West Wales here. My mum was diagnosed a few weeks back and was due in tomorrow for emergency tests. They have since postponed and are unable to provide any tests or treatment for the "foreseeable". We don't know what stage the cancer is or if it's spread and now she's just expected to make do for the next 3 months possibly longer in pain knowing the cancer is continuing to grow.

Why the government hasn't opened up private cancer centers for NHS patients is beyond me, the treatment of cancer patients is disgusting. How can they just leave people with critical illness get worse.

So sorry it's so stressful as if we don't have enough to deal with. I'm on chemo drugs secondary cancer and have to go in hospital next week to collect grateful still getting treatment but worrying going in hospital after 3 weeks at home trying to stay safe! 

It is such a worry I'm dreading it!!

Positive vibes to everyone

Stay safe

Xxx

Hi Everyone...

Here we are weeks later but not much further. Please anyone needing some answers request a CT scan if this will help. They won’t do endoscopies but will do CT scans I believe. 

I’ve watched quite a few programmes and news/question times since I last posted, and I’m throughly disgusted at how any questions relating to ‘other’ urgent hospital treatments are quickly sidestepped with short answers or essentially what can only be described as total lies, suggesting that people with illness such as cancer are receiving treatment which we all know is nonsense.

Sadly with everyone in lockdown, our voices of complaint can be too easily muffled.

But still, please I urge you to telephone your local MP and register your complaints.  It cannot do any harm. As someone posted earlier, the NHS is for all and treatment should not be refused .org delayed for such urgent illnesses.

Please stay safe everyone.x

Hi all,

Just to say we had to resort to a private hospital do the colonoscopy and ct scan my mother urgently needed. She was told nothing would be done on the nhs bcos of the virus. It's completely unacceptable and I honestly don't know why virus patients are considered more worthy of treatment than a cancer patient. I agree the media attention is dreadful also. I've only heard it referred to in passing and no one is discussing this matter properly. The nhs is simply swapping one health crisis done another. Presumably bcos everyone is focused on virus statistics and no one is paying any attention of cancer stats.

my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer and after her 2nd scan I suspect we'll have to go back to the nhs bcos - even if it is operable which it may not be  - surgery and chemo etc is much too expensive to do privately. This thought is terrifying.

Has anyone else managed to get any cancer treatment on the nhs recently?

Thank you for reading

x

Hi Jenny, I am really sorry to hear about your mums illness. You must feel so helpless. I have had panick attacks because of this whole situation. I have found it so difficult to comprehend how unfair and ruthless things are. I think that stopping cancer treatments must be saving the nhs thousands of pounds;money to pay for the coronavirus maybe? I think so!! It’s wrong. The nhs is for ALL but I feel like they are robbing Peter to pay Paul. I keep calling question time shows and sending emails asking for answers.

Do you mind me asking; Did your mum have many symptoms before diagnosis. Was it your mums scan or colonoscopy which detected the cancer.

Maybe now your mum is in the system she might get some kind of treatment. I hope so.

xx

Hi to you all and I have to say how upset I feel to read that there are so many people who need treatment now, this minute but are being told they just have to wait.

Who on earth in the government chooses which illness is more worthy of treatment. Why can’t there be treatment for both corona patients and ‘other’ illnesses.

Please shout out about this to your MP (although all to often they don’t give a damn) and anyone else that might help.

I am praying that I am wrong and that treatment will resume very very soon for everyone.x

Hi Kadash,

Thank you for your reply. I've also been panicking so much at the neglect cancer patients are suffering right now. I agree they're robbing Peter to pay Paul. I think bcos the entire world is comparing virus deaths stats, that's the only thing the nhs now focus on. My mother's local hospital cleared five entire wards in anticipation of the covid influx (which involves throwing out my still very sick father who also needs an urgent scan). I suspect the staff there don't have too much to do right now but if you dare to question it they screech that one person had died there (who had serious underlying conditions) and it's massively serious. But so is cancer!!!!!! 

i just cry at the unfairness of it all. 
Well done for your campaigning. I wrote to our MP who said he sent a letter to the trust, but I'm sure it won't change anything. This needs to be addressed nationally now. 
 

No, my mother didn't have many symptoms that I'm aware of. Just blood in her stools, an ocassional stomach cramp and more recently increased learhargy. It was the colonoscopy that detected it. She now needs the scan and we have to again go private for it bcos the nhs are completely disinterested and won't do it anytime soon. She was already in the system btw. The same day they told us she'd finally been referred for her nhs colonoscopy they told us they won't be doing it bcos of the virus. That's when we went private, although it took 3 weeks to find someone who would do it privately since the nhs has seconded the private hospitals also. So we really struggled even to help ourselves by going private. The nhs disgust me (I'm afraid). The clapping every Thursday is like a knife to my heart. They're simply swapping one health crises (cancer) for another (covid-19) 

x

I was diagnosed with womb cancer on Feb 14th. I need a total hysterectomy . Oophorectomy and node removal. My operation has been cancelled 5 times. I'm soo stressed and feel completely let down. I'm beginning to feel really poorly and I'm not sure how much of that is worry and stress. I'm waiting for another call this week to see if I can take hormones to slow the growth of the tumour down.  I have worked for the NHS for 12 years and know what a tremendous strain they are under but I think we too need some consideration .

Five time??? Oh my god that's emotional abuse and torture! I'm so sorry. After working for the nhs for so long that's even more unacceptable. I really hope you get  by the drugs yoy nwwd

have got liaised with PALS or Healthwatxh? Or written to your MP? I did all of those things. I must say PALS were disgustingly dismissive and merely condoned the nhs ignoring cancer patients. Our local MP intervened though so that may be worth you trying? I used a website that made it very easy to send him a letter. He was very quick also. In our case we managed to find a private hospital and did the diagnostics with them (at substantial cost we could ill afford). Any surgery - if it's found to be operable which it may not be - will have to be on the nhs and that frightens me so much. Both bcos it's unlikely ever to actually happen in time and also bcos of people I've read on this forum catching the virus bcos they as cancer patients were put near to covid patients! It's unbelievable the lack of care for cancer patients right now. And the fact no one in the media or anywhere else is talking about this

im sorry to rant. I'm so cross for you. Please do let me know if you'd like any help with any of my suggestions. These days we really have to fight so very hard just to get medical help. It's horrible and I'm here for you if you'd like to chat 

Xx

Thank you for your reply. I would never bother with Pals bcos as you say they are useless. Always on the hospitals side no matter what. It is torture and my mental health is definitely  suffering. I have a 28 year old autistic son and this is affecting him massively too. They are having an MDT meeting today to discuss me having the hormones then I have to wait to hear their decision. I know I'm one of many that are suffering but the doing nothing is killing me. I have been feeling very poorly for about 4/5 days now and my biggest fear is that it's spreading. Working for the NHS makes me feel very disloyal for complaining I'm very torn.  I hope you get better news for your mum soon. This truly is a nightmare. Sending love and prayers to you and your family xxxxx