Don't Put It Off! (contd)

Discussion about miscellaneous topics not covered by other forums
macliam
Posts: 11227
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Don't Put It Off! (contd)

Post by macliam » Wed Apr 01 2020 12:39pm

At this time of anxiety over COVID-19, it's easy to forget the more day-to-day health concerns.

People with long-term conditions - or on monitoring programmes - are being impacted by the time and resource being diverted into tackling the virus... as I posted before (viewtopic.php?f=18&t=88760&p=251452#p251452) Nurse-Specialists are being diverted and Doctors retrained. So it is doubly important to ensure that you take any opportunity offered to ensure you're OK.

At the beginning of the month I saw my GP and we discussed the fact that my post-op cancer monitoring had hit a "gap" period. I now have no further testing, bloods, CT-scans or Colonoscopies, on the books until April 2021 (probably just as well.....) and I explained my concern that as my own tumour had grown from nothing on one screening, to Stage 2 on the next, 2 years later, I was a bit concerned at a 15-month gap in monitoring (my last test was in November).

Lo and behold.... a few days later I got a letter from my surgeon, saying "Congratulations!", my recent(?) tests has shown no recurrence and I don't need to do anything until called for my next test. I thought this was probably not a coincidence, but spurred by my talk with the GP. That was before I realised that all departments are "clearing the decks" to prepare for Virus cross-training.

So, it was lucky that I got my "next" bowel cancer screening kit it January. This is a far simpler process, requiring only a single swab and completed in a few ticks. I rang to ask if it was still appropriate for me - and was told it was. I sent off the sample - and have now received confirmation that tests were negative.... so a little confidence booster.

If you receive a kit, don't bin it - it could save your life...... it saved mine!

Don't put It Off!!!
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

macliam
Posts: 11227
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't Put It Off! (contd)

Post by macliam » Thu Apr 02 2020 6:54pm

Spooky thing today..... I was talking (online) with an old colleague today and they mentioned that a test kit had been delivered (knowing my history).

They were humming and hahing and trying to make the excuse that test centres would be busy due to COVID-19. I said that the worst that could happen is that there'd be a delay in returning his results. He still didn't sound too positive.

So in my best, most patient and most erudite manner, I told him "JUST BLOODY DO IT!!!" and I think he might have got the message that I was concerned!

Even friends can be idiots sometimes....

Don't Put It Off!!!
Thanked by: blythburgh
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

macliam
Posts: 11227
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't Put It Off! (contd)

Post by macliam » Mon Apr 06 2020 11:21pm

Saw this tonight.
I don't think I'll have to tell you how I feel..... he's young, with kids and with a death sentence.
Now made worse through the secondary effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
Think positive - but don't put it off.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-52 ... er-patient
Thanked by: blythburgh
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

blythburgh
Posts: 17737
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 7:14pm
Location: The Far East
Has thanked: 35005 times
Been thanked: 6106 times
Contact:

Re: Don't Put It Off! (contd)

Post by blythburgh » Tue Apr 07 2020 7:42am

macliam wrote:
Mon Apr 06 2020 11:21pm
Saw this tonight.
I don't think I'll have to tell you how I feel..... he's young, with kids and with a death sentence.
Now made worse through the secondary effects of the COVID-19 crisis.
Think positive - but don't put it off.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/health-52 ... er-patient
Man on news has brain tumour and will live if he has the op immediately. But op is off and all he can have is radiology which will give him months not years. I know he is 71 but he could have expected to live for some years with the op.

Sadly many younger people will be in the same position.
Keep smiling because the light at the end of someone's tunnel may be you, Ron Cheneler

macliam
Posts: 11227
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't Put It Off! (contd)

Post by macliam » Fri May 29 2020 12:48pm

Last Friday I had a telephone consultation with the colorectal nurse-clinician, not the normal face-to-face, but actually just as effective over the phone. She suggested that they may continue with phone consultations when things "get back to normal" as one of the changes that was forced on them by the lockdown, but has turned out to be successful. I suggested they might actually try a new thing called "email" rather than sending everything by post (obviously better for me when I'm not in the UK). She still said that there were "issues with privacy"... so presumably, sending me details of a proposed appointment by email is more dangerous than my case details being delivered to my neighbour's house due to a postman's error...... :roll:

Anyway, she assessed all the results of my tests to date and confirmed that after 2 years, I am cancer-free and no longer have to declare it as a pre-existing condition (fingers firmly crossed as I type this!). Unfortunately, she seemed totally unaware that I had also completed my latest screening and this had proved negative (right hand, left hand), but this just added to the evidence. She confirmed that I now have no further monitoring scans due until February 2021 (CT-scan) which she booked, followed by a colonoscopy (lucky me!) the following August. However, she did suggest that it might be worthwhile to do a blood test to assess markers - so I've arranged that with my GP surgery... next week! (another bonus of the lockdown it seems).

So, all good so far - just to show that you can beat the odds if you're early enough. But, of course, to do that you need to know that you have a problem - so Don't Put it Off!!
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests