Tuesday 19 August 2008 – Oncology check-up

I had another three monthly check today and after having an Xray and then waiting for 1 ½ hours due to delays I was seen and examined before being sent home with a clean bill of health as far as Oncology is concerned. I do not have to go back now for another six months, phew!

Other pains seem to be getting worse in my stomach, ribs and back and I have an appointment on 22 September with a specialist following my Colonoscopy last week.

Tuesday 13 May 2008 – Oncology outpatients appointment

Today I spent longer than I would’ve liked at hospital waiting to be seen by a consultant. I had been waiting considerably longer than the woman and her daughter in the next cubicle, but still they complained after ten minutes. More of those two in a moment* but for now the good part I have been given the OK for another three months. I do not get overly worried about these checks-ups anymore as the pains in my back and the impending Pain Clinic appointment for tomorrow are occupying most of my thoughts at the moment. I am hoping they can remedy my on going back pains.
The head pains from my last entry have disappeared since reducing my intake of the Pregabalin.

*And so, back to the women in the next cubicle.
The mother, who was ill, and her daughter who moaned after 10mins of not being seen, were in the next cubicle to me as we waited to be seen by a consultant. When a consultant did check the mothers scans he then left the room, probably to consult another colleague, and when he returned he attempted to explain that there was scar tissue on the mothers chest and other checks needed to be carried out, at which point they complained again about not having the checks done locally to where they live [they live within a 20 mile radius of the hospital the checks were to be done at!].Then they mother tried to explain that she had no idea why she should have scaring of the lungs despite being asthmatic and a chain smoker!! The silly wheezy woman did not realise that they don’t do CT scans and then recommend MRIs on a fekkin whim! The consultant told them the xray and CT scan results were a 'bit wishy-washy' and needed investigating! They did not have the necessary brains cells between them to realise what was NOT being said!It’s an oncology department for heavens

Thursday 13 March 2008 – Pending visit to company GP

I am due to see the company GP on Monday 17 March, next week, I have no idea what format that will take or what sort of an outcome is expected from it. I suspect they will want to see me return to work as soon as possible. I shall be taking as much paper work with me as I can just in case the company GPs stance is strongly in favour of my return to work whilst not fully fit.

If forgot to mention in my last entry how my GP has made a couple of errors in the report he has sent into my place of work.
The first refers to me still being ‘under the care of the chest (Cardiothoracic Unit) at the University Hospital’ where I had my operation. I have told him on more than one occasion that this is not the case as I was referred back to the Oncology outpatients at the specialist Orthopaedic hospital.
The other is concerning the screening I receive at the oncology outpatients I attend where he states ‘The Consultant teams perform regular liver ultrasounds and CT scans to monitor for any further spread of his underlying malignancy’, again this is not true. My Doctor assures me he has read this somewhere but could not find the reference for it when I asked to see it. As a result I phoned the oncology and asked where my GP may have picked up this information from and they were quite adamant, but still pleasant, about the fact that this is something they would never normally, if ever, do. After 16 years of attending the out-patients department I have to conclude that this is true as I only ever receive chest xrays.

I have noticed of late that my Doctor does not always listen to what I have told him and as a result he does not always log things onto his computer as he should.

I have now begun to write down any symptoms I have during my latest course of tablets and I will continue to print them off for him to read during future visits.