i chased up my appointment today via my doc because they werent getting back to my messages at the clinic. apparently, even though with my symptoms theyr meant to see me withint 2 weeks, they are saying theyre not going to see me for 8 weeks!!! how can they do this to me??? i dont understand. my doc doesnt understand either, she said they were meant to see me within 2 weeks but sometimes they do this. i guess its coz im young. i mean im not really worried about the diagnosis but im worried about having the tests done and its driving me mad, i cant sleep at all, i cant go on like this for 8 weeks. i cant do it. icant.
I’m not sure what your gp has said, but apparently under the patient’s rights thing (can’t remember the name) you can choose where you are seen, and also push for a sooner apointment - mine was supposed to be in 2 weeks and from the referral it will be 4, BUT I have a password and reference number and I have to call every day to see if there are any cancellations so i can get in quicker - at least I am able to feel like I’m doing something.
Maybe worth asking your gp to refer to another clinic so you can choose to be seen somewhere with a shorter list.
Regradless of age, or how busy they are, if you are to be seen within 2 weeks it should be a case of you being booked in as close to that as humanly possible.
Good luck!
Cxx
yea but im going away at easter so doing a new referal will also be too late now. we’re the only main hospital in the whole of the region.
i dont know about patients rights but if they dont care about government guidelines and targets i dont expect they care about them either. am i being unreasonable? even if theyd have seen me in the non urgent 4 weeks that would have been ok, but 8 weeks, they may as well not bother, whish is probably what theyr hoping i’ll do. why does noone ever care, and everything always go wrong
Sorry you feel like that - my understanding from the advice I got was that your gp just has to let the appointment making service know which range of hospitals they’d like you to be offered access to, so may not be as lengthy as another whole new referral.
what area are you in? Which is your hospital? I guess if you aren’t so well served for hospitals then the waiting time may rise accordingly, but that doesn’t justify making you wait 4 times as long as your GP suggests is suitable.
I also looked into the cost of private investigation, and that obviously varies depending on what procedures you need, but for an ultrasound I’ve been quoted about £200, and for ultrasound, consultant’s fees, needle biopsy, lab tests, and follow up I’ve been quoted about £950. Its an awful lot, but obviously if you go for just some of that it may be enough to put your mind at rest, and mean you don’t face 8 weeks of worry.
Cx
im a student with no income so i cant really afford private. dont really wanna say where i am for identity reasons but they have a high level of cancer here and theyr meant to be quick at seeing people, though apparently not. i didnt get offred a choice of hospitals but as i said i dont think there really is anywhere else within reach.
the thing that your tlaking about where u can choose up to 4 hospitals. thats only in england.
Sorry lovely i am not sure what to suggest.
I know how hard the speculation is, I’m my own worst enemy at the moment!
If its any comfort at all i was chatting to my mum-in-law this evening and she got her b/c diagnosis on 15th december, and she has regularly had breaks of a few weeks between appointments, and been re-assured by her consultants that clinically there is little impact.
Obviously the effect on fraying nerves is another thing all together.
Hope you manage to sort things out.
Cxx
a few weeks. but 8 weeks?
Well in total they have probably added up to a couple of months, but as hers was picked up on a routine mamo I don’t know how long she would have waited to get into the system to start with.
im starting to feel like im just exaggerating and should just shut up coz its nothing. thats how they make me feel.
Hi Lizzy
I think you should go back and see your GP and explain just what it’s doing to you to have to wait this long. Your GP will have much more “clout” than you and he/she should be making a real effort on your behalf. If you get nowhere, write to your M.P. and copy the letter to the Breast Cancer Unit at the hospital. Unfortunately in this world it’s the people who make enough fuss who get the answers, not those who just sit back and wait. Best wishes…
i have been back to my gp and rang her etc, she said she’ll put in another referal and ask that i be seen sooner, but i dont know how successful that will be. i think she just thinks im exaggerating and that because its not likely to be serious i should wait. she knows what its doing to me, but i think she just thinks im over reacting.
yea well i will complain about it, but its abit late then isnt it, complaining isnt going to change whats happening in the present, n theyl just send u some crappy reply making excuses.
Hi, I fully understand how hard the waiting is, I’m being seen as a non-urgent so had a letter come in the post the day after seeing Doc, it was call & book, first appointment i could get was 5 weeks later, I still have 2 weeks to go & i have really good days where I feel it will be 100% ok, then i have days like today when I’m 50/50 & worried it won’t be ok.
I sure the next 2 weeks won’t be too long but god it’s hard waiting.
hope you can get somewhere with bring your date forward
you got an appt the day after seeing your doc?
i dont even have an appointment yet, theyv sent me nothing. they didnt get back to my messages, they told my doc 8 weeks. and i was meant to be seen as urgent!.
am i being unreasonable? am i just overreacting? if they think its nothing (all beit without even looking at me) whats the point in going.