"Just wonderful with their care and compassion"

I had the option to travel to Forth Valley for diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. This was a journey of 2.5 hours from home. If I hadn’t done this the waiting time for just a diagnosis was 10 weeks in Aberdeen.

I was apprehensive but after looking up the hospital on the internet saw they had a designated Breast Cancer care unit so that gave me confidence. The care and treatment were second to none. Communication was great once I was in their system. I didn’t get much help with this from ARI though. It was difficult to contact people. I received a call asking me if I would consider going to Forth Valley but they gave me no return phone number. I was told I would receive a call the next day with my decision but didn’t receive one. I then had to call various numbers to get the right contact details. This was very stressful as I was concerned that I would miss the chance. Also I gave blood twice the first lot went missing. I had an ECG done at the doctors and this also didn’t reach Forth Valley so it had to be repeated.

The day of my diagnosis was fine. All the doctors and nurses, radiographers etc were wonderful and so caring. Cancer is such a worrying thing but they put me at my ease. A week later I received a call from one of the surgeons to tell me the results and the way forward. She phoned in the evening from her own phone and told me that if I had any questions to not hesitate to call her. That is service is it not!

The day after I got my diagnosis my husband was unwell and a few days later had an ultra sound and it was found that he has two lesions on his liver which are probably secondaries. One can imagine the stress and emotional turmoil. I then got a date for my operation and we waited for him to get his first appointment at ARI, 4 weeks after ultra sound - this is fast tracking.

I went for my operation last week and we stayed at a hotel in Larbert. Not the best place but paid for by the NHS.

Forth Valley were just wonderful with their care and compassion. I was very emotional and trying very hard to keep my emotions at bay. The surgeon Mr Winkler was good at explaining the procedure and timescales etc. The anaesthetist also came personally to discuss things. This made me feel valued and that I was getting personal attention. The only problem was that the nuclear Isotope was not in stock. I was fearful that the operation would not go ahead. The radiographer pulled out all the stops and a trained courier was dispatched with the isotope from Glasgow , just for me! These things happen and once again the staff at Forth Valley did what they could to make things go smoothly.

After the operation all my emotions came to the surface and I could not stop crying. The nurses were just wonderful. I explained why I was like I was i.e. my husband’s situation, and they couldn’t have been kinder. Emma and Nicola in recovery were just brilliant and their empathy with the situation with my husband helped so much. The emotions are still bubbling near the surface but talking to people is such a great help. I am not worried about myself but just hope that my husband gets the same level of care in Aberdeen. Thank you Forth Valley.