Cat among the pigeons

I was going to do the ironing today. I thought I should have time before I go to my 3 appointments at the hospital. However, I’ve abandoned that idea having been delayed by a phone call from the hospital.

It was the MacMillan nurse attached to the surgeon at the Breast Clinic. She’d seen the e-mail & wanted to make sure there was no confusion in me as to what was happening next. What e-mail? I thought.

She seemed to think that she’d said something to cause the confusion. I assured her she was in no way responsible for any confusion. I was clear that I was seeing the oncologist today & expected to start chemo on Monday, though this may be changed if the results of the CT scan I had last week show something to suggest a different course of treatment.

I did admit I had been confused at receiving a copy of the letter sent to the GP stating I was to have radiotherapy to then receive a phone call from this nurse to say it was to be chemo. I had already clarified that with her by phone later that week.

I also admitted I had asked for a second opinion as clearly none of the specialists at the RLI (Royal Lancaster Infirmary) had ever seen a growth like this in this position behaving as this is. I went on to add I knew some of the information I had been given by some of the specialists was wrong as I had spoken to my cousin, head of radiotherapy at Christie’s Hospital Manchester.

From the MacMillan nurse’s reaction she had clearly heard I’d consulted my relative. Presumably the e-mail was the letter from my GP asking for a second opinion. It had clearly scared them a bit. I assured her that I just wanted validation that the process we were following was a reasonable one. If the second opinion confirmed that, I would probably continue with my present team & the treatment they advised.

At that, the nurse was happy to end the call but she asked me to phone her to let her know what the oncologist says today. I couldn’t help thinking it says something about the failure of communication within the team that it should be up to me to tell the various parties what they each said to me.

Now we wait to see what the oncologist says later today.

Catch up time

We spent a lovely afternoon yesterday catching up with old friends. They used to be regulars at the Monday meeting up at the village pub. These days they are adopted grandparents. A couple of times a week, including Mondays, they collect a young child from primary school & look after him until his parents get back from their full time jobs. As a result we rarely see our friends, especially since her brother died last year & they have also been propping up his widow.

However, the moment the news of the re-emergence of my cancer, reached their ears, they’ve been ringing up every week to make sure we’re doing okay. We always have a bit of a laugh which is good for my morale.

It’s the first time we’ve seen them this year so we had much to catch up on. And it was enjoyable to do so. They’re hoping to see a bit more of us now their sister-in-law is adjusting a bit more to her loss so they’ve got a bit more free time on their hands. That will be good.

Then come the evening I phoned our friends in Harrogate. The wife has been having heart surgery. It was a relief to hear she is safely out of hospital, even if for the moment she is staying with her daughter while she recuperates a bit more. The main thing is all has gone well. Now it's to be hoped she doesn't overdo things which she might be tempted to at home, once more looking after her husband.

 

The supply shoe mystery

I’ve finally heard from the hospital about the “Supply shoes”.

A rather distraught voice spoke. She’d been given the job of sorting out all the phone messages to Orthotics. It seems on Monday alone she’d had 65 messages left. There may well have been more but the recording tape had run out of space. All the calls were similar. Wrong equipment, people who didn’t need appointments etc. I was just one among many.

Apparently the sole Orthotics clerk has left & they haven’t finally appointed a new person. Someone, based away from Lancaster, probably Preston as that is where the Orthotics Department is based, has sent out all these letters but most of them are inaccurate in one way or another. The lady I was now talking to had the job of sorting out the chaos.

Suffice to say the appointment was not meant for me. The supply shoes were for someone else. My knee braces had arrived & were awaiting my collection. I suggested I would call in on Friday as I’m at the hospital that day anyway so could easily pop in. Under the new system, orthotic collections are only on Tuesday but, as the department was the cause of the chaos, they would be happy for me to collect this Friday on this occasion.

I asked whether there was just one pair to collect. She said yes. I enquired what happens, assuming this pair suit, about a second pair. I always have two pairs initially of a new design or size as I need to wear something when the one pair is in the wash. They take several days to dry & cannot be tumble-dried (even if I had a tumble drier which I haven’t) or put by direct heat to speed the process up. She wasn’t sure about that. She’d try to locate an answer by the time the need arises.

At least that’s one less appointment next week. And no extra trips into Lancaster involved. Hopefully my knees will feel more comfortable in their new braces. And that they last longer than the last pairs. Let’s hope so.