Talking about cancer
posted by burnt out
25 May 2021

at a loss

Last reply: 26 May 2021 16:59

I’m at a loss here so im reaching out to you to see what we can do. My mother had a radical cystectomy over a year ago and the cancer has come back. She is being treated in one of the Dublin hospitals. The regrowth had been missed on a scan but bleeding continued and was eventually found. Last week they brought her up and got her ready for a radium treatment plan. She got an ok to leave the hospital on Friday, tattoos in place, all ready to start treatment on Tuesday. They were to call her back. It was getting late this evening (the Tuesday her treatment was suppose to start) so she called to see what was happening as we don’t live in Dublin and she had been sitting there with bags packed waiting for a call for two days. The secretary she spoke to gave her a new diagnosis and treatment plan and schedule over the phone. Highly irregular and highly upsetting for her. She is approaching 80 years of age and is as timid as you can imagine. The call with the secretary ended leaving her felling a bit lost and very upset. A few minutes later, just as she was coming to terms with all this, the Dr of radiation Oncology called her. She thought this would be to clear thing up. When she answered the phone he attacked her. How dare she be so ungrateful to bother the staff. After all they had done for her. If she didn’t like it she could go find some other hospital to do her treatment. She is absolutely destroyed at this point. Im speechless. We are going to try to move hospitals but feel we will just delay treatment further. I cant believe how he treated her. Completely inhumane, so much so one the other staff overheard the attack he leveled at her and contacted my mother a few moments later to see if she was ok and offered her apology and tried to answer anything she could. So now we are left we no idea what is happening and my mother has suffered a degrading personal attack by the person entrusted with treating her. I’m angry as hell with him but more than that I’m am devastated for my mother who goes to bed tonight demeaned, belittled and with no idea what tomorrow will bring regarding her treatment. What the hell do we do in this situation.

1 comment

Comments

commented by Cancer Nurse
26 May 2021

26 May 2021 16:59

Hi

I am so so sorry to read of the very distressing time your mother and all your family are going through at this time.

We would very much like to support you. Could you phone our cancer nurses please at 1800 200 700 and we will try to help both you and your mother.

We are here Mon-Fri 9-5pm.

Kind regards  

 

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