How far do you have to travel for your surgery/treatment?

How fantastic to have finished your treatment - must be a lovely feeling.

 I’m from North East just outside Middlesbrough and despite having a great hospital a few miles away, because of having no specialist surgeon available when I had my surgery I had to go to Gateshead - 45 minutes journey. I have to say it was a good hospital, great staff and  with the bonus of single en suite rooms which for me is a blessing as I can’t think of anything worse than being in a busy ward and unable to shut a door when you want to be on your own!  It was a bind for my husband and unfortunately due to some setbacks I was in for 2 weeks -  nearly 3 hrs out of his day every day for visiting and we were only allowed 2 named visitors for an hour each - I have 3 children so didn’t want to name only 1 to be allowed to visit. I did tell him to just face time me sometimes but I think it settled him to actually see me in the flesh ! 

Luckily my treatment will be at James Cook Hospital which has a first class reputation for cancer treatment and is only 15 minutes away from home - I’m starting Chemoradiation for 5 weeks from 9th June then 3 x brachytherapy over 2 weeks which would have been tedious having to travel to Gateshead every day but if it had to be done of course I would have done it - just as many others have to including you MarmiteFan59

I live on the edge of a city so my journey to hospital was about 40 minutes' drive, or maybe an hour by train and bus. Public transport to a post-op appointment was a mistake as my poor sore belly got battered standing on the crowded bus. Sometimes I arranged lifts or taxi as I live alone and wasn't always ok to drive. I didn't qualify for free hospital transport, I think it hinged on whether you could walk up stairs, which I could. The parking situation was a worry, I always went really early in case the hospital car park was full and I would have needed to find somewhere else, but in fact I was always able to get a parking space. I often thought how much more difficult it would have been if I had lived out in the sticks somewhere and had a longer journey even to see the specialist in out-patients for a few minutes. Clinic, tests, pre-op assessment, post-op checks, at least I could get home quickly afterwards.

Well done on finishing treatment - fantastic feeling!

I have been seen at 3 hospitals, that all work closely together.  My initial scan and hysteroscopy, then chemo was at my local hospital 30 minutes drive away.  Once the biopsy found the tumour I had consultations with the surgeon and oncologist an hours drive away, but the actual surgery, pre surgery checks and then brachytherapy was at the furthest hospital which was nearly 2 hours each way!!  That one also had impossible parking - so needed my hubby to be with me, so that I could just not have the parking problem.  For brachytherapy they actually gave me a parking permit, which made a great difference - also then we made a day out of it and found nice places for walks and lunch.  
All of the hospitals would be difficult by public transport and would involve changes and taxi - so much easier in my car.  I bet you are relieved to be finished with that daily drive. 

I have been seen at 3 hospitals too.  The one for radiotherapy is  UCLH in the middle of London.  I am agoraphobic and have lots of anxieties so public transport was out of the question.  So my husband drove me and my daughter each day, a 4/5 hour round trip each time depending on hold ups in the hospital and/or traffic.  He would drop us off at the back entrance of the hospital so I could walk straight in with my daughter, and while we went to the department he would go and find somewhere to park.  Then he would walk back to the hospital and come to the waiting room while I was drinking my water and waiting to be called in!  The system there was to call us from the main waiting room to another area, so my daughter came with me and when I finally got called in for the treatment she would go back to the main waiting room to tell my husband I had just gone in and that gave him time to go back and get the car and meet us at the back entrance of the hospital for the journey home!  I couldn't have done it all without either of them!  Luckily alternate check ups are done at my local hospital which is 5 minutes away so that has helped!

xx

I have been seen in 4 different hospitals so far, my ultrasound was done in Whison hospital which is 15 minutes from me.  My biopsy and where I was given my diagnosis was in St Helen’s hospital 20 minutes from me, ct scan was done back at Whiston.  I then had my surgery at Liverpool Women’s hospital which is on the edge of the city centre 25 minutes away, my oncologist is at a different hospital she’s at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre which is about a mile down the road from the woman’s hospital.  I then had my chemotherapy at The Lilac Centre which is based in St Helen’s hospital but they work with Clatterbridge and I have Macmillan nurses in all of them so have about 7 of them lol.  They have all done a fantastic job helping me although I am terrified of my oncologist lol. X

Congratulations on completing your treatment Marmitefan59,

My chemo is done at my local hospital but my brachytherapy will be done where I had my hysterectomy and is a 50 minute drive away. My local hospital charity have several cars and drivers that can pick you up from home take you to your appointment, wait and bring you back home when done and it's a fantastic service I'm told, only one patient per vehicle and it's free, the drivers are all volunteers.

Firstly MarmiteFan59 congrats on finishing your treatment!

I suppose it's my fault for living in a beautiful rural location so here goes...

Initial ultrasound & CT Scan & failed hysteroscopy - Lincoln 1hr 15 mins away round trip 60 miles (3 trips)

Hysteroscopy Grantham Hospital 1hr 30 mins, round trip 100 miles

MRI scan Louth Hospital 30 mins away, round trip 26 miles

Consultation and subsequent Operation Nottingham University Hospital 2hrs 20 mins away round trip 80 miles (2 trips)

Brachytherapy Lincoln Hospital as above

Chemotherapy Pilgrim Hospital Boston 45 minutes away round trip 50 miles - 6 trips

Add in quarterly check-ups & Oncology Consultations - Licoln (8 trips)

I was quite shocked to read this, hubby always says I'm moaning that I never go anywhere and the above shows he's right, I'm always off somewhere. To one of our excellent NHS establishments LOL

Oh forgot to mention CT scan next Tuesday Boston, Oncologists meeting Lincoln the week after.......

Have a good weekend all, hugs, Barbxx

Good luck with the CT scan and appointments thereafter hopefully it's all good news for you xxx