[Closed] I think I'm about to be diagnosed with cancer, and I'm fairly scared.

Second the suggestion to get hold of his secretary. If you cant get a name then the best point of contact is the Patient Advice And Liason Centre (PALS) All hospitals have one and they are brilliant. They are a body set up to represent the needs of the patient and can put the light at the end of a tunnel for you.

You have enough stress to deal with at the moment, and all your energy should be channeled into getting well and for your wedding not chasing elusive consultants. Give them a call and see if they can pin him down on your behalf.

Here is their number .PALS: GUYS AND ST THOMAS': 020 7188 8801

Good luck!!

Might sound an odd request this one, so ignore you it if you wish, but it would be good to see a picture of you Mark (and Meg). Sure there's lots of people here that would like to shake your hand, congratulate you etc when they see you in future years.

If you want your privacy (or if you think I'm an internet weirdo), then tell me to get lost.

And best wishes to both of you.

Sadly, so many medics - particularly the more important they get - have an appaling sense of patient care. It is, I am sure, part of the fact that, from an early age they are told how special they are and how they are the brightest and the best. That, coupled with the god complex, is a poor combination for dealing with a patient as a human, and not just a series of symptoms.

Mark, keep calm, but be insistent. Keep calling, and don't be fobbed off by the secretaries - they're there to be gatekeepers.

And, when you see the man next or speak to him, do not be afraid to tell him that you were pretty p*ssed off with his promising something so significant and then b*ggering off (whatever the reason).

However, you clearly have a strong fighting spirit, so keep it up and good luck.

Maybe he needs a second opinion or is undecided on something, want's to be sure before letting you know any results. He could have said that to you in person though - hey you're entitled to be feeling shity, it's that strong attitude that's pulling you through! keep fighting - repsect!

Pete

Did the pain in the arse quack look like this? if so then you'll have to wait for the new series to find out what's wrong with you.
[img] [/img]

My opinion of doctors over the years now is base low - well certainly their bedside manner and their arrogance (Not tarring all of them with the same brush mind you) especially they way they spoke and treated my mate last weekend after a biking accident - WAKE UP DOCTORS your not the only group professionals on this earth.

Rant over - keep strong - they are at fault not you - can you hassle them on the phone to get some answers?

I'll second Clives opinion (that's a first eh mate!! 😉 )

Surgeons/consultants very often are very often completely arrogant with zero people skills, who are most comfortable when patients are anaesthatized and they can get on with their brilliant work. I've been the butt of similar egos (but on an admittedly much less serious problem):
consultant (onlooking at big, badly sewn, badly healed scar from previous op): ooh that looks nasty and untidy - who did that?
me: you did
Consultant: I don't [i]think[/i] so
me: no it was definately you. 28th Feb 2008.
consultant: oh it was probably a friday afternoon. ha ha ha.
me: er.....

In short, they can be complete tools. But if they make you better, be happy to let them do their job. And then poo in their mail.

good thoughts going out to you mate.

Jim

Sorry to hear that Mark. It is so maddening when the people who are there to fix us do exactly to opposite. I would look for a change of Consultant if it is possible. He clearly is not

'the best at what he does',

They for get so often that they are dealing with humans and not a lump of meat that can talk!

Keep fighting mate, kick, punch, bite and if soemthing gets in the way of your recovery then get rid of it. If that applies to this guy then kick him in to touch!

Keep fighting we are all rooting for you.
Livestrong

I spoke to my cardio-thoracic lady today, after emailing her about how pissed off they made me yesterday. She apologised on his behalf, and tried to explain why he had to rush off. I like her. She's honest, reliable, gruff and frank, all of which I find to be good character traits. She also told me that it was very unusual, and that neither she or he had seen owt like it before. I had hoped it would be an atrial mixoma (non-cancerous tumour), but she reckons its more likely to be an angiosarcoma.

I'll be honest, don't bother looking this one up on the 'net; the prognosis is shite, and mortality rates are high, with secondary malignancies very common and usually untreatable...

Nice. Happy pissing days.

Open heart surgery will probably take place in the next week, so either Meg or I will keep you informed. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have to roll my sleeves up and kick my cancer in the arse...

Give it a kick from me too.

Prognosis might be shite and the mortaility rates might be high, but some folk get through it. Whose to say it wont be you that gets through it?

I've got some steel toecapped size 10's you can use.
Cancer...bag-o-shite!!
Chin up fella, keep fighting, kicking ang screaming.
Your in our thoughts

Rik-Mouth cancer 1997
Now 34yrs old

ive been following this thread from a distance. I have to say mark i admire your spirit and attitude and in my experience people with your mindset do much better than those who give in to the illness. Good luck over the upcoming months -your courage through this has been amazing. I'm sorry your not getting the answers you urgently need from your specialists- but until they have all the results and histologies etc -they can't give you a full answer regarding prognoses etc
all the best
al

Ditto what Goan said. WGAF if the mortality rate is 90% - make yourself the 1 in 10. Someone has to be, and you're the sort of bloke that deserves to be.

I've never been great in fights, but once you've got it on the ground, I'll run in and take a sly kick at it for you.

Keep strong, best wishes to Meg too.

Dude, you've got bollocks like space hoppers. If I was wearing a hat I'd take it off to you right now. Meg is a very lucky girl.

I've a spare set of bombers if it'll help owning the ****er

But even if the prognosis is shite people still survive and with your sheer guts, determination and your good lady with you I still think the cancer is in for a hiding.
Best wishes to you and Meg from all the Gibby family

Mark, the statistics they state are an average, and there's nothing average about you! When I read the numbers for J's cancer I felt like someone had ripped my heart out, the stats are not good, but he's stll here, still good and at least two of his docs have put his recovery down to his fitness and downright stubbornness. Just do it - we all know you can, even if it doesn't really feel like it right now.
You know where we are...

