My husband had a CT scan yesterday, he had to drink a prepared liquid the previous two days. & more before the scan.
How long are we expected to wait for the results. Is there
Any way I can take him to a private consultant, I don't have confidence in the NHS
I'm not sure how long you'll have to wait. Did you not get any indication or ask at the time? I've had a few and the results have been almost instant, but I was an in patient at the time.
I've had routine ultra sounds in the past too. Quite often the results were not discussed until my next consultation.
Of course you can ask for a private consultant, but it will cost money unless you have medical insurance and quite often it's the same consultant as the on the NHS.
How long it takes to get the result depends on how busy the hospital is and how busy the radiography consultant is. Anything from weeks to months. To get a private appointment I think you just ring up whichever private hospital you want to go to. Private doctors usually also have NHS clinics so you may see the same specialist, just quicker.
We haven't seen a specialist at all - just an unsympathetic doctor who told him she was wasting her time.. Only when ordered to see him again by the head of practise did she exam him & put him on the 2 week fast track. I am prepared to pay, but how do I go about it. Is it cancer, cirrohsis or a different liver problem. He has had two or three liver scans that showed damage. New surgery (we moved house) a blood test done 8 weeks ago showed liver problems, he was told he needed another scan but no action was taken. I am thinking of putting the dogs into kennels & going back to South Africa where I know I would get immediate answers & not be spoken to as though I was 7 & not 74.
I think the surgery is the first place to go to find out how long the results will take. It seems really odd the you would be told that your husband is wasting their time when he's also been sent to get a MRI. You need either confirmation that he is OK or once liver disease is diagnosed you will then see a specialist where I'm sure you will get the best care.
Sometimes the battle is getting past the GP, so perhaps ask to see another one instead.
He went to see the doctor about 6 weeks ago. He has had triple by pass surgery twice, a stent & no more can be done for his heart. His legs were swollen up to his knees, the doctor told him to put his stockings on & stop wasting her time. He had left them off as he was going to the surgery. He refused to go back. After a big argument with him, & the receptionist, who told me he had to wait 5 says for a telephonic consultation I was called back by the chief doctor. He was angry with me for getting cross with the receptionist. When I explained the weight loss, stomach pains, & other symptoms he made an immediate appointment to see the first doctor. On examing my husband she put him on the two week fast track cancer course. That was three weeks ago. If he has to now wait a couple of weeks for the result it defeats the two week treatment. I have spoken to the surgery today. They told me to contact the hospital. I asked yesterday at the hospital, how long before the results came through & could we have a copy. I was told that they are private & it could take days to get the results. I feel like Alice in Wonderland, every thing is stop - go & contridictorary. I am not expecting miracles, my husband deserves booting for continuing to drink alcohol when told to stop 18 months ago. I want people to do the jobs they are paid to do, speedily, and keep the immediate family informed. Our family are in RSA, I don't know what to tell them, I have no support here at all.
Sounds like communications are breaking down between yourselves and the surgery. You really need to address this I think. I would explain that this is a stressful time for you both. It can be difficult but my philosophy is not to get annoyed. I'm certainly not suggesting it's your fault but it's important to remember that you rely on these people.
It shouldn't happen but I wonder if you are hitting the wall and getting negativity from health professionals because your husband is still drinking. If it is thought he is doing nothing to help himself then there might be a reticence to throw lots of valuable resources his way.
It is sad but it does happen and with finite resources within the NHS they will without doubt help those they feel they can help first.
Test results do take some time to come through though. My hubby had his 6 monthly ultrasound scan last Thursday and it will need to be examined, the report written and forwarded to his consultant before consultant sends us a copy.
We had to change surgeries in May, we had moved about four miles, from one side of the A27 to the other. No one at this surgery has discussed or mentioned no drinking alcohol to my husband.
I understand the finite resources but I don't drink & think I deserve some consideration. I had kicked my husband out before this happened, I had to take him back as he is sick.
It is unnecessary for it to take so long to get results. In South Africa after such tests we would have coffee whilst the results were analysed & then told.
I'm very sorry for your predicament. I don't think any delays are to do with drinking or lifestyle choices - There certainly appear to have been some communication difficulties in your situation but I think you'd be best served by taking a deep breath and taking this moment as a fresh start so to speak as otherwise your frustration - understandable though it may be - is likely to colour the responses you get and the progress you make.
Once they've done the CT scan it will go to at least one and possibly two different specialists for review. Only once they've reviewed this can they get the resulting report back to your doctors for consideration.
The two week window is for urgent cancer cases - in your husband's case while he may have cancer as a result of cirrhosis - I presume the doctors are anticipating and looking for cirrhosis and end stage liver disease. If this is the case then his situation is quite serious but medically speaking there may be very little they can do for him. If he has cirrhosis caused by drinking (there are many other causes of cirrhosis) there is very little that the medical profession can do to fix it.
