Pros and Cons of healthcare

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Grandad
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Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

My sister, who is six years my junior, had what she thought was a verruca on the outside of her left foot. This was about two months ago. She made and appointment to see a chiropodist who did some kind of treatment on her foot but it continued to become enlarged and painful.
She then saw a nurse at the doctors surgery who thought she should be referred to a podiatrist. She had three appointments over a couple of weeks until the podiatrist thought she should see a dermatologist.
In the meantime a lump had developed on the inside of her thigh. She saw her doctor who pressed it around and said it was a femoral hernia but did not associate the lump with the foot which was now sore and weeping.
We are now up to about a week ago when by some means she got an appointment with a hospital consultant. From then things have really moved on. She has had biopsies on foot and lump. Both are cancerous. She has a full body scan tomorrow and either at the end of this week or early next week she will have surgery to remove the side of her left foot including little toe and the removal of the lymph gland in her thigh.
I am naturally anxious about what the body scan may find and in any event I expect she will need Chemo after the surgery.
She has always been a very active person, lots of walking, playing golf, healthy eating, no smoking and very moderate drinking.

Coming back to the Pros and Cons. I am not a little annoyed that several medical specialists had not identified what she thought was a verruca is in fact cancerous melanoma. That's the CON.
The PRO is the speed at which action is being taken since the problem has been identified. This action could have been taken two months ago if the 'professionals' had any idea what a melanoma looks like. Even I know that :xx


:gg:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

That is in some ways quite a horror story of somebody going to see Medical Practitioners for something relatively small and innocuous yet none of the Doctors recognizing what is actually happening and going on early on.

IMO one would think that cancer would always be one of the first things to rule out as it is best dealt with really quickly. One would think one of the Doctors would have suspected it asap and made referrals appropriately. Good the full body scan is happening. (If your Sister has to drink barium before hand what I had to drink last week went down best ice cold)

Hopefully they've caught it all in sufficient time that surgery + chemo will cure this with no further intrusions of the cancer. From the sounds of it though this surgery is going to impact her mobility to a degree. Fingers crossed she will still be about to get around independently (once all healed up) and still enjoy full ability to get out of the house and out to shops, stores, restaurants etc.

Definitely a CON that nothing got diagnosed fast. Definitely a PRO that now that there is a diagnoses things are proceeding quickly.

Keep us in the loop of how things progress.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

Thanks LLL. Will do.
:gg:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Mad Dilys »

Grandad I really hope that your sister's recovery is uneventful, I can't imagine how she feels.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

@Mad Dilys
MD she is being very positive about her situation. I am not entirely sure that she understands how serious it is. Apart from some discomfort in her foot she feels very well. The speed of action in the last seven days tells me that it needs immediate attention. She actually has two more smaller lumps in her groin that they will also remove.
Hoping for the best outcome of course.
:gg:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

I wouldn't normally post personal stories here but, knowing that neither my sister nor any family member is likely to read this, I considered it a story that could be worth follow up.
Not least to see how our NHS deals with this potentially serious situation.
:gg:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by FABlux »

Grandad very sorry to read of your sister's problems. I agree it should have been picked up much earlier but fingers crossed that the delays will not adversely affect her recovery.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

I have not mentioned my sisters plight because apart from it being a very personal problem it has also become a 'not very funny' comedy of errors. By which I mean shortcomings in the whole NHS administrative set up.
I won't go into all the details of what has happened since I last posted except to say that her melanoma has spread to her liver and bones and she started treatment by Imunotherapy 9 weeks ago. This treatment is given every 3 weeks and after her second treatment she began to notice black spots and blurring in her vision. Further treatment was postponed and she saw her oncologist on 9 August to discuss. The oncologist dictated a letter to the local hospital eye department for an investigation 'As Soon As Possible' a phrase I never use because it means nothing. She eventually received a copy of the letter by post and when we looked we found that it referred to the consultation on the 9th but was actually typed on 24 August.
When she tried to contact the oncologists secretary she repeatedly got a recorded message that she was not available or that she only works on two days a week.
My sister was nearly in tears last evening when we talked about this and to use her words 'This is my life John that they are failing to deal with'. She has now received an ophthalmologists appointment for next Wednesday 12 September but she believed that Lymph nodes on her thigh are already increasing in size with the break in her treatment after reducing with the first treatments.
I think it is disgusting that when dealing with matters concerning a patients life, it depends on what days of the week some secretary works. From the evidence it would appear that the secretary is at least 2 weeks behind with her workload...that would never happen in the real world and I am convinced that the NHS is NOT in the REAL world.
We are now dealing with this through other channels so no suggestions please.
:gg:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Mad Dilys »

How absolutely devastating Grandad. :sd

I'm glad you are dealing with the situation through other channels. :a28:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Horus »

How awful for all the family involved, sincerely hope it works out OK. :rs for your sister
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Ruby Slippers »

Grandad, that is a dire situation for your sister to be in! I do hope she gets the medical help she so desperately needs A.S.A.P - and I do mean as soon as possible! :xx
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@Grandad - it is totally terrible that anybodies life and quality of life is dependent on a secretary back logged with work. I can definitely empathize as what you're describing is the state of medical here. Abysmal. We don't have doctors, waitlists are ridiculous (well into months and months) and it is basically a sad sick joke here that people die standing in line waiting to get info no their health situation.

Could go on and on and on about this. I have no advice for your sister other than for her to hang in there and be as proactive as possible with her medical providers. Don't wait for them and keep bugging them.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by FABlux »

Grandad sorry just catching up after the holiday & seen your update about your sister. I do hope the other channels are working out for her.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

Thanks for your thoughts FAB :up She has had some hiccups along the way but back on track this week. She will have the third Imunotherapy treatment this pm then a PET full body scan on Thursday and a head MRI on Friday so a busy week to check the status of the treatment.
:gg:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Mad Dilys »

Thank you for letting us know how she is getting on Grandad.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Yesterday we had an announcement by the Gov't they're going to purchase 2 more MRI machines which means in the entire Province of BC will have 8 which IMO is ridiculously thin which has contributed to the months long lineups and waits to get a diagnosis. Having that few for approximately 5 million people is ridiculously low IMO so the cons of our healthcare is that is it woefully under resourced to meet the needs of people today.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by FABlux »

Grandad thank you for the update, I hope the body scan results are what you hope for & that the MRI Head scan goes well tomorrow. Will you get the results fairly quickly? It is such a scary time for you all.

LLL those are unbelievable figures, that is obscene underfunding:(
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@FABLux - that is what most people here think too. It has been very difficult watching our Prime Minister literally throw BILLIONS of dollars away whilst taking selfies yet we don't have adequate healthcare. Waitlists are extensive and equipment nil.
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Mad Dilys »

It's at times like these that I wonder why so much time, money and resources are poured into Space travel etc.

If more attention was paid to improving the lot of humanity then perhaps we wouldn't need a place of escape. :urm:
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Re: Pros and Cons of healthcare

Post by Grandad »

Just a brief update. My sis has now had 4 of the 6 planned sessions of imunotherapy. There are no side effects like hair loss and she has felt well all along so far apart from some slight imbalance. She saw the oncologist last week and the scans showed that, where the cancer is present around her body, the evidence is that they are reducing in size so that gives reason for some optimism.
:gg:
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