A busy couple of days ...
Thursday another dreaded CT scan - actually not too bad this time except for having to drink a litre of cold water before the scan! Really nice radiographer put the line in my arm - I wonder if she had been primed??
Voicemail from Wendy telling me that the bone marrow biopsy is fixed for 7th September ouch ouch ..
Friday is a date with the lovely Clare at Titchfield Dental Health 'cos mouth has to be healthy before they start chemo - must take them some bubbles for making me go and check out 'the thing'...
Still worried what the outcome of the latest CT scan will be and whether Dr O'Callaghan will call...
Mobile rings whilst I am driving to the dentist - hoorah ...
'The Thing' has not spread .... now they need to do a PET scan ..
Sxxt mobile has gone dead - can't 'phone home with the news!!!
A weekend off from all matters relating to the NHS
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Forgot to mention ...
On Tuesday evening I received a letter about my Wednesday appointment ..
The letter is dated the 18th August, but posted on the 23rd for an apoointment on the 25th. If I had not made all those 'phone calls and if the postman hadn't been so efficient I would have missed all the 'fun' of yesterday!
On Tuesday evening I received a letter about my Wednesday appointment ..
The letter is dated the 18th August, but posted on the 23rd for an apoointment on the 25th. If I had not made all those 'phone calls and if the postman hadn't been so efficient I would have missed all the 'fun' of yesterday!
Wednesday afternoon and time for the Oncology department. The staff are great and there is a great sense of comardarie between the patients. Feel like a fish out of water. Wendy is there and tells me that the hospital General Manager is now aware of how badly I have been treated. A long wait and then finally seen by Dr Lee, the Registrar, who knows all the issues and spends some time apologising for the NHS.
He is great and understands my fears about having another CT scan that is scheduled for Thursday afternoon! They now have to find out if 'the thing' has spread to other lymph glands. Loads of questions, loads of info - all a bit of a haze - but it is treatable with chemo ...
Finally get to meet the lovely consultant Ann O'Callaghan who gives me a bit more info and promises to phone me on Friday afternoon once she has talked everything through with her colleagues in Southampton and that 'phone call will tell me exactly where 'the thing' is.
Five o'clock and I leave, but not before making an appointment with the clinic for 2 weeks time.
It is tipping down and I get soaked walking to the car park. Time to go home and absorb and share all the news ....
He is great and understands my fears about having another CT scan that is scheduled for Thursday afternoon! They now have to find out if 'the thing' has spread to other lymph glands. Loads of questions, loads of info - all a bit of a haze - but it is treatable with chemo ...
Finally get to meet the lovely consultant Ann O'Callaghan who gives me a bit more info and promises to phone me on Friday afternoon once she has talked everything through with her colleagues in Southampton and that 'phone call will tell me exactly where 'the thing' is.
Five o'clock and I leave, but not before making an appointment with the clinic for 2 weeks time.
It is tipping down and I get soaked walking to the car park. Time to go home and absorb and share all the news ....
The day of reckoning is finally here and it is tipping down with rain.....
The 1st appointment is for 10.15 and around 10.45 I finally get called in to come face to face with a Registrar who was a victim of my rant when I was in for the biopsy! Also there is a lovely lady called Wendy who is a Nurse Specialist. Mr Registrar starts off by reminding me that I had a biopsy and that I am there to hear the outcome.
Let me stop you there says I, and out comes the story of their ineptitude and how I know what the outcome is. Red faces and much blustering all round and final confirmation of what I already know.
Now a session with Wendy who hands me the appointment letter for the Oncology appointment that I am not supposed to know about and she spends some time explaining the processes.
Time for some more blood tests .....
The 1st appointment is for 10.15 and around 10.45 I finally get called in to come face to face with a Registrar who was a victim of my rant when I was in for the biopsy! Also there is a lovely lady called Wendy who is a Nurse Specialist. Mr Registrar starts off by reminding me that I had a biopsy and that I am there to hear the outcome.
Let me stop you there says I, and out comes the story of their ineptitude and how I know what the outcome is. Red faces and much blustering all round and final confirmation of what I already know.
Now a session with Wendy who hands me the appointment letter for the Oncology appointment that I am not supposed to know about and she spends some time explaining the processes.
Time for some more blood tests .....
Monday, 23 August 2010
Saturday, 21 August 2010
The Thing: Arrived home last night to find a letter from the ...
The Thing: Arrived home last night to find a letter from the ...: "Arrived home last night to find a letter from the hospital dated the day of my discharge - Friday the 13th - telling me that my next appoint..."
The Thing: The Thing... continued
The Thing: The Thing... continued: "Finally at 15.00 yesterday I received a text message telling me that I had an appointment with Portsmouth Hospital Trust on 25th August at 1..."
The Thing... continued
Finally at 15.00 yesterday I received a text message telling me that I had an appointment with Portsmouth Hospital Trust on 25th August at 15.00 and that if I wanted to change the appointment call such and such a number!
Not knowing who the appointment was with I called that number and discovered it was the Outpatients department. Oh, says I, I have just received a text message about an appointment - oh no, says woman on the 'phone - we do not send text messages - well I have a text message says I - finally she tells me that I have two appointments on the 25th ...
