Coping with a cancer diagnosis at Christmas, some helpful tips...

I'm going to sound like the voice of doom again--maybe that is my role in life.

Hospitals make more mistakes during the festive season than at any other time. There are a number of reasons for this, as @kmakm has pointed out, senior staff take much needed leave. Hospitals are reduced to limited staff and while elective procedures are usually not scheduled in late December, cancer treatment isn't exactly optional. Medical staff are people too (most of them) and they suffer the same misery as the rest of us when they are overworked and would much rather be somewhere else. Added to this is the change in authority that accompanies junior staff taking up more responsibility or, indeed, arriving newly minted in January with their shiny new stethoscopes and pointy new shoes. We are hearing more and more about the toxic state of medicine in this country and the culture of bullying is never more evident than it is at Christmas. Young staff are either too elated or too frightened to ask advice and people are pushed into situations where they have insufficient support and have to make decisions about things they aren't well informed about.

Sorry to be so blunt, but I spent 4 weeks in the slammer over Xmas and new year in 2006/07 and had what can only be described as the mother of all cluster fucks surround my treatment in late December 2016.

So, my advice:

• Avoid any treatments that can be reasonably delayed until the grown ups come back from holidays
• Find out who is in charge if your specialist is away and make them your go-to person. Email them if you have to and CC your specialist in.
• Always, always keep detailed records of who tells you what and when. Names, dates, times and any questions or concerns you had. That applies to the nursing staff as well. It won't hurt you to be able to call everyone by name, so find that information out and write it down. Normal structures and routines can go out the window so don't rely on seeing the same face two days running. Know who your are talking about.
• If someone makes you nervous or appears uncertain, ask to see someone else higher up the food chain
• Write everything in a diary--yes I know I'm repeating myself but I can't stress how important that is if something goes wrong. It also helps pass the time and removes any possibility that you can be told you must have been a bit confused 
• Advocate for yourself. Do not be frightened of asking questions. Everyone is going to appear far too busy to have much time for you, but there is a difference between being properly informed (your right by law) and being needy.
• As far as the festive/family stuff is concerned, ask someone else who doesn't start snarling at the sight of tinsel. I do, however, recommend you order takeaway or get a meal brought in for you on Christmas day, particularly if you have any dietary issues. There is nothing sadder than Christmas lunch, hospital style.