"They exemplify all that is good within the NHS"

About 3 years ago I underwent a radical cystoprostatectomy following a diagnosis of bladder cancer which had previously been treated / controlled by a course of BCG treatment of 18 months.

The operation went well & I recovered quite satisfactorily & now have a urostomy / ileal conduit.

However the operation caused some damage to my left kidney necessitating an attempt to insert a stent. ( I had been warned that this might be a necessity as one of the risks of surgery).

Sadly the stent could not be inserted due to scarring on the kidney so I underwent a nephrostomy which is likely to be a permanent feature.

Having a long term nephrostomy means I need to attend at the Interventional Radiology Suite at Lincoln Hospital every 10 to 12 weeks to have the tubes replaced & everything checked.

I have now undergone some 7 such procedures & feel compelled to extol the excellent care & attention that the IR team have shown me on each & every visit. The medical staff at Lincoln IR are kind, responsive, caring & exemplify all that is good within the NHS. 

My most recent visit was particularly beneficial as, having explained what I thought was a minor problem, the staff had a sort of mini conference on the spot & identified what the cause was & came up with a solution & guidance instantly - problem solved!

Over the last 10 years or so I have had 3 cancer related problems, a AAA repair & heart stents + a colonoscopy. With the exception of the prostatectomy all these problems were treated as a patient in Lincoln so I have quite a lot of experience with this hospital.

I cannot praise the doctors, nurses & other practitioners enough at Lincoln, but overall I still chose the IR suite as the best of the bunch across all things .Many thanks Lincoln IR & see you again for my next appointment - I will bring some more chocolates!