One at 10.15 with the 'boss' and one at 15.00 with the Oncology department!!!
Following my biopsy no-one has sat me down and mentioned the big 'C' word - but now I finally know don't I?
Thanks QA for showing such social skills in such a delicate situation - firstly lymphoma written on my discharge papers and now this - what next???
Not knowing who the appointment was with I called that number and discovered it was the Outpatients department. Oh, says I, I have just received a text message about an appointment - oh no, says woman on the 'phone - we do not send text messages - well I have a text message says I - finally she tells me that I have two appointments on the 25th ...
One at 10.15 with the 'boss' and one at 15.00 with the Oncology department!!!
Following my biopsy no-one has sat me down and mentioned the big 'C' word - but now I finally know don't I?
Thanks QA for showing such social skills in such a delicate situation - firstly lymphoma written on my discharge papers and now this - what next???
Friday, 20 August 2010
Arrived home last night to find a letter from the hospital dated the day of my discharge - Friday the 13th - telling me that my next appointment with the 'boss' is not until 7th September and yet my discharge paper says 23rd August !!
Have spent since 8.30 this morning trying to contact them to find out what is going on .... so far I have tried 31 times and all I get are the engaged tone or a voice message ....
Perhaps it is easier to get in the car and sort this out face to face so to speak ..
11.05 and I finally get to speak to a Manager who tells me that they have no staff to answer the 'phones!!!! Budget cuts???
The 'boss' is on holiday and that's why my next appointment i scheduled for 7th September but Manager person realises this must be wrong - she will investigate and call me back - still waiting ...
Have spent since 8.30 this morning trying to contact them to find out what is going on .... so far I have tried 31 times and all I get are the engaged tone or a voice message ....
Perhaps it is easier to get in the car and sort this out face to face so to speak ..
11.05 and I finally get to speak to a Manager who tells me that they have no staff to answer the 'phones!!!! Budget cuts???
The 'boss' is on holiday and that's why my next appointment i scheduled for 7th September but Manager person realises this must be wrong - she will investigate and call me back - still waiting ...
Thursday, 19 August 2010
Thursday - back from Westlands Medical Centre where the very caring Nurse Sally removed my stitches - she promised it wouldn't hurt and it didn't. Sally even managed to decipher the note about the PAB Clinic I referred to earlier - it transpires that this is the clinic run by the 'boss' ...
More later
More later
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
The Thing
'The Thing' started with a visit to the wonderful folk at Titchfield Dental Centre. I am petrified of dentists but had finally been convinced that I could handle it after being re-assured by Sharon and her colleagues and so on the 14th July I had an appointment with the exceptionally kind Clare Chavasse.
The upshot was that Clare found a lump on my neck that she thought I should get checked out as soon as possible and this is the story of 'The Thing' ....
One Friday morning, two days before my 60th birthday, I received a call on my mobile at 08.30 just as I was pulling into my car parking space at work - PANIC - it was the QA hospital in Portsmouth wanting me to go in that day for an appointment with the Maxillofacial Outpatient Department - I will call you back says I - but then discovered that the 'phone number was unrecognised, so after many attempts finally managed to make contact with the person who had called me and an appointment was made for the following Tuesday ...
My birthday came and went in a haze and finally Tuesday arrives and I find myself in the 'maxfax' clinic with a Registrar poking around my neck and mouth; after a while he disappears to consult the boss! The 'boss' (Professor Brennan)comes in, introduces himself and has a poke around 'The Thing' and immediately tells me that they have to eliminate the obvious and would I be so kind to step into his room where he proposes to insert a needle into 'The Thing' and take some cell samples - I HATE NEEDLES!!
I am then advised that I will need a CT scan and some sort of day surgery which will involve a probe going down my throat ...
2 days later and another 'phone call at work - shit - the 'boss' wants to do the surgery the next day - can I get cover at work - no, I am self-employed and need a bit more notice, so CT scan set for the Wednesday and surgery for the Thursday - a great week ahead and plenty of tears over the weekend...
The day of the CT scan arrives and I arrive early but am seen straight away - I will not bore you with the gory details, suffice it to say that the whole process and especially the insertion of the cannula was very painful - still got the bruises ...
Op day arrives and I am dropped of at the hospital with a 'See you later'. Carrying my bag with the prescribed dressing gown (purchased especially the day before) flip-flops and reading material I nervously head for Theatre Admissions ....
The staff were great and understood my nervousness but a pre-med could not be administered 'cos they did not have a trolley to take me to the theatre - you have to leg it! At 2pm I was collected and walked to theatre and met the 'boss' again all done up in a surgeon's gown - he was going to do the op which by now included a procedure to take a sample of 'The Thing' from my neck!
A very reassuring anaesthetist explained everything and then ...... SLEEP
The next thing I know is waking up in the recovery room with a drain pipe in my neck but feeling fine - no promised sore throat. After a while I am moved to what I thought was the discharge ward - haha - not that easy. My bag is on the discharge ward but I clearly am not and it seems that there is little chance of this turning out to be day surgery.