Cirrhosis means that (for whatever reason) the liver has become almost entirely comprised of scar tissue and that small areas of working liver cells are surrounded by bands of fibrous scar tissue. Blood flow through the liver is compromised and the liver can't perform its' functions properly. Additionally as the liver attempts to regenerate these areas of scar tissue there is the possibility of some of the tissue become cancerous - so in cirrhotic livers the possibility of liver cancer is increased significantly.
The problem is that apart from the liver's own repair and regeneration mechanism there is no medication or medical intervention that can reverse the scarring. If the scarring has not gone on too long and the cause of liver inflammation is stopped - then there may be some recovery. Otherwise as the liver fails they deal with the effects of that - the complications, (fluid retention, confusion, jaundice, internal bleeding) but other than that there is little that can be done except to wait until the complications can't be treated and the option is death or a transplant.
In your husband's case however what complicates things are the continual drinking, which would rule him out for a transplant, and the combination of age and heart issues which would rule out a transplant too as he'd possibly be too weak to survive. Additionally, and for the same reasons a finding of cancer in the liver may not be treatable if he has cirrhosis - it's difficult to remove and even if there has been no spread a transplant may be impossible for the reasons I gave earlier.
I would expect them to have the report from the CT scan with your GP in a few days. What happens then however remains to be seen but if I were to hazard a guess - unless there are other issues - they will plan to deal with the complications of liver disease (if any) but ultimately it will be up to him to decide whether or not he wishes to drink - there will be little else they can do, and in the presence of alcohol the interventions to deal with the complications will be next to useless.
Sorry if that's a bit long. I think that while his situation is undoubtedly serious a faster medical response may make little difference.
Best wishes.
Thank you for taking the time & trouble to give a detailed explanation. I understand that he is living on borrowed time & it is his own fault. I just want to be told what happens next & if possible some time scale. He has family in South Africa. I don't want to panic them in to coming here quickly; but do need to tell them something.
Thank you once again.
The NHS is stretched to breaking point at the moment.
If you feel you will receive better care in South Africa then you should probably look into your husband receiving treatment there.
Anya74
I have just read your post of a few days ago and being one of those that was around at the time of the launch of the NHS which has since served members of my family and extended family and myself extremely well it is a bit disappointing to read in your post that you have no confidence in the NHS. You also appear to be critical of some of the doctors and clinicians and the services provided and you have also harped on about being able to get better care in South Africa.
My disappointment has prompted me to offer the following comments
You will no doubt work it out that l am a little older than yourself. During my time I lived and worked for many years in South Africa (mainly in Natal) where you suggest the medical care is better than here under the NHS but I perceive that as a view that may be biased by what seems to be a current breakdown in the inter personal relationships with the medical staff dealing with your husband's medical problems.
I have received medical attention and care in both countries and have found them to be equally as good with doctors clinicians and nurses etc all giving of their best. However there is one major difference and that being there is no National Health Service in South Africa. You say that if your husband's tests had been carried out there you would have coffee while they were being analysed and then told the result but you do not mention that you would then (or later) be presented with an invoice which detailed every item used in the tests down to the smallest things like pins, tapes and bandages etc etc. You or your husband would then be expected to pay this yourselves or by utilising any medical insurance (aid) cover you might have but my own experiences in South Africa was that even with medical insurance cover there was inevitably always a percentage shortfall remaining to be paid.
Since returning to UK I have received medical treatments both as a private patient ( I have medical insurance which costs a small fortune in premiums) and also under the NHS and have never been disatisfied or disappointed with either. My current treatments for Chronic Autoimmune Hepatitis and Decompensated Cirrhosis (ascites and varices) is under the NHS and at the GP's Surgery and Hospital I attend I have always been treated with respect and in an excellent and courteous manner with full and proper explanations given to me about the various procedures and why they have been needed and all without charge.
I know there can be variations in quality and how services are provided by the different Health Care Trusts so I suppose a lot depends on where you reside. I may just be lucky to live in the urban area that I do because my experiences have been very different from yours and there has been no extended periods of waiting for NHS appointments and the results of tests and procedures that I have had have always been made known to me very quickly, blood tests within 2 - 3 days, a copy of Gastroscopy results within just a few minutes after the completion of the procedure.Results of things like biopsies and scans have taken a bit longer ( believe they go through some sort of peer review procedure before the issue of final report) and have normally been sent direct to the Doctor /Specialist who requisitioned them and who ultimately is vested with the responsibilty of discussing the outcome with me and this has always occurred.
If despite his illness and medical conditions; your husband is capable of making his own decisions then he and only he as the patient is entitled to be provided with a copy of all his medical reports, (patient confidentiality etc etc) usually free of charge,but there is a special application form that has to be completed and submitted and supported by an independant confirmation as to his identity. I have used the procedure myself on many occasions and at my particular local hospital there is a designated person/department that handles such requests.
