Hi All,
Would you ever get bad results over the phone or do they always book face to face appointments for that?
Many thanks
Bear
Hi
Waiting for results can be a nightmare, especially when you don’t know the ropes and the hospital’s routines. And this is the problem - it all depends on the hospital and the circumstances.
In my experience, results etiquette indicates a few possibilities:
1 Very seriously bad results - a phone call requesting you attend clinic within days. Probably a suggestion you bring someone with you. There is no point asking questions as the person will be admin.
2 Worrying/unclear news - rarely given over the phone. A face-to-face session, with a breast care nurse in attendance, is normal practice. This may be a week or so after tests. Treatment can’t be rushed
3 Nothing to worry about - may be given over the phone, depending on staffing and clinic appointments but generally courtesy indicates a face-to-face appointment.
4 Silence - either test results have gone AWOL or an appointment letter is in the post. Basically, no news is good news.
Where at all possible, all results, good/bad or unclear, would be given face to face unless your hospital does it differently. Remember that 90% of all referrals to breast clinics turn out to be benign conditions and silence can be good.
If it helps, I was given my Stage 4 diagnosis over Zoom during Covid. There were 5 people in their room, catering for all possible questions I might have. I had only one; mainly I was concerned with how on earth to tell my husband!
There’s no point telling you not to worry, it’s probably too late, but you might consider that 90%. Pretty good odds and why shouldn’t you be in the 90% rather than the unlucky 10%. Overturn your thinking - it may help. Fingers crossed for you xx