My Diary : The tale of the unexplained lump.

Get a loan or money from friends/relatives and go to a private specialist. NHS are absolutely useless with these things.

I can't believe that you are in such a stressful situation and you can't talk to a doctor to ease your mind and answer your questions because..they are on holiday!!! Utter rubbish.

Do yourself a favour and go to a specialist - yes it will be expensive but you will have high grade care. I've been through NHS for a similar issue and the stress they caused me was unbelievable, regretted every moment I didn't start off with a specialist.

good luck
 
kgi said:
Get a loan or money from friends/relatives and go to a private specialist. NHS are absolutely useless with these things.

I can't believe that you are in such a stressful situation and you can't talk to a doctor to ease your mind and answer your questions because..they are on holiday!!! Utter rubbish.

Do yourself a favour and go to a specialist - yes it will be expensive but you will have high grade care. I've been through NHS for a similar issue and the stress they caused me was unbelievable, regretted every moment I didn't start off with a specialist.

good luck
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Private doctors take holidays too, and theres just as many bad doctors in private health care as public, you'd have been even more stressed to pay money and get a worse doctor who talked even less to you and decided you didn't have anything wrong with you.

Theres no point freaking the guy out and telling him he can't get help on the NHS, other than being nonsense, what if he can't afford private care and you've just persauded him the NHS won't help him, hows that helpful.

A friend of mine's dad is a world reknowned gastrointestinal doctor, he very purposefully didn't go private and maintained a lot of NHS hours despite the money because he felt it was the right thing to do. Many great doctors work for the NHS, unfortunately like with any industry at all, you get some bad ones.

Theres a little more accountability in the NHS and the ability to request a free second opinion and you can call around and find out who is highly recommended as most doctors who who the best guy in any particular field is in the local area. If you're not happy with your current doctor ask who else is available at what hospitals, the one thing I suggest is while being overly pushy doesn't help, sitting back and accepting whatever you're given IF you aren't happy with your doctor is equally the wrong thing to do. Don't be embarassed to ask for second opinions or to talk to other doctors.

Good luck though, the limbo you end up in when you find a lump or have anythign wrong with you can be horrible and you do often end up thinking the worst which never helps but is rather unavoidable.

I found a lump when I was 15, scared the crap out of me and after not dealing with it for a while and just freaking myself out, finally got it looked into and it wasn't anything serious.

Think positive and realise that while many people ignore these things and hope they go away, you went and got help, many people would wait for months before they finally go and get checked out so you're already on the right track which is all very good news.
 
something_totally_different said:

UPDATE:

 Just had a call from the hospital, I have a haematology appointment in the 10th of November at 11 a.m. However, I just phoned the G.P`s secretary to ask about the results of my blood and chest ex-ray and they came back with no further action (which i think is clear) So now im confused as hell...

results that tell me nothing, still have lumps, still have night swets (although my body gave me abit of a break last and decided to only partially drown me.) cant speak directly to my G.P. as she is on holiday. so I just dont know what the hell to do or think now, :(:(:(
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It depends what you had done, if a chest x-ray is clear, thats a good sign, but any early bloodwork could simply have been the basic workups rather than looking for something specific, this might lead down a medical advice route at some stage which will probably get it closed but, you could ask to speak to another doctor in the practice(assuming theres more than one) or phone the local hospital, maybe where you had the x-rays/bloodwork done and ask them what it means as they'll probably either be able to find out or know what you were tested for and know what your Nov 10th appointment is looking for etc, etc.

But as with my previous post, the doctors deal with freaked out people, including the secretarys and they won't be upset with you if you call back to ask to speak to someone(well they damn well shouldn't) and they'll probably be more than happy to have another doc look over your results and give you an idea of what they mean.
 
kgi said:
Get a loan or money from friends/relatives and go to a
Do yourself a favour and go to a specialist - yes it will be expensive but you will have high grade care.
good luck
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What specialist would you suggest he sees? Nothing has been confirmed yet, as yet no diagnosis, if his bloods are clear and the rest is clear then he will need alternative investigations, not treatment by a specialist to run the same tests.

