Running over half an hour late, but beaming brightly he greeted us warmly and asked how it had been for me. Not as bad as I'd anticipated, was my reply. And that, apart from the consultant booking a CT scan to monitor my progress, was it. He warned me that the NHS is very busy it being winter, so I might have to chase up the scan. Only after we'd left the room did I begin to wonder where I was going to obtain the steriods which I knew I had to take the day before, the day of and the day after the next treatment (next Wednesday). We consulted the health care assistant and she consulted a chemo nurse who said the ward should have issued me with the next tranche of drugs. But they hadn't. So she kindly provided the requisite bottle of pills.
I learned (after the week's delay due to lack of the Vitamin B12 injection) that it pays to know what should be happening and not to assume that the system will deal with it. The system appears to be so heavily bureacratic that these vital details easily fall through holes. I find the whole thing very stressful - and I'm sure it's not supposed to be. Of course, I didn't ask who I should phone if the scan appointment doesn't come through. That's stress for another day.
For anyone who is thinking of visiting me this weekend would be a good time. I'm ducking out of a big family outing to a pantomine because I reckon that sitting in an auditorium with goodness knows what viruses and bacteria around wouldn't be wise. Instead I will be at home and, providing you are hale and hearty, happy to receive visitors.
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