Hi

I’m 53.   Not had a period for 20months...last proper one was 2 years ago.   3 weeks ago my boobs started swelling and were tender and sore...just under 2 weeks ago felt like a period was about to start...yesterday I bled...today I bled a lot...boobs getting better.

I tried to send an online urgent request to speak to my doctor yesterday morning but no reply, SO, I tried to phone them this morning but the answer message said going to cut you off because no room left on phone system call back. So on and so forth. Phoned 101, who were fab...they told me to  get to the drop in centre within 2 hours to see a doctor ASAP.

I arrived at the drop in centre, couldn’t see doctor saw a nurse...she phoned consultant gynaecologist at hospital who said I needed an urgent referal and to contact my doctor! Said to nurse I’ve  tried for two days..’.101 told me to come here! ‘ She said she would send a message to my doctors to tell them what the hospital consultant had said.  She told me to go to my surgery as there was no guarantee they would pick the message up straight away.  What? 

So off I went to doctors...arrived before lunch and all the reception shutters were down...still couldn’t get through on phone. I phoned someone (desperate messures) I knew who knew someone in the office to call me ASAP.  They did. Explained all to her. She said there was no doctor I could speak to today but one would call me sometime tomorrow morning...? I asked that I could be referred in the meantime, she said I don’t know...you need to speak to doctor first.....I SAID IVE BEEN TRYING!....She said she could ask the secretaries but there was no guarantee id be referred until I’d spoken to a doctor!  Arrrr.....blah blah! Wow. 

What is happening to our NHS!? Surely we can’t still be blaming Covid for what I experienced today.

To add to this I also have a moderate increased risk of cancer due to family history of possible BRCA2.

I ended up phoning private hospital...who had no appointments until Oct...but they called me back to say there’d been a cancellation. Saw am amazing consultant. Having tests ASAP. This will be worth ever penny I’m about to put on my credit card!!! 

I lost all faith that my doctors would process this referal ASAP....so a two week urgent appointment as suggested by NHS hospital consultant today would probably have turned into a 3 week plus wait based on my first attempt to get help yesterday morning.