I've just had the worst week.

Went to A&E on Monday as my back pain, chest pain and neck were all excruciating and my heart rate was irregular. The practitioner I saw was very reassuring and re-examined my lump and gave me some super strength co-codamol and ordered a full blood count and LFT. This helped calm me (and then so did the CC when I took it!) and my heart rate regulated, so I think anxiety was playing a bit of a part but doesn't explain all the pain I was feeling.

I waited patiently until today to phone the doctors for results as I was told I'd hear from my GP within a week, and they just told me that even though they received my scans a few days ago the clinician hasn't had a chance to review them yet. I burst into tears on the phone, and the receptionist just told me that she couldn't give me the results and I'd have to wait for them to call me.  I repeated that I'd already waited the week I was told it would take, and asked when I could expect to hear from them.  She hesitated and said "next week", and I hung up and fell apart.

WHY do hospitals, GPS and other health services give you a wait time when they are unable to meet that deadline? WHY was I referred for an ultrasound on a 2WW but it took almost three weeks?  WHY was I told I'd have answers and more info in a week's time if it was going to take TWO weeks?  Do they have any idea what this does to a person who is intelligent enough to recognise that their body is struggling and needs fixing?

Sorry... I love the NHS and whenever I actually GET seen, the care is always second to none... and I also know that the blame for wait times lie solely with the money-grabbing, lying blokes who sit in parliament and stripped back the NHS funding and not the health care workers themselves... but I'm utterly devastated, feeling totally broken and I just want someone to hear and acknowledge my anger and frustration.  The wait is not just excruciating, it's lonely and anxiety-inducing and it seems like nobody cares except me.

Sorry for the rant.  But I don't want to worry my family so I'm just going to sob whilst I write this and cuddle my dog who has just climbed on my lap like she always does when I'm sad, bless her.

Thank you to everyone who's been supporting me during this wild emotional ride... will update when (if) I ever get results. 
 

Laura xx

Lots of love Laura. Looks like we are in similar situations. My 2ww has been ongoing since June now all I know its there was a hyperechoic mass which needs reviewed, my local hospital is under so much pressure the one stop breast clinic has basically fallen apart poor nurses are trying thwir best to see everyone ( no consulant ) and I worry I go back in September to then need to wait for another ultrasound/ possibly biopsy when all of this could of been done last month if the one stop clinic was running as it should

The wait got to me today (I blame the moon cycle) but its just really hard not knowing what's happening.  

Fingers crossed you get some contact and good news soon. X

Thank you both for your replies. I was in such a bad place on Friday. Everyone is so right that the not knowing is absolutely the worst part.

So I decided to play the system and phoned my GP first thing yesterday to make an appointment, figuring at least then somebody would be able to talk me through the scan! He did, and said that the sonographer had identified the lump as a soft tissue lesion with many blood vessels and a strong blood supply that needed further investigation from a specialist. He referred me to a soft tissue specialist, but because I've also got pain shooting into my left breast he also referred me to the breast clinic just in case, and they've already phoned to book me in for next Wednesday. He said that both specialists should have me seen within two weeks, but warned me there aren't many soft tissue sarcoma specialists in my area and I may have to travel into London to be seen by someone.

So that's where we're at. It's so funny, I was basically told that I probably do have cancer but they just need to confirm it, and all I feel is total relief! So bizarre. For me I just needed to see the next steps, I think, feel like I knew where this was going.

Sorry to hear you're in the same boat L.WATER, it's so difficult isn't it? Happy to chat and keep you company whilst you're doing the waiting game. Now all I have to do is try not to think about it spreading whilst I sit here waiting to be seen and prodded and poked! Thanks everyone for all the support you've given me so far, I'll be back to update as and when I see the different specialists and see where I go from there.

Big hugs to anyone going through the same thing