Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Waiting for a mammogram result

So....................  Some of you may know.........................  Some of you may not know..................


Three years ago I had breast cancer.  Fortunately it was diagnosed very early and I did not have too much of a traumatic time. 


However as a result of that I have to have a mammogram every year for the next 5 years.  This is year 3.  I feel fine, I look fine.  I am fine.  Having said that - it's exactly what I said 3 years ago after I'd had my very first mammogram aged 52.


On the 17th September at my 3 yearly check up I was told the results would be with me within 2 weeks.  I was handed a little card which said, 'If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks please phone this number'.


Well the two weeks were up just before I headed off to Spain for a holiday.  I hadn't heard and I didn't want to phone because I didn't actually want to know what the results were.  As far as I was concerned I was off on my hols and if something was wrong I would deal with it on my return.  And also I was sure that a letter would be waiting for me on my return.


.............A letter wasn't waiting for me on my return.


By this time it had been more than 3 weeks so I plucked up the courage and phoned the number on my little card.


The person who answered the phone said that the results were taking up to 4 weeks, she didn't know who was writing 2 weeks on the 'little cards' and was I worried???  Well of course I was worried!!!  3 years ago I had breast cancer, didn't know I had breast cancer, had no symptoms, felt fine, etc, etc.  Who's to say it's not come back again???


Person on the phone asked if I wanted her to try and find out more and she'd phone me back.  That was really nice of her.  But actually I don't want to know.  I feel fine.  I am fine.  If I'm dying is a couple of weeks really going to make any difference???  I told her I'd just wait for the results to be sent out.


But tomorrow it will be 4 weeks since my mammogram and I still haven't had the results.  I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing??


.................And now I think I do want to know.


I'm working all day tomorrow but if there is not a letter lying on my doormat when I get home from work tomorrow evening, I will be phoning the hospital on Thursday and demanding to know what is going on.


Surely looking at a mammogram x-ray thingy shouldn't take this long?????????????


This is 2014 - Technology is brilliant so surely if there'd been something seriously wrong with me it would have been picked up straight away and the hospital would have contacted me???


There again, too many ill people, too few beds in hospital, poorly paid nurses, not enough staff.


Nobody cares.  Patients these days are just statistics???


.....................I'm scared that there is something seriously wrong with me and I won't get the treatment that I need.


Having said that...........................  I feel absolutely fine.  There again, I did 3 years ago ................And then I was diagnosed with breast cancer!!!!!!!!!!!

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