I hope all works out well. Await the Haemo app and you'l find out directly then. Once you are armed with that information you could decide to go for specialist treatment.
 
Good luck, my dad found a lump in his groin a few years back & had it removed then chemo & he's all good now.
 
Good luck with whatever it is. Hope you sort it out, it's terrible for someone diagnosed with an illness, but it's often worse for those who have no idea what is wrong.
 
I dont post here much but I had to say I am really sorry to hear about this, but fingers crossed it will be nothing serious.

Excuse me giving unsolicited advice, but I have worked in the NHS for 10 years and picked up a lot of health advice which may help you right now.

I guess thats the first piece of advice to give you, "Dont waste time worrying about something until you KNOW you have something worth worrying about" (thanks Mum for that one :) ).
If you are worried dont be afraid to go back to your GP or any GP in the same practice if your GP is away and ask for answers, thats what they are there for and will understand completely. Dont be afraid to give them a hard time and stay beyond the 10 min appointment if you need to (but the nice approach normally produces more results).

You seem to be taking it well and thats the second piece of advice, "Talk to people about it, preferably in real life". You can scare yourself half to death by reading stuff on the Internet and then deciding it sounds just like you. Listen to the medical professionals and ask them anything you want, there are no silly questions when it comes to your health and mental well being.

IF you do get a confirmed diagnosis, there are lots of really good support groups for health issues (MacMillan, etc) and your GP or NHS Direct can put you in touch with them. I know some people hate this sort of things, but having had a girlfriend with cancer I know they work very well and well worth attending. Again, once you get a confirmed diagnosis, get your benefits sorted early as you already know how slow those wheels turn!

Third I would say is that the people I have seen who get through this sort of thing (whatever the diagnosis) most are the real fighters who keep a positive mental attitude. You are young which is a fantastic thing to have as any treatment will take a bit of stamina. Just make sure you eat well, sleep as much as possible and dont go wearing yourself out.

I wouldnt worry about the X-Ray. Certain types of cancers have a predictable pattern about where they spread to. Having "no further action" is a VERY good thing as it means that IF it is a cancer that it has not spread to your chest.

You will know this by now, but Lymphoma is a cancer of the Lymph Nodes (or known as Glands, when "your glands are up"). Normally swelling and tenderness of these nodes are from infection which has spread from somewhere else nearby (think having a cold/flu and your "glands" in your neck swell). The Lymph system is also spread around your body and these nodes/glands can be commonly felt in the groin, armpits and neck, but you do have many others internally which you cannot normally feel and may also be what they were checking on the x-ray.

Lastly, I hope this has been helpful and not overly preachy.

Good luck, fingers crossed its is nothing serious and remember to eat well, sleep well, FIGHT and you WILL get through this (whatever it is). :D
 
drunkenmaster said:
snip..
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I do not disagree with the principle that NHS has many good doctors. However the timescales that NHS works are simply appaling. Also, in regards to private specialists you can do your research and find out who are the best ones - and go there. You can't do that on the NHS, you are just left with whoever you happen to be assigned.

Add to that the very long waits at the hospital to see them, when the appointment is scheduled - which in my experience takes a hell of a lot of time when you have something that might be life threatening.

I do not accept that you get the same level of care at a private specialist as you get on NHS. I have used both and there is no way that if I had something that could potentially be life threatening I would wait for NHS to schedule me in.

My experience has been a very-very bad one. Three different tests for cancer and all coming back as "it's all well" over the phone and each time there was a meeting with the doctor they would say that "actually, the didn't take the right sample of tissue..blah blah blah you gotta do it again". Now cue that for 6 months when the person involved (not me, but extremely close person whom I was taking care of) could be having cancer. 6 months redoing tests and having examinations scheduled 20 days and 1 month apart because they only had one x-ray specialist and all sort of BS.

I am sorry but I will not jeopardise my health just because NHS is underfunded and understaffed at best.

Now, take into account that when the person was finally operated they actually removed the wrong bit and you can see where I am coming from. Yeah, they operated them and removed completely wrong tissue while the problem in question remained intact. Then the doctor gave a completely ridiculous excuse (albeit post-operationg saying that everything was fine, they only realised their mistake one month later when more tests were done) and asked for a second operation.

