Hello there,

My partner was diagnosed last week with stage I-II rectal adenocarcinoma. At the moment it looks like there’s only one lesion and no clear confirmation it has spread to lymph nodes. He’s 35, non-smoker, rarely drinks more than a couple of beers per month, fit, otherwise healthy and no family history of it. So the luck sucks.

I find myself lying awake at night because we have no idea when treatment will start and I have nightmares of the cancer stem cells settling elsewhere in his bowel with every minute that passes. We would both like it nuked to oblivion with the planned radiotherapy and chemo (capecetabine, I think) yesterday. Oncologist appointment will likely not be for another 1.5 weeks. I’ve no idea how long after this his first treatment will be, but they don’t seem to be in any great hurry.

The hospital we have been referred to is immensely over-subscribed, and he was unable to get a colonoscopy there because they lost his referral/appointment (letter of complaint in progress). In the end, we became so exhausted and stressed after a fortnight of trying to get through to someone there (the GP had referred him over a month before we started phoning, and all the while my partner’s bleeding was getting worse) that my partner paid to have the diagnostics done privately. 

It could be another five weeks before he starts treatment for all I know, certainly not sooner than another fortnight, and it could mean the difference between his needing a complete rectal resection or none at all. His job requires a medical certificate (which he currently doesn’t qualify for due to diagnosis) in order for him to continue, so after the sick pay has expired, that’s it. 

After that long preamble, my question is - did anyone give up waiting for treatment at their local hospital and apply to be treated at one with more capacity? Was it worth it?