Oncologist consultation - test delay

Attended the hospital today for a consultation. What do we expect? FRUSTRATION. We arrive at 10:40 and leave at 15:20, still without test results for the ER status of the cancer. We have waited 63 days so far! Jan states it is he most aweful, tedious and slow outpatients she has ever attended. The patient in front of us at reception was asking for her notes to pass to her lawyer - re-assuring!

We wait for over 2 hours in an overheated overcrowded corridor before being ushered in to see an oncology registrar. She still does not have the test results for ER status. She phoned the pathology lab during the meeting, yet still no results. I can only presume that the results have been lost and will need re-testing, lets hope the hospital can find the original sample! This poor organisation must double the workload on the pathology lab for Jan's tests.

We are told they plan no chemotherapy but 4 weeks of radiotherapy whatever the results of the tests, so we are to plan for radiotherapy within 4 weeks.

We are told that the cancer was invasive ductal, rather than the invasive lobular that we had expected - it makes little difference to Jan's risk, I believe a slight increase in relative mortality of 11%.

We were told that the ER tests should have been done after the three biopsies taken on 30 Jan, so we have now waited 63 days, and expect to wait at least another 7 days. I reckon they will start testing again from a sample held hopefully in the freezer, and wonder what that does to accuracy of the tests! We are told the testing takes 2 days to complete! So why in the USA does one wait for 7 days max, when in the UK we test just as fast yet lose the results? The test lab is at the hospital entrance, we pass each time we visit, so there is no transport difficulty.The lack of test results means Jan is denied possibly useful hormone treatment for 70 days, yet once on hormones the hospital give one leaflets stating how important it is no to miss a dose!

We also go on to two other outpatient areas for blood and a lung cancer check in case breast cancer has already spread. Hence the late return home. We are phoned later that day to say lungs all clear, so those tests can be done in a day!

So how does one react? The doctors are hard working pleasant folk, probably seriously overworked because of poor organisation. For example on all three of the last visits where we have seen a doctor they have worked overtime right through lunch till 14:30 even though their lunchtime is scheduled for 13:00, and for one his private patients should have started at 14:00 at another hospital.

I believe it is chronic dis-organisation by hospital management. I consider sueing but believe one has to be able to prove a mistake has at least halved Jan's life expectancy before one can sue successfully.

In the meantime Jan is more composed and at peace than any of the other cancer patients we saw waiting, we continue with diet and exercise, and trust in the Lord. We remember the Chinese nurses comment that when in a Chinese village where there are little medical resources one just prays and sees God answer. I said to Jan, at least we have diet and exercise to to work on, her reply was "and prayer". I go out and buy two packs of broccoli, two of watercress, one spinach, two of fresh salad, and some root veg. We are going mad!

We read 2 Corinthians chapter 8 verse 1 "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." So in our discussions with the doctor we work alongside them. We have taken the attitude "how do we proceed when the notes contain a mammogram of somebody else's breast (see earlier post) and the ER tests are lost". The doctor took on board these issues. The challenge is how to find where the tumour was to apply radiotherapy when it has gone and records are lost! She phoned back later that afternoon and promised a CT scan before radiotherapy which will solve any confusion.