo was started and their would be a 4% risk. So I ask him why did the oncologist not check with him - and he said she just had to ask and he'd have told her. But I get the specialist to send a letter to the oncologist and wait ... and wait ... and wait. nothing happens, I try phoning the team at the hospital to speak to the oncologist - nothing, no repy. I then try going to my doctor and askin him to send a letter to the oncologist - and after 8 telephone calls later I finally get a confirmation that he'd sent the letter! Except he sent it to the specialist - not to the oncologist!!! I'm beside myself I call them again and again but the doctor does not respond until I start talking to the surgery who say they will make the doctor aware. But I'm monitoring the NHS notices and there's no notice about the letter being shown, and their should be if the letter is sent? So I know then that the doctor is not doing anything, I know that the oncologist is not doing anything. I'm hear waiting for the grim reaper to come marching over the hill and all the NHS do is sit back and do nothing.
So people, if you know of a good way to make the NHS sit up and take notice or some way of getting these oncologists to treat people fairly, please let me know.
Thanks,
Hi Ozy1ozy and welcome to the Online Community but so sorry to hear about the challenges you are having….. I have been on my incurable cancer journey for 24+ years and I fortunately have had great service from a good number of different NHS departments.
Hopefully you get this all resolved but you could always contact PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) for any further help.
Navigating the cancer journey can be such a stressful and challenging time but getting support from others who are dealing with the ‘exact same' cancer type can help a lot.
The New to Community is like our reception desk where we look to direct you to the best part of the Community for you to get support. The Community is actually divided into dedicated Cancer Support Groups (Discussion Rooms) but you don’t say what type of cancer you have but if you care to have a look through THIS LIST you will find all our dedicated cancer support groups listed.
These groups are safe places to talk to others who may have a similar diagnosis, treatment experience, to ask questions and get support from members who are navigating the exact same journey.
Have a look through the LIST above and once you find the support group for your cancer type....... click on the link and when the group page opens you will see a [ Black - Click to Join - Banner ] at the bottom of the page, click in this box and this will then confirm that you have joined the group.
When you are ready……. you can introduce yourself by putting up your very own post by clicking [ + Create new post] or [ + ] in the top right of the group page.
You can copy and paste the text from this post into your new post.
So people, if you know of a good way to make the NHS sit up and take notice or some way of getting these pompous oncologists to treat people fairly, please let me know
Mike is right. Contact PALS. Get a copy of the letter and deliver it yourself. It's wrong that we have to fight so hard but while we have the strength it's all we can do. Good luck
Dani
Base of tongue cancer. T2N0M0 6 weeks Radiotherapy finished January 2019
I wrote a blog about my cancer. just click on the link below
https://todaymycoffeetasteslikechristmasincostarica.com
Sorry to hear that you have not been able to make any headway in being heard….. it must be very frustrating.
As I said, I have had great service from my various NHS departments….. yes I have had to push the system at times due to a number of reasons and yes the system does not communicate effectively……… but the treatments I have received have saved my life on a number occasions over the years.
The way forward?…… as I have not been in the position to make an official complaint I have no first hand experience to draw from……
You may have seen the link below that highlights a number of ways to make complaints about the NHS service.
https://www.nhs.uk/contact-us/how-to-complain-to-the-nhs/
You may also want to call the Macmillan Support Line open 8am-8pm (timings may differ across services) 7 days a week on 0808 808 00 00 and talk with our support team and see if they have information that can help you move this forward.
