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Hello Steve, thank you for asking. It was an urology telephone consultation yesterday. Radiotherapy was due to start next week on 2nd but it has now been put off until 3 rd.  our transport options are grim. Public transport involves a 2 hour journey each way of one bus journey followed by one train journey followed by another bus journey all taking up virtually the whole day. There is a voluntary car driver scheme as an option or we drive him there every day - about 25 miles but right through the city traffic  45 minutes on a good run aor 2+ hours at rush hour. Just read that it’s been taking   hours to get in and out of hospital car park, too! We have budgeted/ estimated  £500 for petrol and parking costs for 20 sessions.

Forgot to say, the urology consultation was a formality as such to check that radiotherapy is going ahead, to answer any questions and to tell us that he has now been discharged to the care of oncology. However he will have continued open access to urology if required. Not sure what ‘open access’ means but it sounds as if he can be seen if he has any problems. I’m hoping that this still means he has access to prostate cancer nurses if needed.

Oncology has its own team, but urology nurse will still address concerns, my oncology team is great.

I must admit that our experience of the oncology team so far has been good. Appointments have happened on time, our questions have been answered, reassurance given etc. most importantly, they have treated my husband as a human being. The prostate cancer nurse specialist team were good, too. I will leave my silence about our experiences of urology clinics for your own interpretation!

Wow, what a cost!  I was so lucky to live about 10 minutes from the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle.

Does the hospital not have different rates for people coming every day for Cancer treatment?

Hope it all goes smoothly for you both.

There is help with travel costs if you have less than £6000 in savings or on some benefits. There is free parking if you attend for a minimum of 3 times per month for each of three consecutive months ( ie 9 times) but no help if you attend for 20 times for 4 weeks. You can buy a saver ticket - £50 worth of parking for £25. That’s it.  If we were to use the community car scheme we would get a refund of 50% but that would still work out more expensive than driving ourselves. . Yes bus fares will be free but not the train fare which, on its own, will cost more than driving. Also, with public transport there is the length of time to get there, the inconvenience of timetables and the side effects of the radiotherapy to consider! We are caught between a rock and a hard place!

Did you see the "Red Rag" there?  Good job I am not a Bull!

I hate the "if you have less than so much or are on benefit copout".  When I was going through everything last year and I wanted to stay to stay in work as much as possible, did I get any help with benefits or anything? Did I ****!

Sorry about that, I wouldn't have got any sick pay, just the paltry "SSP", and because I am in full time work and own my house outright (we were advised to pay the mortgage off, just in case...), using up all our savings.  Then to be told "Urgh!!! You are working and own your own house"!

Did it help that we were really struggling to survive, pay the bills, etc...  Nope, not a jot!

WW, sorry again for that outburst!  How can bus fares be free but not train fares?  Here comes another outburst!!!  The trains are never on time anyway...when they are not on strike!!!

Everyone is just jumping on the "strike" bandwagon now.

No more outbursts!!!  I am doing my breathing exercises...

Ooh I love a good moan!!!

You have had a rant, never noticed, how unlike you.

WW do you pay for parking? Do you have a blue badge.

Exactly what I thought Ulls.  Remember David Benner (the Hulk)? "Don't make me angry, you won't like me when I am angry".

Little meek, mild mannered me!

I've been warned