Whats the difference between a benign and malignant lump or tumour? Lumps and growths in the body can have lots of different causes. Your doctor may use the term ‘benign’ or ‘malignant’ to describe them .. but what do these mean? A benign lump happens when there is extra growth of cells in part of […]
Read More
How to get an emergency carer for your Mum First of all, it is possible. But it requires some work .. and persistence. If you have a frail elderly parent (or other loved one) with care needs, you may need to act quite quickly sometimes to prevent admission to hospital. Example This could be the […]
Read More
Can temporary residents get NHS care? Yes. Very much so – and that is right and proper. If you are living in the UK temporarily (or on holiday), and you are not registered with a local GP, you can get emergency medical care at a general practice (or hospital). Doctors are happy to see patients who […]
Read More
What is ‘the take’? You may have heard people talk about the ‘Take’ if you’ve ever been admitted to hospital. Put simply, the ‘Take’ is a list of all patients who have been seen that day (or 24-hour period), in or near A&E (or Emergency Department, ED); by a specialty team – eg ‘medics’ (non-surgeons), […]
Read More
Radiotherapy or X-ray treatment is very effective on its own in treating many cancers, such as head and neck, cervical, lung and brain. It is also given as supplementary treatment after cancer has been removed through surgery (e.g. breast cancer). X-ray treatment is often given every weekday for a number of days or weeks, depending […]
Read More
Pre-chemotherapy clinic – do I need to attend? Yes! Let us explain why. Chemotherapy is one of the main treatments for cancer. A course of chemotherapy usually takes between three to six months. Chemo is usually given every one to six weeks in ‘cycles’. Depending on the drug or combination of drugs, each treatment can […]
Read More
Scans for cancer Scans are types of x-ray, and there are different forms of scan depending on cancer type, and which part of your body needs to be checked. Here is a list of the different types of cancer scan: A CT (or PET-CT) scan of your chest, abdomen (upper tummy) and pelvis (lower tummy) […]
Read More
Travel and parking on cancer treatment days Having treatment for cancer is tough, and your journey to the hospital or clinic should be as stress-free as possible. It may be possible, if you ask, for you to choose a preferred treatment time (morning, afternoon) depending on the workload of the cancer unit. This includes treatments […]
Read More
What is a cancer MDT? MDT stands for ‘multi-disciplinary team’, and the cancer MDT refers to a committee that is made up of a range of health professionals. The committee involves a range of doctors, including surgeons, oncologists (cancer specialists), pathologists (who examine body tissues) and radiologists (experts in doing and reporting X-rays and scans). […]
Read More
Can I reverse a ReSPECT form? Yes. ReSPECT stands for Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment. What is a ReSPECT form? It is a form that puts limits on your care (including cardiac resuscitation if your heart stops, or if you should got to ICU if you deteriorate). It should be discussed with […]
Read More