Difficult to organize a biopsy
A week ago I had a CT scan of the chest due to being out of breath. It was thought to be a problem with my lungs though I have no cough and don't smoke. The scan showed a 3.7 cm calcified elongated m...
Forum Discussion
Illawarrian .... both you and your Mum should have been assigned a Breast Care Nurse (probably McGrath, possibly your Surgeon's) ... who should be able to help organise & even attend appointments with yourself and/or your Mum. Are you both living in NSW, regional areas?
When my husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2010, the surgeon's Nurse sat in on all our early appointments & assisted with bookings etc. It was a HUGE relief.
Sadly, you GP just wouldn't have the time to do this for you.
Formymum You SHOULD be covered by ACT's Patient Assistance Scheme - tho not sure how it works if you have to go outside you 'nominated' area! ....
You have up to 12 months to apply to most of them for reimbursement of both fuel and accommodation ... so don't worry about it right now ... you just need to get there & get it DONE .....
Take care, ladies & all the best. xx
I'm going to look into the N.S.W. scheme. My mother's cancer was in the early 1990s so there might not have been breast care nurses. Quite frankly the doctors in my small town seem to only be interested in serving in a regional area in order to obtain permanent residency. Everyone says they seem to have no interest in individual patients, they don't remember anything about our medications or conditions when we visit them and we all have trouble understanding them and making ourselves understood. When the doctor received the report about a breast lump, she really didn't say much about it, and certainly didn't suggest a biopsy. I had to suggest it myself and ask for a referral. She didn't offer to assist me by calling imaging centres to try and get an early appointment for me. We have six overseas trained doctors for a town of 2,000 people plus a thousand or so farmers living nearby. As a tradesman said to me, "We have to research and find out what we've got, go to the doctor and tell them what it is and then ask for the correct medication. Which we've also had to research." The female doctor I am seeing who's the best of a bad bunch, didn't even offer to examine me and try to find out where the lump is situated. She said she doesn't know how to read CT scans.
Sadly, Illawarrian - this is the ACTUAL TRUTH of living in regional/rural & even worse, remote areas of Australia.
Your GP doesn't NEED to read CT scans - that's what the REPORT is for ... ask for EVERY copy of every scan/report and blood test - so you have your own copy.
Give our helpline here a bell tomorrow ...1800 500 258 ... they may be able to help guide you ....
The honest truth is that most of us living in 'towns/cities' more than 100k+ of a major capital city take it (their access to diagnosis/treatment within a day) or so all for granted.
But for those of us living in regional/rural/remote towns, where we have to wait WEEKS even for an appointment with a GP KNOW just how hard it is to access 'acceptable' medical treatment within an 'acceptable' time frame. :(
Keep being proactive - ring them, demand an appt .... be that squeaky door that needs oiling ......
take care, buddy xx
Thank you. Strangely we don't have to wait weeks for an appointment - there are 6 doctors there doing very little, so we can get in to see one at any time. The government needs to organize doctors from overseas so that six of them don't end up in one town, whereas there are small towns all over the state with no doctor at all. We don't need six GPs! I think this is because they are congregating in places within two hours' drive of a large city. My town is an hour and a half from Canberra, so it's popular with professional people needing to do time in a rural area. I have got all the reports, and the report on the scan only says there is a "calcified elongated mass in the right breast tissue measuring 3.7cM" and does not give any clue as to where it is. If she could read CT scans she would have been able to tell me where it is. If she knew how to examine someone she could probably have found it, as well.
Many Doctors in my area are from Overseas ... it appears they have to spend a specific period of time in 'regional' areas to qualify for residency/staying in the cities .... so they stay in the regional/rural/remote areas for as long as they need to - then bugger off to the cities.
I am very lucky if I can get in with a Dr within a number of weeks (a month+ if you are requiring a 'specific' Dr!) Most of those who've lived in our area for 5 years+ have closed off their books, so it is 'hotch potch' as to who you will see - IF you can get an appointment when you need to.
Recently I had a fall, and with 7 years of AI meds that deplete you bones, I felt I needed an Xray to confirm it hadn't compounded a fractured vertebrae from 2 years ago ...
The unknown GP I was hooked up with (who was an engineer before training as a Doctor, graduating just a year before) was obviously very bored and uninterested in my situation & showed absolutely no compassion nor concern for his patient's pain/requirements (ie me!) .....
I am sure i won't be seeing him again - that's a given!
He begrudgingly obliged with an Xray ... which luckily, didn't show increased damage .... but I felt totally disassociated from him.
Hmmm .... I wouldn't complain that you have 'too many' Doctors in your area - as it is only when you need to be seen NOW ..... that it becomes a problem, if they are not available for 4-8 weeks :(
Out of interest - do you have a reliable Radiology practice? Where you can have Xrays done almost immediately, whilst the condition is still 'acute'? We have one - and I was given a 4 week wait for an Xray after the fall .... but luckily, they suggested I could drive 45k (each way) to access a bulk billed 'walk in' facility that could do it 'that day'. I chose that one. Ultrasounds usually take 4-8 weeks - and CTs ... don't even bother asking! :(