This is my appointment yesterday. In the first hour of hanging around all anyone had done is ask me for money and financial consent. The receptionist did a good job of seeming surprised I was there, no idea who I was, clacking furiously at her keyboard, somewhat annoyed, until she confirmed yes I did have an appointment, oblivious to maybe cancer patients might be nervous. It was not welcoming nor respectful. She announced to the whole waiting room my name and procedure.
In the next hour four different people at different times pulled me into a room, any vacant room but not booked for such a purpose. Each time we had to tour the place looking for a room and apologise to any other staff who opened the door who may also have wanted to use the room. This included a thoroughly pointless breast exam. There I got asked the same information and then deep and serious but brief snippets of conversations about ... QV cream. One thing I know is that I refuse to spend my time waiting for or engaging in one more stupid conversation about mild sunburn. Hello. Internet. Got the info already.
I got shown something transparent in plastic? rubber? that looked like a floor mat in my brothers ute. It was pulled from a drawer, held up briefly from the other side of the room, and put away again. I need to use whatever that thing is for something during my radiation.
I got asked about my lymph node involvement, path results, incision area at a level no patient should be relied upon to know off the top their head. Did it matter she didnāt know and neither did I, while treatment decisions were being made? No she said it didnāt matter. Maybe somebody will eventually look at the records I know they have on the premises because I have been there a month ago. I thought whoever these different people were, they should know my diagnosis. But regardkess I finally had the CT scan and tattoos. I only knew about that bit from American cancer hospital you tube clips. The scan took maybe 15 - 20 mins of the 2+ hours I was there.
The staff said I had no say in appointment times for radiation. They would let me know. These are busy centres and I canāt just think about myself.
Nobody wrote anything down. I have just one radiation appointment booked in a weekās time though I think Iām having 4 weeks but again not written down by anyone or confirmed. Someone rang me two weeks ago from this same place to book appointments that I thought were confirmed but nobody knew anything about that and nothing is confirmed. I have lost money and clients stuffing around not knowing when treatment begins and when and for how long.
On my way out they did at least offer me a single page leaflet all about breast cancer. Bit late I think. I know that I have it, and have had the surgery. Just donāt know not much about what comes next.
This is one of Melbourneās top private hospitals for cancer treatment. Yesterday.
I guess this all normal. Seems disorganised to me.
