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Is my partner lying about possible cancer?

Berni224
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Hello, I'll try and keep this short. 

I have identified a lot of red flags in the below story, but it would be great to have someone else's opinion on this.

I told my husband I wanted to leave him yesterday, lots of arguing followed and then he told me he had been to A&E that day and has been told he might have cancer. To be fair to him, he has had some symptoms of anal cancer but has been refusing to go to his gp. Now all of a sudden he has taken himself off to the emergency department and within 2 hours has given a stool sample, had a biopsy, blood tests and had a camera in his anus to look at his issue. This just seems like a lot to me in a very short space of time. He said they would email him the results in 2 weeks.

I asked why he didn't take anyone with him, why he didn't call while he was there, why it took 6 hours to tel me etc.

Can someone please clarify if any of the above sounds believable?

Thanks 

  • Offline in reply to davek

    That may used to be the case, but the NHS does use encrypted emails. At least in Scotland they do. I work on the GP (practitioner services here in Scotland) side of the NHS, and we have received data from hospitals via email, and we have sent sensitive emails to customers who have requested things via email.

    Even the NHS website should state this is the case. You as the patient have a huge say in how you receive any information.

    In fact, straight from the NHS site: "Health and care providers use encrypted emails which means that no one can see or tamper with the data while it is being transferred across the network or internet. Your own emails to them may not be encrypted"

    https://transform.england.nhs.uk/information-governance/guidance/email-and-text-message-communications/.

    Emails can be made secure.

  • Offline in reply to ProfBaw

    Edit: I used the term "customers" for some reason. That should have read "patients".

  • Offline in reply to ProfBaw

    Different country, slightly different rules and guidance (see below), different NHS organisations very different rules.

    Yes, emails can be made secure but most private email accounts are not secure with frequent data-breaches by hackers who sell on usernames and passwords. Anyone reading this can check their own at https://haveibeenpwned.com my own has so far been compromised 11 times! 

    GP-hospital emails (and vice versa) are fully encrypted NHS-patient emails aren’t - which is why the patients need to sign a disclaimer. 

    The English NHS cancer centre I use has a blanket ban on clinician-patient emails. I know because they refused to email me some information and instead posted it to me! 

    www.england.nhs.uk/.../Using-email-and-text-messages-for-communicating-with-patients.pdf

  • Offline in reply to davek

    I'm not really up on the English rules, or the disclaimer side of things because i don't deal with either. I suspect that's handled at the GP surgery or hospital. However, to give you an example, what i do deal with commonly is abused partners. Some patients will only communicate with any health service via email. They do not want texts, phone calls or letters because they can be intercepted by the partner. They also can't guarantee they can make every appointment because their partner controls their movement. Emails are easier to hide, and can also be accessed from internet cafes, libraries etc when they do get out the house. 

    Some doctor or NHS jobs worth can not decide how you get that information. Refusing such a request can be putting the patient at risk. nor are you legally obligated to disclose your reasons.  I can only assume you were refused because it's not the norm, thus they couldn't be bothered looking into it properly.

    Anyone that asks for all communication to be email only will get everything sent via email.

  • Hello Berni224

    I am sorry to hear about the situation you are in.

    It is impossible for anyone here to know what is going on with your husband and I think you need to sit down together to have a honest and open conversation.

    As other people have commented on the thread it is highly unlikely for anyone to have the tests listed on the same day by just turning up to a accident and emergency department.

    Best wishes

    Naomi

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