Before my diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma I had many discussions with healthcare professionals about the lump in my neck. A consultant booked me in for scans and a follow-up discussion. The scans were done rather later than anticipated. On the date I’d been given I went back for the discussion (50-mile round trip and lots of trolling around looking for parking space, then the usual wait for the meeting). The consultant waffled, and said among other things that there was an 80% chance it was not cancer. Actually it was cancer but they hadn’t had the results of the tests, and hadn’t thought to change the date of the appointment.

What I learned from this was to take the initiative a bit more. My eventual treatment was in a different centre (thank goodness) and I’m much more confident of the doctors, nurses and technicians there. Even here though, when given my next appointment I sometimes have to ask them to give me the documentation so I can arrange the blood tests at my GP’s surgery a day or two before the appointment (the hospital collects from the GP every day anyway). If I don’t they will do it at the hospital before my appointment, but that causes delay.

So: don’t be too patient a patient!