You say you want people to do the jobs they are paid to do,speedily,and keep immediate family informed . That is of course a reasonable expectation but it should be reciprocated by trust and respect for the people concerned who themselves will not want to be regarded in any subservient way. From what you have also said your husband doesn't appear to be doing much to help himself particularly if he is not doing what his doctors are advising him to do i.e. to stop drinking and to to wear the pressure stockings to ease the oedema you say he has in his legs ( On the face of it there should have been no need for him to discard them just because he was visiting the surgery. Surely the doctors would have had the expectation of seeing he was wearing them in accord with their advice but if they had not wanted him to wear them when visiting the surgery they would have told him in advance of the visit not to do so). If he is not following the advice he is being given and from what you say it appears this could be the situation ,then it should come as no surprise if those treating him feel he is wasting their time even if protocol might prevent them from actually saying so.
Someone has already suggested that perhaps you should pause,take a deep breath and try to restore a good relationship with the doctors by starting afresh. To that I add that you might also want to reconsider your requests and demands and be satisfied they are appropriate and realistic before you proceed. If they are then there should be no cause for conflict and arguments. Doctors cann't always work miracles (only one man is known to have been capable of doing that) and for obvious reasons they have to follow the relevant guide lines and protocols but if you and or your husband think you know better than your doctors what it is they should and should not be doing and are not prepared to follow their advice and guidance then it begs the question why consult them in the first place?Harping on about being able to get better care in South Africa will not help the situation either.
Nevertheless whatever the outcome even if you and or your husband have no confidence in the NHS there are many others, myself included, that do despite it sometimes suffering from the the occasional hic up.
Finally, you have indicated in one of your comments that your family is in RSA and you have no support here at all. In this connection you may wish to consider approaching (if you haven't already done so) the Patient Advice and Liason Services (PALS) about the concerns and problems you say you have encountered with the services being provided to you. Their officers will do their best to to offer support and advice on health related matters and are a good point of contact for patients and their families.They can also help to resolve concerns or problems with using the NHS and also on complaint procedure etc. Their officers can be located in most hospitals
If it were only my husbands recent problems I would agree - but.
In August 1999 I had a fall, I hurt amongst other things my ankle, I was in great pain.
My doctor sent me for an x ray in MAY 2000. A bone was broken, reset itself badly, surgery was recommended. I declined. On Wednesday I am seeing a podiatrist privately.
In February two years ago my husband had heart pains, as he had had 2 x triple by passes, in South Africa, a stent in UK, he does recognise the difference between heart pains & indigestion. He saw a consultant in July, when I complained I was told by his GP that people often die whilst waiting.
I had eye surgery, the retina was put back crinkled, I am having private surgery on Satuday, 14/11.
Yes, I have complained, I have also lost heart & hope.
My husband is a stupid old man who has brought his present problems on himself. He is in pain, codeine & Imodium is what he has been given to help him.
For several years we lived in the bush in a Botswana, actually the Kalahari desert. As a
self treating bush doctor I could have worked that out for myself.
If he was a dog I would have taken him to be euthanised two weeks ago, as a human he has to suffer pain, & the indignity of not making it to the loo, with codeine & Imodium to help.
I am calm. I am angry, neither will do any good as until I get the results from the CT scan I can't take him to see a consultant, privately. As the doctor who sent him for the scan is away until Wesnesday I won't hold my breath.
There is neither common sense nor flexibility in the NHS.
I also remember when it started & how happy the poor were to get free treatment.
Anya 74
Ring up consultants secretary and ask if there are results to come soon, they often get swamped by all the letters they have to do - then you can find out where it is in the queue.
Thank you, I have done that. I phoned the CT scan nurse who told me the report had gone to a consultant, who upon investigation is a colorectal specialist. His secretary is away, the lady doing the job said she didn't understand the report. My husband is in pain, confused & I think frightened.
Typical! I have been in that situation more times than I can say. It's hard work being ill, you're never the same again. Good luck x
You are entitled to a copy of the CT results. I suggest you contact the same secretary again and request that she send you out a copy as a matter of urgency. She may need to have it sent to your Husband because of the Data Protection Act. She may also make you fill in a request form for it which would have to be signed by the patient. She would be able to delay this until receiving permission from the Consultant.
Copies of results should be free of charge I believe for the first 6 weeks. If you want a copy of all of his notes then this is usually charged according to how large a bundle the notes is.
I hope this will be helpful. Remember reading your notes or a family member's notes is not for the faint hearted. You will probably interpret of lot of generally used comments as being either derogatory or patronising and certainly on mine there was a considerable amount of completely incorrect information.
Needless to say I went down the complaints route as my notes had also been tampered with by selectively destroying all information which supported any physical diagnoses.
I wish you best wishes for the future.
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