Just bumping
I agree 110% Lemongrove. It does appear to be very hit and miss and I think I am very fortunate to have a very good oncologist,oncology nurses and surgeon. Any queries, I ring oncology or email the onc’s secretary. The bcn involvement has been nil - if I wanted to get hold of one I would have to ring the breast care unit (which I know is no big deal but…) and wait for a call back at some point. I never refer queries to the GP surgery.
Thanks again for this excellent thread.
Liz
Hi Lemongrove,
Thanks for this thought provoking post. It’s not something we think about but I have noticed that the we live in a postcoded lottery as to what treatment we received.
I totally agreed that there should be some guideline to treatment which would give the patient some indication of what they should expect. I know we are all different and its good in our treated in an individual way but nethertheless we should at least know have some indication what the processes are.
I think the lack of secondary support especially down here in Kent is an area that should be addressed. When I spoke to the breast cancer nurse she just refered me to the macmillan nurse so I took it that was the secondary support?
I have a very good onc who I can phone anytime and always gets back to me. The scans are regular normally every 3 months, bloods are rarely taken apart from chemo. If everything is stable they tender to leave the appointments longer 4 months being the longest and then there was progression in that time, so scary as no symptoms. Onc always explains the medical plan clear and there are opportunities to discuss thing I’ve written down.
Brillant thread thanks again
Chris
Hi
Ive not posted on here for a good while now but still a regular reader. I have been living with secondary breast cancer in the spine for 6 years and yet hardly monitored at all.
(1) How often do you go for a check up ?
Once every 4 months
(2) Have your check-ups become less frequent as time has gone on?
Only by a couple of months, depends on if I have any new pains.
(3) Do you have blood tests at every check up ? Not a check ups but am on Herceptin and Zometa and have blood tests every 6 weeks due to Zometa
(4) Does your medical team explain what they are testing for? Sometimes
(5) When are you given the results of the blood test ? Only if it means I cant have Zometa
(6) How often are you given scans. Are you given scans routinely at each check up, or do you get a scan only when you mention a new symptom?
Only if I have a new symptom. Just a prod here and there - Im usually in and out within 5 mins.
(7) Does your medical team explain why you are given a particular scan? Yes