Forum Discussion
Waiting time for therapy
Hi..4 weeks since surgery, what is average wait to start chemotherapy/radiotherapy please?? Feel scared just sitting here, hope its not getting worse.. Live in a regional town, so even results took a ...
Hi @Joarden,
The long wait between appointments were excruciating for me too. I encourage you to be your own advocate. I am very glad I followed advice to get copies of ALL test results and pathology results and my GP later gave me copies of the letters from the surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist. I went entirely through the public system and have been very well looked after. My confidence has been shaken on occasion, however, because there is little to no central coordination of data/test results or appointments with different departments, etc. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing :neutral: Plus, I was often 'handled' by the interns/registrars rather than the specialists themselves. One made a mistake which I was only able to pick up because I knew my own pathology results. Anyway, I take my folder with me to every appointment now, just in case. Doing research and organising my data helped me calm my racing mind. Just keep to reputable sources and medical journals. I read Breast Cancer: Taking Control and DCIS: Taking Control by Professor John Boyages. Others have recommended The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer, How to Feel Empowered and Take Control
The long wait between appointments were excruciating for me too. I encourage you to be your own advocate. I am very glad I followed advice to get copies of ALL test results and pathology results and my GP later gave me copies of the letters from the surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist. I went entirely through the public system and have been very well looked after. My confidence has been shaken on occasion, however, because there is little to no central coordination of data/test results or appointments with different departments, etc. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing :neutral: Plus, I was often 'handled' by the interns/registrars rather than the specialists themselves. One made a mistake which I was only able to pick up because I knew my own pathology results. Anyway, I take my folder with me to every appointment now, just in case. Doing research and organising my data helped me calm my racing mind. Just keep to reputable sources and medical journals. I read Breast Cancer: Taking Control and DCIS: Taking Control by Professor John Boyages. Others have recommended The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer, How to Feel Empowered and Take Control
by Trisha Greenhalgh, Dr Liz O'Riordan.
Also see https://www.bcna.org.au/news-events/book-reviews/