Hello all,
I hope you've had a good week, despite the challenges I know many of you face.
Something strange happened with my MILs care this week and I wondered if anyone could help shed some light on it.
She has bone cancer (6 years of successful ongoing treatment underway), vascular dementia (early stages but worsening over the months), and recently a lump which turned out to be breast cancer. Sadly we found out she does not have the right hormone receptors for treatment in the form of pills for the breast cancer, so was put on the NHS waiting list for an operation.
In really bad timing, despite OH and I having extended our trip here for 3.5 months now, the operation was scheduled for the actual day of our flight back. With desperate need to get back to our business, we asked to pay to bring it forward even by just 2 days - and by going privately we were able to do that. A pre-op and private operation were scheduled, we booked flights for some distant but lovely relatives to fly in and be there for her after we left, and all was well...
... until we got a message to say that after calling my MIL and realising that she had no idea about the operation and her dementia was worse than they thought, they no longer advised doing it, and said the NHS would be better for us. They have put us back on the NHS waiting list (3-4 more weeks) and have booked a meeting with us for that time.
My OH has POA, and he had explained about her dementia from the start, and they met her and agreed everything - even booking it in and sending us reminders - so I am really confused about why this one phone call with her changed everything?? Also why would the NHS be better for us? Why would they effectively refuse a private cancer operation for someone with dementia??
If anyone can shed some light on this I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
J x
I hope you've had a good week, despite the challenges I know many of you face.
Something strange happened with my MILs care this week and I wondered if anyone could help shed some light on it.
She has bone cancer (6 years of successful ongoing treatment underway), vascular dementia (early stages but worsening over the months), and recently a lump which turned out to be breast cancer. Sadly we found out she does not have the right hormone receptors for treatment in the form of pills for the breast cancer, so was put on the NHS waiting list for an operation.
In really bad timing, despite OH and I having extended our trip here for 3.5 months now, the operation was scheduled for the actual day of our flight back. With desperate need to get back to our business, we asked to pay to bring it forward even by just 2 days - and by going privately we were able to do that. A pre-op and private operation were scheduled, we booked flights for some distant but lovely relatives to fly in and be there for her after we left, and all was well...
... until we got a message to say that after calling my MIL and realising that she had no idea about the operation and her dementia was worse than they thought, they no longer advised doing it, and said the NHS would be better for us. They have put us back on the NHS waiting list (3-4 more weeks) and have booked a meeting with us for that time.
My OH has POA, and he had explained about her dementia from the start, and they met her and agreed everything - even booking it in and sending us reminders - so I am really confused about why this one phone call with her changed everything?? Also why would the NHS be better for us? Why would they effectively refuse a private cancer operation for someone with dementia??
If anyone can shed some light on this I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
J x