Days 303 to 308

Here's a question for you. When you hear that a cancer patient has an appointment for a 3 or 6 month check up what do you think happens? This came up at a meeting today(Friday) with the Island Patients' support group. We were listening to a talk by the Cancer Nurse Manager a nice chap called Peter.

The meeting was called partly to introduce Joya's successor a woman called Gill Jones. The message was that Joya put a prodigous number of hours into the job. Peter remarked that he could not employ someone on a 37 hour week and expect her or him to work 50 hours with no extra payment. This was a roundabout way of saying that Gill was not going to support the group as Joya did and that we should think of merging with a group of bowel cancer patients and carers. This body calls itself semi colon. Who said Islanders had no sense of humour?

Anyway to return to the theme of my first paragraph. Peter made no bones(the puns continue)that cuts are coming to the NHS. One thing that is being looked at is the system of review appointments. This took me back to what happened when we went to Southampton at considerable expense last September. The Consultant asked how I was and I said okay. He then said I looked properly nourished and err that was about that. If this is all that happens at a review is this in fact a waste of clinical as well as my time. Peter put it slightly differently by posing the question are we classifying some as patients when in fact they are restored to health.

All of which comes back to my good(well I hope so)self. My weight seems to have stablised, which is no bad thing. As I have endlessly on here recorded my eating pattern has changed for good and I have started to get used to as new food regime. In short am I a patient or an ex patient?

I do not wish to be critical of any member of the medical profession. People like Judith Cave are wonderful. It would be interesting though to find out what tests are made during and following any appointments and how any recurrance would be detected.

What I have mentioned is likely to be debated in the future of the NHS in this new age of auterity.

To more pleasnt topics. In the morning we are off to celebrate Clare and Shaun's wedding. The forecast is good in that it will be sunny if a little bit on the chilly side. My next blog will contain a report. I have been kind of cataloging my CD selection in a more coherent manner which is keeping me busy.

I promise not to keep as long a gap in future unless of course I am away.