Toes crossed here for you Nicole. I've been pondering how having cancer can be such an isolating experience for the affected person and their family. I do hope the Royal Family have good people around them who can provide the necessary support. Sure, they can buy the best care in the world, but having your community around you and on your side is so important.
I had a brain tumour (it turned out to be non-malignant, although They didn't know that until two weeks after it was removed, eight years ago now...).
Family members were supportive, albeit at a distance - none of them live near me - as were Three Friends from church. The priest at the time (known on these boards as Father Fuckwit) was conspicuous by his absence, so the Three Friends formed themselves into a sort of little support team, arranging visits to the hospital so that I saw someone each day, and then, when I returned home, helping with shopping trips (I wasn't allowed to drive) and so on.
There were a few others who assisted from time to time, but the Three were pre-eminent, and I shall always be grateful to them for what they did, and still occasionally do. Since then, I have acquired Kind Neighbours who also keep a friendly eye on me...
My guess is that His Majesty had histology done from his prostate op and they found cancer there. He is starting monthly treatment -likely to be Zoladex injection (which blocks gonadotrophins) and should do very well.
Such speed in diagnosis and starting treatment would, in my experience, be unheard of under the NHS.
Why aren't people up in arms about the the way the NHS works?
I didn't expect to be coming her except to offer sympathy and support on this thread but I need a rant, I hope I'm in the right place.
I'm organising Cheery Son's medical calendar for the year and thought last night I should check with the hospital about Cardiology appointments. He has recently started some new medications and I am not happy about Cardiologist not being involved because it's not going straightforwardly.
So got to the right section, amazingly they picked up first ring!!!!! I got them to check his file, to find out when he will next be seen and find out that in last letter to GP Cardiologist says to see him in 2 years time!!!!! I assume it says if any concerns come back sooner. Don't know, don't have a copy of the letter.
FMD, COG guidelines say that kids should have echocardiogram every 2 years (used to be 1, but guidelines changed a few years ago. That's another whole rant by itself around so called professional people following blindly without thinking).
So GP has never told us about the 2 year thing, to my knowledge. We are never copied on correspondence which I find personally disrespectful given we are doing the grunt work at the coalface and have been since 2003 when kid was first diagnosed just after turning 3.
Gets better than this. Rang Outreach nurse for guidance, Oh well, what you need is a really good GP! Has she ever tried getting one? FMD again, GPs here don't routinely learn about cancer therapy in their training. So here we are leading the Professionals who don't really give any guidance and even if we wanted to change practitioners, the effort in doing so and it doesn't work that we get to interview them, to find out if they meet our standards. Trial and error is a shitty way to run a system.. To say nothing of relying on untrained people to keep the show on the road.
Due to length of treatment we've had 3 Paediatricians 1 retired, 1 left town for promotion and one we boycotted due to shitty attitude and poor communication skills. Again due to retirements, change of careers, 5 GPs. We also have other specialities too and one of those has had a career chnge but has told us where he'll be working. Thank God for the 1 Oncologist that we've had over the last 21 years. He will retire in 2 years time (Help).
So today FUCK YOU CANCER doesn't seem like enough. You can take the fallout from your gift of therapy and stick it where the sun don't shine.
Enough, I'm fed up to the back teeth and more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally posted by Merry Vole: Such speed in diagnosis and starting treatment would, in my experience, be unheard of under the NHS.
Why aren't people up in arms about the the way the NHS works?
This is going back to 2015, but my late father's myeloma was picked up during a routine NHS prostate check. As it was picked up prior to having any symptoms, he was able to start treatment very quickly before the myeloma had had an adverse affect on his health. Our experience (in 2015) was of fast and efficient diagnosis and starting treatment, and exemplary care throughout. Dad was 78 at the time, and remained relatively well until the chemo stopped working in late 2020. He died in May 2021.
I suspect that the King does not have myeloma, as that would have been picked up by blood test prior to the operation on his enlarged prostate. (Dad's enlarged prostate op was postponed until he had had the first course of chemo) but (at least in 2015) speedy diagnosis and starting treatment was our experience.
