Hi Sandpiper.  It really is stressful waiting for scan results especially like you said it could be a fast growing cancer.  I would phone the secretary again today and everday until you get heard.  It really is not good enough to be told they are on a go slow ( this is your life they are talking about)  Why don't you contact PALS at your hospital and put in a complaint.  I have secondary cancer and found that you have to stand your ground and make yourself heard.  I am really praying that your scan comes back okay.  Big hugs.

Lee x

Thanks for your reply.

The secretary is notoriously hard to speak with as her phone automatically goes to a voicemail! Tried asking reception for an alternative number but told that is the only one.

I will keep hassling though!

Hi Sandpiper.  Jolamine's explanation does make sense.  Like me I would feel better by chasing things up as I hate waiting and not knowing is scary.  Hopefully you get your answers soon.

Lee x

Yes, had the consultants secretary explained the process to me like Jolamine did, it would have been easier to accept the wait.

As it was, I got a very abrupt explanation that consisted of telling me that the consultant had been out of the trust and had only returned on Monday and that he has a full week of appointments so I just need to wait.

There was zero empathy or compassion which made her comments hard to take.

Hi Leelaloo,

Thank you so much for your kind comments. I received such tremendous support in the early days of my diagnosis from people on this forum and appreciate the value of that support, so I do my best to try and pay that back. 

I hope that you enjoyed your holiday.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi Sandpiper,

It is only natural to be scared at this point. You did the right thing to contact your consultant's secretary. It sounds as if she may have been a bit overwrought with the consultant being away and you maybe  got the brunt of this?

Please let us know when you get your results and remember that we are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Hi

Had a letter from my Consultant this morning confirming that I need another CT scan with a 15 and 30 minute delay with contrast due to the large size of the lesion.

So more waiting and worrying

Hi Sandpiper oh no another scan, do you have a date yet?  Like you say more waiting and worrying.  Hopefully you won't have to wait as long this time.

Lee x

Just really down at the moment. Trying to be normal and get on with daily life but its like a wave of doom hanging over me.

No date for the scan yet but consultant said he has marked it as urgent so just have to wait.

Hi Sandpiper,

When you were expecting to have results by now and not expecting to need further investigation, you are bound to feel down. This is not surprising and unfortunately, our over-active imaginations tend to take us to all sorts of dark places, which doesn't help. I hope that you get your CT scan soon and that you won't have too long to wait for results after that.  This is always an anxious time and irrespective of the outcome, you'll feel better once you know .

You'll find that your emotions will change like the weather with this, but rest assured that this is all perfectly normal. Please keep in touch and remember that we are always here for you.

Kind regards,

Jolamine xx

Thank you so much Jolamine x

Hi,

I’m so sorry to read that you’ve been let down so badly. 
Sadly this attitude problem is getting worse and is a symptom of under funding, poor NHS leadership and an over stressed working environment.

As a former NHS manager I’m always telling people to remember that their case is being processed by a faceless and impersonal system along with literally thousands of other cases and not to make any assumptions. As a cancer patient I’ve been told to my face by a consultant “sorry to have kept you waiting in the corridor, I wanted to read your results - this is the first time I’ve had chance since they arrived last month”! If we’re lucky, a consultant radiologist or pathologist will have reported on our scan or sample and flagged it as urgent to bring it to the oncologist’s attention - but you cannot assume this is the case! Being told “you need urgent treatment” after waiting 6 weeks for your results is not ideal. 

Use every trick in the book to get the service you need. Getting your GP to chase up your results and explain that the delay is causing high levels of stress might help. 


Good luck
Dave

Hi,

I’m so sorry to read that you’ve been let down so badly. 
Sadly this attitude problem is getting worse and is a symptom of under funding, poor NHS leadership and an over stressed working environment.

As a former NHS manager I’m always telling people to remember that their case is being processed by a faceless and impersonal system along with literally thousands of other cases and not to make any assumptions. As a cancer patient I’ve been told to my face by a consultant “sorry to have kept you waiting in the corridor, I wanted to read your results - this is the first time I’ve had chance since they arrived last month”! If we’re lucky, a consultant radiologist or pathologist will have reported on our scan or sample and flagged it as urgent to bring it to the oncologist’s attention - but you cannot assume this is the case! Being told “you need urgent treatment” after waiting 6 weeks for your results is not ideal. 

Use every trick in the book to get the service you need. Getting your GP to chase up your results and explain that the delay is causing high levels of stress might help. 


Good luck
Dave