WRONG CALL

They returned from Edinburgh, husband just having completed the first stages of prostate cancer treatments. He was tired and she was relieved they were back in their own home. He opened the post and handed his wife a letter. It contained instructions to report to a hospital - not the one where he had just been treated - for an operation on a cancerous tumour on his bladder. The couple knew nothing about this. In the bathroom and in private, she cried. 

Enquiries the next morning with the GP drew a blank. The hospital patient booking service discovered that this man's hospital identification number was almost the same, but the appointment belonged to another patient. As she said, surely someone could have checked a name, a date of birth....but no, I.D. number with the data input error winged its way to a household already recovering from a health trauma.

Patient services were so grateful for the call and the opportunity to re-send the appointment. "Most people wouldn't phone, they would just turn up", they said. It begs the question, how often do they cock up and send out wrong calls? It's awful and it is frightening.

NOT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR

Two weeks before Christmas a friend saw her doctor concerned about a breast lump she had become aware of.  By its characteristics, the doctor didn't think it was anything malignant, but, made a hospital referral anyway, saying she should be seen in about two weeks, by Christmas.  

As she is on her own, I asked my friend if she would like some company for the appointment.  I never received a firm answer. It transpired the appointment would not be for a month, they were busy with other patients, the hospital said. 

Meantime, my friend emailed me to give her thoughts on what her problem was;  these were her best hopes and were possibilities.    She still did not say if she wanted company for the appointment, I did not want to push, and travelling 240 miles round trip without knowing what she would like, was really not viable.

Late last week, my friend was told that there was a 90% chance she had cancer. She felt dreadful, who wouldn't.  I was stunned.   I have asked again what can I do for her.  As yet, there has been no reply.  Now what do I do?

PREMATURE LAST RITES

This is  rather sad.  The other day I met a young woman I have known sometime, to say 'hello' to.  We stopped for a rare chat.  Her hair was wispy and very thin. There was enough to still create head cover. She was dark around the eyes, the expression in them was weariness and anger.  I commented she appeared to be recovering from a cold.

"Yes......I am also being treated for colonic cancer, it's come back for the second time in twelve months.  It was never really fully treated the first time".

The poor woman comes from a family with who have all recovered from different cancers.  She felt she has drawn the short straw.  Not surprising really, as following her first round of therapy, it was assumed she had been cured, rather than been fully checked and given an accurate clean bill of health.  Sheer accident had taken her to the GP who had got her checked out immediately.  The second cancer growth was discovered.  There appears to have been a trail of poor communication with an oncology registrar, who also seemed to be talking of her 'last rites'.  Back with the GP, the registrar's notes were brought up on computer. An immediate referral was made to the senior consultant oncologist who now has this patient under his care.  There is no doubt she is fighting to live and is letting the oncology department know it.

Various thoughts went through my mind, I kept them to myself.  I am sure, this lady would be thinking about all the possibilities anyway.  She has certainly been checking up on treatments.  Sadly, she is in a state now, where she does not feel confident in seeking further practical or medical advice from support agencies.  It is clear she feels her trust in those who could help most has been betrayed, and she has not got the physical or mental energy to try to communicate endlessly by herself with other organisations to obtain practical help.

Perhaps getting her frustration out in the open may have been useful....I do hope so.