Back on a particular Sunday in 2015, when I was diagnosed with a brain tumour, the referral to King's College, London, was made the same evening.
Treatment started the same day, too, as I needed anti-seizure meds straightaway. I had a CT scan the very next morning, and a few days later saw the local neurologist chap.
Surgery was the only viable option, and would have taken place in January 2016, had it not been for a certain former Health Minister whose name rhymes with a naughty word playing silly buggers with the junior doctors.
Surgery was re-arranged a couple of times, and eventually took place in early May 2016. All done and dusted quickly, with a couple of weeks in King's, followed by a couple of weeks for rehab in one of their satellite hospitals.
Whether it would have worked out quite so well these days, I don't like to think, given the way the tories have fucked about with the NHS more or less continuously since 2015 (and before).
It's good to hear good news about cancer treatment in the NHS. To be fair the cancer of my son was treated within the NHS guidelines, but not within a couple of weeks. Mrs Vole's cancer treatment was subject to a litany of delays for no obvious reason and taking it outside the guidelines, and I hear many similar examples in my day to day work I'm afraid.
It's good to hear good news about cancer treatment in the NHS. To be fair the cancer of my son was treated within the NHS guidelines, but not within a couple of weeks. Mrs Vole's cancer treatment was subject to a litany of delays for no obvious reason and taking it outside the guidelines, and I hear many similar examples in my day to day work I'm afraid.
Bear in mind that @North East Quine and I are referring to what happened a few years ago. As I said, given the mess the effing tories have made of the NHS, it's not likely to be so easy these days.
Unless you're the second-richest King in Yurp, of course (AIUI, Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands is even better-off than Chuck...).
Shortly before lockdown I mentioned symptoms to a doctor. I was given blood tests, and within the week I was referred for ultrasound scanning, then shortly after I received a letter asking me to present myself at the hospital. They hadn't actually said what for; it was a standard letter that just gave four possibilities, and when I turned up the receptionists didn't know either. I was then called in and given a hysteroscopy, which was a hell of a shock, but in retrospect I was glad not to have had to agonize about it in advance. The results came through a few days later (all clear).
I did comment on the speed of having been seen so quickly to a nurse and the gist of her response was they don't usually hang about if they think you have cancer. That might be specific to this area, but I wouldn't think it's changed - though lockdown did mean quite a backlog of people waiting to be seen and I have no idea how that currently stands.
The NHS cancer checking is still pretty swift round here. I had my first ever mammogram at the start of June 2023. There was something they didn't like the look of there, so I was back in for ultrasound 13 days later. Was told as the doc did the ultrasound that it all looked good - appears what had looked like a lump was the way my muscle layers had compressed on the original scan, and since they had no baseline for me they needed to have another look.
I just got a call from my oncologist. The CAT scans turned up something, she didn't specify. She said it was nothing to worry about, but I can't have the port out until I've had another CAT scan in three months. So despite her assurance I am worried, and upset.
I just got a call from my oncologist. The CAT scans turned up something, she didn't specify. She said it was nothing to worry about, but I can't have the port out until I've had another CAT scan in three months. So despite her assurance I am worried, and upset.
How the heck are you supposed to "not worry" when the oncologist says, "I want another scan in 3 months."? I'm so sorry to hear this, @NicoleMR. May you find some peace in the upcoming days and weeks.
I just got a call from my oncologist. The CAT scans turned up something, she didn't specify. She said it was nothing to worry about, but I can't have the port out until I've had another CAT scan in three months. So despite her assurance I am worried, and upset.
On the other hand, if it was urgent, they've have called you in asap, not told you they'd review it in three months. It may be something minor that will settle down by itself.
Keeping everything crossed for you and hoping that in three months you'll have that port out!
God, God, God, God. Fuck. A good friend died two weeks ago. Now his son is dying. Bad. The chemo and radio don't work. I should have read it in his face as we embraced. Fuck. My God. Existence eh? No wonder Camus.
I hope no one will mind if I say a Fuck Cancer on behalf of my darling little calico cat Elizabeth. What we thought was a bad tooth turned out yesterday to have been cancer. She is the sweetest, gentlest, most affectionate of cats and saying goodbye later this week is going to be hard.
