Waiting, worrying, waiting, worrying...

Thanks Sandy,

Yes I am learning slowly that everyday is different & trying to cope as best I can while I wait. Biopsy is a week tomorrow so the sooner that happens the sooner I can tick that off. Then it’s just the wait for MOH’s surgery referral. I just wish next week’s appointment was to remove it! They’ve told me it’s BCC so why can’t they just remove it?? It’s all thecwaiting that is putting the fear of god in me!! I’ve known since 8/1/19 that I have skin cancer & that feels like months ago!

My GP prescribed anti anxiety tablets last week as I was literally not able to think of anything else other than this. Luckily the tablets have kicked in & I now feel as though I’m able to put it to one side slightly ... it’s still on my mind but at least the anxiety & constantly  knotted stomach are easing as is my rapid heartbeat!! 

I hope that you are doing well & that once your stitches are out you’ll feel much better.

Take care xxx

Hi Niloc, any news yet 

I had my bcc removed 17th jan and have my next appointment 6march with my consultant to tell me if all the cancer has gone

. I was told it takes about 7 weeks to get the results ,

lynne 

Hello Lynne,

Thanks for asking.  Nothing yet at this end, and now into the eighth week of waiting.  I got really fed up with it all last week, and got myself all worked up again, so made an appointment with any GP at our group practice.  Luck smiled this time, and I saw a locum GP, who was terrific.  He was the first knowledgeable person I've met who was genuinely concerned and listened to me.  Just talking with him helped a lot, even though he said that he couldn't give an opinion.  He did however manage to calm my fears.

What had made matters worse earlier that day was the fact that a letter arrived which had a huge "NHS" on the envelope, and something solid inside.  When I saw it, I started shaking!  I started ripping it open, trying to prepare myself for whatever.  Then I read "Bowel Screening Test".  I collapsed into a chair with face in hands, trying to control the shaking - which went on for at least 5 minutes.  Just a routine test thing.  That was a cruel joke by fate.

But back to the GP, he said that he could phone the hospital to see if the results were sitting somewhere.  Within moments of me returning home, he called me to say that there was nothing there yet.  But I was just so grateful that someone listened and cared.  I couldn't see the GP who I previously dealt with doing that.  He advised me to phone again early this coming week.

Meanwhile, the curettage scab fell off the other day, and all is nice and clean beneath.  It'll seem a great shame to cut it all out again after mending so well.

I'm sure you'll be well in the clear, when you hear in 7 weeks' time, and wish you all the very best.  I'll post again whenever I do hear anything.

Niloc

What a day!  Today marks 8 weeks since my biopsy was taken.  I decided to drop in to the Health Centre and ask again.  The receptionist took my name and date-of-birth as usual, then a long, pregnant pause as she scanned her PC screen.  Eventually she piped up, “Your results are negative”.  Joy mixed with disbelief flooded through me – BUT – some 5 seconds elapsed and she continued…  “Uh, wait a minute…  What did you drop in here yesterday?”.  In a low voice, I replied, “I didn’t drop anything in here yesterday!”.  “Ah”, says she and then reconfirmed my name and DoB.  “I must fix that”, she continues, “No, nothing back yet”.  No apology for the monumental slip-up.

At this point my skin started turning green, my whole body grew large, my shirt began to rip, and I started trashing the Health Centre.  Then, rampaging across country, I headed for the city hospital, throwing cars all over the landscape.  Well, that would have been entirely appropriate behaviour, but back to reality.  She said that she would tell Dr Anonymous that I was still waiting for my results, and with that I turned around and left.

A phone message from said doctor was waiting for me at home later in the day.  In it he basically said that he understood that I had been in earlier in the day – what was it about, and to phone him if it was important.  Some lack of communication somewhere, wouldn’t you say?  Same GP as, when I went in to have him perform the minor surgery, he sat back and said to me, “And what can we do for you today?”.  Unbelievable!  Little wonder any faith I had in these people has drained down the plughole.  As of now, I haven't phone the GP.

At least I experienced 5 happy seconds today.

I really feel for you ,  i know you must be so angry , but make an appointment and see them again , it is ridiculous. Make a list of questions and don’t leave until they have answered them

ask what date they sent the said bcc off for testing,

ask to see the letter of request for testing the bcc (they should have them on the system) 

where was it sent to and to whom ( you can then contact them if no joy from doctor)

i hope this gets resolved sooner than later ,

lynne

Many thanks for that advice, which I shall gladly take up.  I know, and do very much appreciate, that they are over-burdened with work and not enough staff to cope - but, there are boundaries for reasonable acceptance of that.  I think these boundaries have been crossed.  Thanks again for the suggestions, and I will get moving on them.

Hi

I hope you're well and not feeling too stressed waiting for your results. I wondered how you got on this week tracking down your results? I think it doesn't help at this time of year as the pathology labs often have a backlog of work with the Christmas and New Year holidays and more people falling ill in the winter.

I hope you hear soon

x

Thanks very much for your concern.  Just passed the 9-week mark, 2 calendar months.  I've been hammering away at the powers-that-be for my results, but the fact remains that they're behind with processing things.  I phoned the relevant hospital department last week, and although they were most helpful, they couldn't do any more to hurry things - apparently they get hundreds of samples each week, and 16,000 in a year.  Gives some scale to the problem!  I've been pestering the GP surgery every two days, but with same response.  So I'm basically resigned to having to wait, but will keep "knocking on doors".  Thankfully I don't get too many of the almost-panic attacks now - days are getting longer and weather better.

Will advise whenever any news comes through, and thanks again.

Response at last!  Yesterday marked 10 weeks to the day when I had the curettage done and the biopsy sent off.  I dropped into the surgery, as I had done so many times before, to ask if the results had come through, but this time received the answer which I'd both hoped for, and dreaded.  The receptionist, obviously not at liberty to say much, merely said that it stated on my record that I was to "make a non-urgent appointment" with the GP.  In other words, the result had been positive.  That was ok, because it was the result I'd been expecting.  My appointment is on 2nd March, but at least I had the presence of mind to ask that the GP phone me at home - which he did today.

He confirmed that it was indeed a BCC, and would need to be removed.  The appointment would enable him to determine whether it was small enough for him to remove as minor surgery, or if I needed to be referred to the larger county hospital.  He said that there was no danger in the BCC, and that it was cosmetic more than anything.  Once removed, that would be that.

The past 10 weeks have been a living nightmare, and in retrospect it was the lack of communication and lack of information which fuelled the anxiety.  Since learning the facts, which only took a few moments, I've completely changed and feel a little more relaxed.  It's odd, because the result is positive, and yet my anxiety was due more to clinging to some thread of hope that it wouldn't be.  A strangely twisted psychiatric phenomenon there!

Of course it's certainly far from pleasant to learn that you have something cancerous, but at least now I know the path ahead and less intimidated by it.  Next stop, 2nd March.

Glad you have news at last and it can be treated.