Borderline Phyllodes

LC Clogg said:

Appointment on 20th cancelled late last Friday, as cardiologist caught Covid.

Groan. 

Covid has been impacting things for two years now, but although we are now supposed to be "living with covid" a lot of NHS trusts are continuing with the same protocols as before, both on their premises and in terms of guidance to their staff. 

Has your nurse, or scheduling, confirmed that you are on the list for the 30th?

Hi

Great news.

Had my rescheduled Cardio triage this morning and as expected, heart check results confirmed as being perfect with no concerns re anaesthesia. 

Just had a call back from the breast care nurse to answer a couple of my questions, so will probably be tomorrow before the original operation date is confirmed as being viable, considering it's now only a week away, or that I'll have to wait a bit longer yet.

Still travelling in hope .... 

Excellent. What I am reading out of this between the lines is that it looks like they are keeping "room" for you on the list for the 30th, but are unable to confirm until they are certain you have the go-ahead from all other quarters. I hope I am not wrong with this evaluation, but if I were you I wouldn't plan a wild night on the town for the 31st! 

Hi LC Clogg

I’m glad to hear that your Cardio triage went went well. 

I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you will have your operation next week as originally planned.

Daisy53

Hi 

Just a quick update.

Had a call earlier to confirm surgery is scheduled for 8th April, but the original surgeon is on annual leave and would I mind if another surgeon undertook my operation? Errm .... I should think any surgeon from that team is capable and I don't mind.

Well, every cloud does have a silver lining; it seems one of the top breast surgeons has been tasked with evicting my lumpy alien, albeit, I have to attend clinic on Wednesday afternoon to meet him and find out what to expect on the day, (not the lumpy alien, the surgeon)!

Thank you so much.

Op rescheduled to 8th, but a week later will do for me. 

Hi LC Clogg

Glad to hear that you have a date for your operation.

Best of luck with it.

Best wishews

Daisy53

Thanks for the update, I did wonder.

Great on getting the senior surgeon, and I am pleased you get to meet him ahead of the surgery! 

I will be looking forward to your next update, and good luck!

Hi

It's been a busy few days so far this week.  

Had a call yesterday morning to ask if I minded my surgery being brought forward to 4th April, but it would now be at the main hospital site, (elective, low risk breast surgery has been hived off to another non acute site within my local health trust). So, all the wheels were set in motion for pre-op assessment and PCR test set for later this week.

Yesterday evening, had another phone call to say they needed to change my admission date back to 8th at the non acute site as there was a high risk surgery case being scheduled which may require emergency ICU.  OK - that's acceptable.

Went to clinic this afternoon to meet my surgeon, only to be told, surgery is now pushed back to 11th as they've just installed some new, very expensive 'tumour' imaging equipment in theatre and want to test it on as many 'breast cancer' patients as possible on 8th, but as I don't actually have an active cancer, I don't fit the 'test' criteria ... I later explained to the breast care nurse how this situation is affecting me due to what is completely avoidable stress, to which I think she was embarrassed.

I'm back home and not liking the way I am feeling or how this is affecting my husband, (both feeling tearful, frustrated, angry and very insignificant to say the least).  

Well, at least I've had my telephone pre-op this afternoon and still have to attend a different hospital for the physical assessment tomorrow, with yet another phone call a few minutes ago to confirm PCR scheduled for 8th April .... unless it all gets thrown in the air again.   YOU JUST COULDN'T MAKE THIS UP - just this second had a call to advise that due to a cancellation, 8th is my new admission date!!!!

I'm just dreading answering the phone now, the amount of paperwork this shambles is generating is keeping someone's printer warm and I think maybe the environment is going to suffer because of the amount of travelling between hospital sites to complete all my pre op requirements 

I hope to heaven no one else goes through this or even thinks its typical of a breast surgery journey. 

They don't talk to each other, do they. The arrival of the equipment would have been known to them, so this sudden, "oh we want to play with our new toys" excuse should have never come up as a reason for postponing from the 8th to the 11th. It also seems they are blind to the fact that they are dealing with people, not with "cases."

But the one thing that astonished me the most is the notion that your surgery is any less urgent than any breast cancer. If anything, it looks to me to be actually more urgent, so what's all this talk about it being, "elective?"

I am also a little suspicious about the story they told you about the 4th. Breast cancer is not a heart attack. It doesn't suddenly present as a "right now, panic stations!" situation that requires other surgeries to be pushed back and where you admit and treat regardless of, say, someone's covid status. These people really need to have a little more respect to the fact that once they have notifed a person of a scheduled surgery, any change would have a knock-on effect, both practically and emotionally.

I'd say that if they do even one more thing, start making some noise via their PALS or any other channel.