@North East Quine Sorry to hear about Elizabeth. losing a beloved cat is so hard.
Both my Mum and Dad died of cancer and a cousin aged 10, a couple of years older than me. His parents visited and left a pile of toys on our kitchen table. I still have his red fighter jet on my mantlepiece.
I’m often at my local very very helpful and lovely Maggie’s Centre (summary in too-long post on prayer thread), and the horrible surgeries and brutal treatments people I meet there are having or have had… and the terrifying drug shortages that the wankery of Brexit has brought (essential drugs for people with pancreatic cancer to be able to eat anything, even a biscuit apparently often are scarily hard to get), and people with rare cancers where there isn’t even any research hardly…
- and selfishly also the knowledge that i’ll have to experience at least some of those things then die when my body can’t take any more… and I’ll leave my little dog and she won’t understand, which tears me up more than any of the other shit in the upcoming feature events.
I thought I was kinda lucky getting breast cancer, one of the best-researched ones, i expected the surgery and recovery then the horrible chemo, but a hospital cock up, a tip into metastasis and boom, Secondary Breast Cancer, curable is off the table and it’s a one way scary-train to deadness; duration and stops on the way unknown.
Fuck cancer, fuck it hard with a rough, splinter-giving pointy stick.
I am so enraged at cancer taking those whom I love. I know at my age I should expect to lose friends and family, but what a mean way to leave this earth.
My mum still trudges on. As do I, and the rest of the family, in our very different and often fundamentally incompatible ways. You can imagine what this does for relationships.
Actually it does help @Cheery Gardener, so thank you. It is a common trope with dementia that those close to them lose the sufferer twice - or multiple times. That's how it feels to me with cancer too. There is so little of my mother left, psychologically or emotionally, but no idea when her body will catch up with this fact.
Comments
Result! That's great news.
Insurance company jobsworth, you suck.
Hope the outcome is a good one, Nicole.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/05/king-charles-diagnosed-with-cancer-buckingham-palace-announces
His decision to *go public* is very welcome, and much to his credit.
His grandfather died of lung cancer, at the early age of 56, but AFAIK that was due mainly to heavy smoking...
What she said....
I had my CAT scans today, I'll post results when I get them.
I had a brain tumour (it turned out to be non-malignant, although They didn't know that until two weeks after it was removed, eight years ago now...).
Family members were supportive, albeit at a distance - none of them live near me - as were Three Friends from church. The priest at the time (known on these boards as Father Fuckwit) was conspicuous by his absence, so the Three Friends formed themselves into a sort of little support team, arranging visits to the hospital so that I saw someone each day, and then, when I returned home, helping with shopping trips (I wasn't allowed to drive) and so on.
There were a few others who assisted from time to time, but the Three were pre-eminent, and I shall always be grateful to them for what they did, and still occasionally do. Since then, I have acquired Kind Neighbours who also keep a friendly eye on me...
Such speed in diagnosis and starting treatment would, in my experience, be unheard of under the NHS.
Why aren't people up in arms about the the way the NHS works?
That is so, but we have not so far been favoured (AFAIK) with any further details.
I'm organising Cheery Son's medical calendar for the year and thought last night I should check with the hospital about Cardiology appointments. He has recently started some new medications and I am not happy about Cardiologist not being involved because it's not going straightforwardly.
So got to the right section, amazingly they picked up first ring!!!!! I got them to check his file, to find out when he will next be seen and find out that in last letter to GP Cardiologist says to see him in 2 years time!!!!! I assume it says if any concerns come back sooner. Don't know, don't have a copy of the letter.
FMD, COG guidelines say that kids should have echocardiogram every 2 years (used to be 1, but guidelines changed a few years ago. That's another whole rant by itself around so called professional people following blindly without thinking).
So GP has never told us about the 2 year thing, to my knowledge. We are never copied on correspondence which I find personally disrespectful given we are doing the grunt work at the coalface and have been since 2003 when kid was first diagnosed just after turning 3.
