My husband is the patient. It will have been 82 days from the day of the ‘it could be cancer’ to the surgery to remove. Is this acceptable or should we be fighting?
Disclaimer I love the NHS. They do a cracking job - and I cannot fault their treatment of my husband (type 1 diabetic). But having this hanging over us is… wearing to say the least. I also know that on the face of it we’re lucky and there will be worse stories in here.
24.6.25 My husband had a deep tissue CT scan on his hip (unrelated) at this point he had no blaring symptoms. He was tired (but he’s a teacher coming to the end of a year), and in his mind he had red poo when he ate tomatoes.
26.6.25 we had a phone call to ask us to go to the doctors asap to discuss results. We went that night at 6pm. We were told they had seen some thickening of his bowl. We were told it could possibly be cancer and that he would require further testing.
1.7.25 he had a nurse telephone appointment with the colon-department (don’t know the name) at the hospital. And told they’d like to do a camera down, a camera up and CT scans of his chest and abdomen.
6.7.25 had CT scans of his body minus head and limbs.
13.7.25 for camera down (18days after) - he had sedation which didn’t touch him (his opinion) and he couldn’t go ahead. He suffers from claustrophobia/escape anxiety and he basically freaked out.
5.8.25 for camera up (41days) - they took 6 biopsies, but we were told there and then it was cancer. It is about 5cm from the bumhole. We were told it was treatable, that the rest of his large bowel was fine.
13.8.25 went for a meeting with the consultant. Same guy who did the colonoscopy. He explained the treatment options and my husband opted for the surgery first plan. They plan on removing his rectum, leaving the 1cm closest to his sphincter, and probably putting in a temp ileosotmy bag. Possibly chemo after depending on what they find. At this point we were told he’d likely have the surgery before the return of school (1st Sept).
15.8.25 bloods
19.8.25 met with the stoma nurse. Followed by a meeting with the consultant. Which felt like a waste of time. We weren’t given any more info, I don’t know if it was just an opportunity to ask questions. Here we were told he’d likely have the surgery in up to 4 weeks time, but that we’d be given a date the following week.
27.8.25 (today) he had a pre-op assessment. We weren’t given any wrongly assuming we might be told the date for surgery then. No. So my husband phoned his specialist nurse. She has come back with:
18.9.25 (provisionally). Surgery.
82 days from the day we were initially told it could be cancer.
I am so…. Everything!!!
Angry that it’s taking so long - and I’m completely out of control and can’t actually do anything!!
Scared - his symptoms are getting worse, and he’s hiding it from me. His PJs had blood on, and I went to the toilet after him and there was blood in the bowl (similar to if I’d had a really heavy period). Without the extra MRI scan (he refused because of his anxiety phobia thing) and the camera how can they be certain it’s not gone anywhere?!
I just want the surgery so we know what it is actually doing - and it can be taken out and even if he has a stoma bag for life - we can live again .