You might say that it happened that I fell on a bad doctor. True, but I would rather take my own health in my hands, do my research and see someone that I know is good and renowned than take my chances with any incompetent doctor and nurses.
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
What specialist would you suggest he sees? Nothing has been confirmed yet, as yet no diagnosis, if his bloods are clear and the rest is clear then he will need alternative investigations, not treatment by a specialist to run the same tests.

I hope all works out well. Await the Haemo app and you'l find out directly then. Once you are armed with that information you could decide to go for specialist treatment.
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Whoever specialist deals with the particular area where he has his issue. Gastrenterologist/surgeon or whatever they call them. I didn't suggest he would go to a specialist to have blood tests but that's where he should go after he gets his results (and after he double-checks that they actually checked for what he is concerned and didn't do some basic blood tests that wouldn't reveal anything). Although to be honest I wouldn't trust GP's to run a blood test either. They have managed to mess that up many times before that in the past with me and people I know.

The point I am trying to make is that when you are seriously concerned about your health, and you have good reasons too, try to see a specialist after you do your research. The NHS is way too slow to help you with such issues. Just my opinion based on my experience.
 
New Update in O.P. next one after the 10th of november.


p.s. to those who said to borrow the money off family and go private?! I lost my job in june so im skint, my sister works at B&Q and has 3 kids, my mums a cleaner.

just who did you expect me to borrow the money from.
 
tbh you're in good hands.
stick with it, you'll be fine but ask about having some sperm frozen just incase.
 
kgi said:
I do not disagree with the principle that NHS has many good doctors. However the timescales that NHS works are simply appaling. Also, in regards to private specialists you can do your research and find out who are the best ones - and go there. You can't do that on the NHS, you are just left with whoever you happen to be assigned.
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Thats my main problem that is completely untrue, if you are unhappy with your doctor you have every right to request another, infact these days , as with the last consultation I had for a different problem, I was shown a screen of 6 different possible doctors at different hospitals as the easiest and soonest appointments to choose between but I had every right to request a referal to anyone I damn well pleased.

That was my biggest problem with your post that you can simply get stuck with someone terrible and have no choice, thats completely wrong. LIkewise all the recommendations in the world dont' actually mean you'll get a great doctor. Infact recommendations are harder and harder to come by with every person and their dog throwing out recommendations left right and centre. Someone gets a boil lanced and goes to some doctor rating website and says they saved their life, someone else goes to them with skin cancer and gets awful advice and treatment.

This is why the most important thing is feeling happy with your doctor and being able to go to a different doctor if you aren't happy, you can do this under the NHS or private.
 
something_totally_different said:
New Update in O.P. next one after the 10th of november.


p.s. to those who said to borrow the money off family and go private?! I lost my job in june so im skint, my sister works at B&Q and has 3 kids, my mums a cleaner.

just who did you expect me to borrow the money from.
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Just read the update aswell, clear x-ray is very good, as far as I'm aware testicular problems(not sure if you were skirting around saying that or if its just in the groin region ) have a tendancy to spread to the lungs which shows up pretty clearly on an x-ray so even if its bad news a clear lung x-ray is something to be INCREDIBLY positive about hearing. yay you.

Blood indicators, well aren't a clear indication of anything bad, as said one high/low result can indicator something but not comfirm it. HOpefully it will be all good news with the next round of tests.

Its good the appointment is pretty close and frankly for cancer(if thats what it was) NHS turnaround is incredibly quick and private healthcare at this stage is unlikely to speed anything up for you so its senseless worrying about that. THe biggest advantage for private is speeding up the initial consultation which isn't likely to be faster than you've had first tests and your next appointment in a week anyway. AFter that it would be no different except that Chemo done privately can cost 10k's so you'd be needing to go NHS anyway.
 
Good luck with the appointment today.

My 24 year old partner was diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia last year. We found out on the Wednesday and chemo started the following Wednesday.

Everything is going well at the minute and we are hopeful it won’t return.

Biggest shock of our life.

I’m hopeful you’ll be fine
 
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