Gets better than this. Rang Outreach nurse for guidance, Oh well, what you need is a really good GP! Has she ever tried getting one? FMD again, GPs here don't routinely learn about cancer therapy in their training. So here we are leading the Professionals who don't really give any guidance and even if we wanted to change practitioners, the effort in doing so and it doesn't work that we get to interview them, to find out if they meet our standards. Trial and error is a shitty way to run a system.. To say nothing of relying on untrained people to keep the show on the road.
Due to length of treatment we've had 3 Paediatricians 1 retired, 1 left town for promotion and one we boycotted due to shitty attitude and poor communication skills. Again due to retirements, change of careers, 5 GPs. We also have other specialities too and one of those has had a career chnge but has told us where he'll be working. Thank God for the 1 Oncologist that we've had over the last 21 years. He will retire in 2 years time (Help).
So today FUCK YOU CANCER doesn't seem like enough. You can take the fallout from your gift of therapy and stick it where the sun don't shine.
Enough, I'm fed up to the back teeth and more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Such speed in diagnosis and starting treatment would, in my experience, be unheard of under the NHS.
Why aren't people up in arms about the the way the NHS works?
This is going back to 2015, but my late father's myeloma was picked up during a routine NHS prostate check. As it was picked up prior to having any symptoms, he was able to start treatment very quickly before the myeloma had had an adverse affect on his health. Our experience (in 2015) was of fast and efficient diagnosis and starting treatment, and exemplary care throughout. Dad was 78 at the time, and remained relatively well until the chemo stopped working in late 2020. He died in May 2021.
I suspect that the King does not have myeloma, as that would have been picked up by blood test prior to the operation on his enlarged prostate. (Dad's enlarged prostate op was postponed until he had had the first course of chemo) but (at least in 2015) speedy diagnosis and starting treatment was our experience.
Treatment started the same day, too, as I needed anti-seizure meds straightaway. I had a CT scan the very next morning, and a few days later saw the local neurologist chap.
Surgery was the only viable option, and would have taken place in January 2016, had it not been for a certain former Health Minister whose name rhymes with a naughty word playing silly buggers with the junior doctors.
Surgery was re-arranged a couple of times, and eventually took place in early May 2016. All done and dusted quickly, with a couple of weeks in King's, followed by a couple of weeks for rehab in one of their satellite hospitals.
Whether it would have worked out quite so well these days, I don't like to think, given the way the tories have fucked about with the NHS more or less continuously since 2015 (and before).
Bear in mind that @North East Quine and I are referring to what happened a few years ago. As I said, given the mess the effing tories have made of the NHS, it's not likely to be so easy these days.
Unless you're the second-richest King in Yurp, of course (AIUI, Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands is even better-off than Chuck...).
I did comment on the speed of having been seen so quickly to a nurse and the gist of her response was they don't usually hang about if they think you have cancer. That might be specific to this area, but I wouldn't think it's changed - though lockdown did mean quite a backlog of people waiting to be seen and I have no idea how that currently stands.
How the heck are you supposed to "not worry" when the oncologist says, "I want another scan in 3 months."? I'm so sorry to hear this, @NicoleMR. May you find some peace in the upcoming days and weeks.
On the other hand, if it was urgent, they've have called you in asap, not told you they'd review it in three months. It may be something minor that will settle down by itself.
Keeping everything crossed for you and hoping that in three months you'll have that port out!
And I'm sorry everyone. My tears include you.
Both my Mum and Dad died of cancer and a cousin aged 10, a couple of years older than me. His parents visited and left a pile of toys on our kitchen table. I still have his red fighter jet on my mantlepiece.
- and selfishly also the knowledge that i’ll have to experience at least some of those things then die when my body can’t take any more… and I’ll leave my little dog and she won’t understand, which tears me up more than any of the other shit in the upcoming feature events.
I thought I was kinda lucky getting breast cancer, one of the best-researched ones, i expected the surgery and recovery then the horrible chemo, but a hospital cock up, a tip into metastasis and boom, Secondary Breast Cancer, curable is off the table and it’s a one way scary-train to deadness; duration and stops on the way unknown.
Fuck cancer, fuck it hard with a rough, splinter-giving pointy stick.