Hi everyone
I had a follow up appointment sent to me before my recent secondary, terminal dianosis, and rang my breast care nurse last week to ask if it was necessary to attend since i only have months of palliative care left.
She said I should attend, it may be that it is ‘just so the clinic see me prior to discharge since there is no further treatment for me, from their side of things’. I just thought I was wasting an appointment that someone else may desperately need. But, against my better judgement, I attended.
I was met by my consultants registrar whom I had never met before, he led me into the treatment room, and turned and smiled and said it was GREAT NEWS! Bone scan done last August came back clear and that meant that I was still cancer free. I sat and felt my anger rise - how could he not have checked my notes properly?? How could he not know I was terminally ill?? He then went on to ask what previous treatment I had already had - I told him, and then I told him, surely you have that information in front of you? He asked 3 times when my mastectomy was done, by which time - I LOST IT BIG TIME 
I shouted at him- that he should have checked ALL my recent notes since I am a new patient to him - I shouted at him I am terminally ill, I am having Palliative chemo - AND THATS IT!! THERE IS NO FURTHER TREATMENT FOR ME - oncologist has given me months at best for survival.
By this time, the nurse outside heard my raised voice and came in to see if everything was ok - NO ITS NOT OK I shouted at her - I told her I had a registrar sit telling me my cancer was all clear when I am terminally ill. I shouted at him again - YOU SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE COMPUTER - surely all the most up to date information would be there?!!! Lo and behold - the first letter on the computer was from my oncologist, with everything in black and white. He apologised and said ‘‘I always check the file’’ I told him not good enough - the letter he was looking at was dated August 2015 - this is April 2016 - that letter is well outdated - I then shouted at him again - CHECK THE COMPUTER!!!
I also argued - why was I to attend in the first place?? I phoned the BC nurse last week who said I should attend. Then the registrar says, I think we should just examine your remaining breast before you leave!!!
WELL - that was like a red rag to a bull!!! WHAT THE HELL FOR??? I have mets in my lungs, a HUGE whopping tumour on my heart - why the hell would I want to know if there was a tumour in my other breast!!?? The BC nurse sat with me the whole time - I asked her if I was being unreasonable refusing to be examined, her head was bowed by this time and she shook her head and said no. I asked the registrar to leave the room so i could compose myself ( I was a sobbing mess by this time), and not to come back in until I left ( I actually wanted to throttle him by this time) - he disappeared, I sat and chatted with the BC nurse and told her how angry, humliiated, distressed I was about the whole experience. She said the BC nurse I spoke to last week should never have said for me to keep the appointment as it was unnecessary under the circumstances. Before he left - he asked ‘‘what support do you have at home?’’ What??? What??? What the hell has my support at home got to do with the fact YOU didnt read my notes?? I thanked him for his concern and advised him I have EXCELLENT support at home thanks very much for your concern!
After about 15 minutes, the registrar then reappeared with my consultant - I explained to my consultant that his registrar had just given me the ‘‘all clear’’ when I am terminally ill with only months left. I told him I didnt want examined by anyone, I dont want any tests, and that I had already told his registrar this, so why was he here now too? My consultant asked if I was sure I didnt want examined, I said no.
I left the hospital on my own totally distressed at what I had just been put through, and it was totally avoidable on 2 counts - A. I shouldnt have been there in the first place and B. Because a registrar didnt do his homework before speaking to me
I had also posted on here before that I had been back to see the consultant on 3 occasions in 2015 to complain that I ‘knew’ there was something not right and that I feel my cancer had a local recurrence due to increased pain, fatigue etc etc etc.
So, between the negligence of not finding the cancer when I kept going back to say something wasnt right, and the absolute fiasco yesterday - I am now looking to sue the NHS. I asked for copies of the 3 appointments I made in 2015 to ask for help for the cancer I KNEW had returned.
I just feel totally, totally let down