Shameful lack of respect & compassion
Firstly - my cancer diagnosis was stumbled upon by a locum GP. He looked through my notes for something else, opened a discharge letter (meant only for the GP - I was certainly not copied in), and then read out that a cancer had been found. I was shocked. He was surprised and said “haven’t they told you?” Then, when I had my consultant appointment I was taken into a room of five people. The first one to introduce herself was “the cancer nurse specialist” (so had I not already known, I’d have guessed), then one by one they introduced themselves. The consultant said something along the lines of “we found a cancer” and then showed me photographs from scans and other investigations. After a while, I was asked to follow the cancer specialist nurse. We went into another room and the nurse gave me a folder. She kept rummaging through a cabinet and giving me sheets of paper. I asked “when I’ve had time to take this in, can I ring you to discuss my questions?”. I was shocked by her reply “no, not really. If you read the booklets, you’ll find answers to everything “. Then she said that she had to get back to clinic so she showed me out. Any support or help I have received has come from friends, family or by reading articles on the internet. I feel I have been shown some kindness by support staff and receptionists at the hospital, but generally the “professionals” have displayed a lack of courtesy, respect and compassion. Many of them have told me how important and clever they are, and of course, how many qualifications they have but in terms of knowing or listening to me - they certainly have not taken the time. I feel unheard, dismissed and largely disrespected.