Forced to eat hospital bangers and mash (if you do not eat you are not going home) and I am a veggie! My partner has no idea where I am 'cos the only contact number I left behind was the discharge ward and they have my bag but not me and my mobile is in my bag. Eventually a kind nurse from the discharge ward finds me and brings my bag and an urgent message to phone my partner...
10pm and 'No you cannot go home 'cos 'The Thing' is still leaking into Fido the bottle attached to you - GREAT. Luckily I have a good book, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and spent the whole night reading...
Friday morning - yipee I can go home, but not before the removal of the drain (very painful) and a prescription for some eye ointment (?) that I have to rub on my wound 3 times a day! Left that behind.
Stitches out in a week and two appointments the week after that with PAB Clinic(?) and Multi Discipline Team - ah 'The Thing' has just become reality and I find the word Lympthoma on some of the discharge paperwork !!!! SHIT
Like so many people I have moved house and never thought to change my GP - so a visit to my 'old' GP is required in an attempt to persuade them to at least take out my stitches. NO CHANCE - the receptionist had obviously not had her daily happy pill and there was no way she was going to show any compassion.
Back home and try and find a new GP - spot signpost for the Westland Medical Centre two minutes from home, pull in and 20 mins later am registered and have an appointment for tomorrow to have my stitches out.
To be continued
The upshot was that Clare found a lump on my neck that she thought I should get checked out as soon as possible and this is the story of 'The Thing' ....
One Friday morning, two days before my 60th birthday, I received a call on my mobile at 08.30 just as I was pulling into my car parking space at work - PANIC - it was the QA hospital in Portsmouth wanting me to go in that day for an appointment with the Maxillofacial Outpatient Department - I will call you back says I - but then discovered that the 'phone number was unrecognised, so after many attempts finally managed to make contact with the person who had called me and an appointment was made for the following Tuesday ...
My birthday came and went in a haze and finally Tuesday arrives and I find myself in the 'maxfax' clinic with a Registrar poking around my neck and mouth; after a while he disappears to consult the boss! The 'boss' (Professor Brennan)comes in, introduces himself and has a poke around 'The Thing' and immediately tells me that they have to eliminate the obvious and would I be so kind to step into his room where he proposes to insert a needle into 'The Thing' and take some cell samples - I HATE NEEDLES!!
I am then advised that I will need a CT scan and some sort of day surgery which will involve a probe going down my throat ...
2 days later and another 'phone call at work - shit - the 'boss' wants to do the surgery the next day - can I get cover at work - no, I am self-employed and need a bit more notice, so CT scan set for the Wednesday and surgery for the Thursday - a great week ahead and plenty of tears over the weekend...
The day of the CT scan arrives and I arrive early but am seen straight away - I will not bore you with the gory details, suffice it to say that the whole process and especially the insertion of the cannula was very painful - still got the bruises ...
Op day arrives and I am dropped of at the hospital with a 'See you later'. Carrying my bag with the prescribed dressing gown (purchased especially the day before) flip-flops and reading material I nervously head for Theatre Admissions ....
The staff were great and understood my nervousness but a pre-med could not be administered 'cos they did not have a trolley to take me to the theatre - you have to leg it! At 2pm I was collected and walked to theatre and met the 'boss' again all done up in a surgeon's gown - he was going to do the op which by now included a procedure to take a sample of 'The Thing' from my neck!
A very reassuring anaesthetist explained everything and then ...... SLEEP
The next thing I know is waking up in the recovery room with a drain pipe in my neck but feeling fine - no promised sore throat. After a while I am moved to what I thought was the discharge ward - haha - not that easy. My bag is on the discharge ward but I clearly am not and it seems that there is little chance of this turning out to be day surgery.
Forced to eat hospital bangers and mash (if you do not eat you are not going home) and I am a veggie! My partner has no idea where I am 'cos the only contact number I left behind was the discharge ward and they have my bag but not me and my mobile is in my bag. Eventually a kind nurse from the discharge ward finds me and brings my bag and an urgent message to phone my partner...
10pm and 'No you cannot go home 'cos 'The Thing' is still leaking into Fido the bottle attached to you - GREAT. Luckily I have a good book, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and spent the whole night reading...
Friday morning - yipee I can go home, but not before the removal of the drain (very painful) and a prescription for some eye ointment (?) that I have to rub on my wound 3 times a day! Left that behind.
Stitches out in a week and two appointments the week after that with PAB Clinic(?) and Multi Discipline Team - ah 'The Thing' has just become reality and I find the word Lympthoma on some of the discharge paperwork !!!! SHIT
Like so many people I have moved house and never thought to change my GP - so a visit to my 'old' GP is required in an attempt to persuade them to at least take out my stitches. NO CHANCE - the receptionist had obviously not had her daily happy pill and there was no way she was going to show any compassion.
Back home and try and find a new GP - spot signpost for the Westland Medical Centre two minutes from home, pull in and 20 mins later am registered and have an appointment for tomorrow to have my stitches out.
To be continued
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