It is frightening how quickly life can change. Just a few weeks ago my partner of 15 years was up on the roof of our shed fixing solar panels, fetching 5 gallon bottles of water for our narrow boat and chain sawing wood. Then 3 weeks ago pains he was experiencing in his back and abdoemen which were being investigated became chronic and we had to call an ambulance. By the following day we were told it was just constipation and once he had emptied his bowels he would be sent home despite the fact that he was in too much pain to walk and we lived on a narrow boat moored 300 yards down a muddy field! If it wasn't for a wonderful A&E nurse who shared my concern this was not just constipation and got a second opinion from a consultant we would indeed have been sent on our way and I hate to think of the suffering this would have caused my Reggie left without adequate pain relief and unable to access our home. As it is the consultant looked at CT scans done just a few days before with a Radiographer as part of investigations Reggie had been having and gave us the devestaing news that Reggie had bone cancer in his lower 2 vertebre and a shadow near his groin and he was then admitted. We then found he also had cancer at the top of his spine as well and what is suspected to be lung cancer, we just havn't been given all the answers yet! He was well cared for whilst in hospital and to a degree his pain became more managable. I in the meantime had to take time off work to try and come to with his diagnosis with him and also to try and find, furnish and equipe a suitable home for Reggie to come home to all of which I had to raise the funds for from no where and I am so greatfull to our wonderful friends and family who contributed to this as I only earn money when working as agency staff and thos certainly added to our stress and worry. As if this could not be worse the hospital were pushing for him to be discharged despite no assessment of his needs within the community and most importantly without a home to go to that he could access and this of course also meant no reliable address for appointments to reach us! I managed to plead 2 extra days from them but no more and he was then discharged without a home to go to and there I found him sat in the discharge lounge waiting for me with a bag of drugs and his belongings! As the estate agents had not finished checks and references on me and the landlord was a day delayed in being able to complete the house which had been a refurb job. I had to take Reggie to a hotel overnight with no certaintly of where we would be the next day. Fortunately the house did come through at 5pm the following day and I then had leave him on a comfy chair donated by Mom and dad whilst I went and bought a bed from Ikea. It was however too late to recruit assistance in building it and despite my best efforts we had to sleep on the matresses. He was sent home with a bag full of medication that no one sat down and explained to either of us, I had to figure it all out! nothing was said to us about whether somebody i.e a Macmillan Nurse or an OT would be visiting and we felt very much just left to deal with this situation on our own. This is despite my pushing for these referrals and having repeatedly explained the challenges we faced. I did make a complaint and it iis being investigated by PALS. Unfortunately Reggie ended up back in hospital by ambulance again last night and has once again been admitted due to severe pain. This time the communication has been much better and it seems that finally his true needs are going to be assessed and they have advised he will start radiotherapy on Monday; which I have read and learnt from professionals can massively reduce the pain caused by the cancer in his spine and may also restore some of his mobility as the pain prevents this at the moment and with it some of his dignity. I just feel so angry that at this, possibly the most difficult time during our lives together that we have had to battle for information and the help we so desperately need and that I had to formally complain and Reggie had to be readmitted before anything seemed to be done. He is now going to be assessed properly in regard to his needs upon discharge so that we do have the proper equipment, help and support we need and hopefully Reggie can have some restored dignity and quality of life whatever the final outcome may be.  I am posting this because I feel lessons need to be learnt here and want to know if anybody has had similar experiences in the immediate aftermath of diagnosis. I must say the shining lights in all of this had been the Macmillan Nurses I was able to access via their National line who have been very helpful with advice and have listened to my tears and me spilling my guts out about our experiences and the nurses who worked so hard looking after Reggie and the other patients during his stays and I cannot thank the nurse who prevented him being sent home form A&E in the 1st place as I don't know what we would have done at this point!