Mark, keep fighting, we're all with you.BTW, would you like a couple of big Yorkshire lads to come round and have 'a word' with this, 'ere, sarcoma thingumybob?

[img] [/img]

Hey Mark - obviously we're all rooting for both you and Meg

email in profile if you need to talk

And a big up for everyone on here - respect.

Rooting for you both

brother...what ever the **** it is, i am sure you are going to kick the living shnizzle out of it. keep up the good work my friend.

Mark

Sorry to hear how rough its going, but seems to me you have a few things on your side to help with the stats. You've kept yourself healthy over the years, you are full of fight and you have Meg (oh and all of us). These things all make a huge difference on there own, let alone together. Now **** the stats and think even the survial rate was only 1 in a 5,10 or a 100, you will be the 1, somebody has to be and you have a lot going for you.

Keep in there mate.

stay fcuckin angry mate and keep kicking! once you are sorted give that doc a quick kick while you are on!

People win the lottery, so why not you eh?

As Mariusz Pudzianowski once said.....

'strong, like bull!'

Mark, I don't know if you have any Faith but my family are praying for you. My wife had cancer twice, went through radio and chemo, had major surgery and a bad prognosis but she's still with us and treasures each day, back to normal a far as the world can tell.
I'm sure it's been said but don't give up - ever.

If you're going to kick something may I reccommend these, they're ice climbing boots and they'll leave whatever you kick smarting for quite some time.
[img] [/img]

Mark this will sound a bit cheesy so apologies, I will be riding Relentless 24 solo next weekend. It starts on the 10th October which is 25 years to the day when I went under the knife to have part of my lung removed. I will ride hard but I will keep you in my thoughts and ride twice as hard as I can for you.

Keep fighting the good fight

DC

Hoops, that's some shitty photoshopping on that child's wellyboot - could've at least had ray-guns or something 😉

Mark, carry on doing what you're doing !

Mark and Meg,
Will be thinking of you both over the next few days.

FCx

[i]Will be thinking of you both over the next few days.[/i]
ditto

hey mark, go steady mate, the lows will be real low, keep thinking of the highs on the other side.

there's plenty of survivors stories out there, this guy is a flickr contact of mine from the states (who happens to build amazing frames), he's documented his highs and lows over the last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fastboy/sets/72157607075926461/

Firstly, thanks to all of you for all your kind words of support. Things have started to get fraught over the last couple of weeks, but reading through your posts is always funny, comforting and, er, sometimes wierd...!

I received a call from my cardiothoracic consultant at 7pm on Saturday, asking me to travel to St Thomas' yesterday (Monday), with a view to having open heart surgery this coming Friday. Whilst I'm pretty sure that some folk would start to panic at this information, to be honest I just feel relief; the waiting and not knowing was becoming a real problem for me, and affecting my attitude towards being positive. At least now I can start do develop a strategy for dealing with the first part.

I went along yesterday (my bloody birthday too; jeez...) and met the fella that'll be performing the surgery. He seemed very pleasant, and spent a fair amount of time describing the procedure, pro's and con's, and the risks. Evidently there is a 5cm long mass in the right atrium of the heart, close to the bicuspid valve. The intention is to 'slice and dice' that part of the heart, patching it with bovine tissue, and sending the sample along for diagnosis. Then we should find out whether the mass is malignant or not, although I would think it's more than likely that it is judging by the rhetoric used by the doc, who says he does maybe two of these a year and that some GP's won't see this type of thing in their entire career.

More important than this are the figures he gave me for recovery. I'm not allowed to drive for 6 weeks, and will be off work for 3 months! And in that time I'm not allowed to press weights or front-crawl! What about the back-stroke? It sounds like my future career as a GB triathlete is over...

So there it is. Next time I update this, I will have the heart of a bull, the bowel movements of a pensioner and the surly disposition of a hornet. Spare a thought for the wonderful Megan, who will have to put up with my grumbling. Send her a post, she likes that kind of thing.

Thank you all for everything. If I haven't replied to pm's, forgive me. I will do at some point.

Mark

so what I'm hearing is after this you're going to be the Six Million Dollar man... bettah stay behind you on those hill climbs.

best of luck and much strength

cheers,

greg

just as P.S... about the same time you got diagnosed a mate of mine in the states got diagnosed with throat cancer and he is facing it like you.. head on and full blast..

I don't know where you guys get it but God Bless ya both... I'd be whimpering in a corner 24/7

All the best for Friday and a belated Happy Birthday!

When it comes down to it aren't women great, loving/supportive/thoughful...etc

Good luck Petesgaff. Heart of an ox eh? 🙂

Dude...

At risk of sounding completely cheesy - you have a level of resilience, inner strength and positivity that I find somewhat humbling and completely heartening all the same.

Go well and beat this - my thoughts are with you.

Best of luck on Friday, Mark. We'll all on here be thinking of you, and by Saturday you'll be into the next phase.

Best wishes too, Megan. You'll have even more grumbling to contend with than when "Man-flu" strikes!!

Ononeorange

Great news Mark, I will keep you in my thoughts on Friday.

Keep fighting the good fight. You will win this one I am sure of it

he does maybe two of these a year

It sounds like my future career as a GB triathlete is over...

All the best for Friday
C&S

Mark - all the best for Friday. Keep fighting.

All the best Mark.

Good luck for Friday Mark, we will all be thinking of both you and Meg.

Best wishes....

Dave.

Good luck Mark....keep strong

Steve

flowers'n'chocs just for Meg
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All the best for Friday to both of you, we will be thinking about you.

Dear Pete,