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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Cancer / April 2006Ovarian Cancer investigation
Posted from the UK. What has been other people's experience of the waiting time between a GP referral and an ultrasound being carried out? Is four weeks a long time, or is it reasonable? What difference to the outcome is a four week delay likely to make in the worst case? At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something else.  SignatureRod > Posted from the UK. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > is it reasonable? What difference to the outcome is a four week delay > likely to make in the worst case? No difference > At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something > else. > Posted from the UK. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something > else. Our system's similar to yours (Ontario, Canada here). Four weeks is reasonable for an ultrasound. J >> Posted from the UK. >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Four weeks is reasonable for an ultrasound. > J Thanks for your replies. Very new to this possibility and feeling extremely uncertain. SignatureRod >> Posted from the UK. >> At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Four weeks is reasonable for an ultrasound. > J Really? That seems like a long time for any test, especially for something as basic as an ultrasound. I know that my mother getting hers the same night the doctor ordered it was because she was already in the hospital and unique for that reason, but... I've never had more than five days for CTs, MRI, or PET scans. How long do you have to wait for those under the national systems? >>> Posted from the UK. >>> At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > I've never had more than five days for CTs, MRI, or PET scans. How long do > you have to wait for those under the national systems? Here in Canada the wait varies by need. If you need one today, you'll get it today. If you don't need it (and you probably shouldn't have it....) you'll wait a week or two. This 'national systems' stuff is a bit of a red herring. The tests have to be paid for and whether it's a national or personal health insurance system, joe public picks up the bill. However, Canada spends maybe 10% of GDP on healthcare, the US spends about 16%. Despite that, life expectancy is higher in Canada, perinatal mortality is lower, and cancer survival rates are as good or better. > >>> Posted from the UK. > >>> At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > If you don't need it (and you probably shouldn't have it....) you'll wait a > week or two. Scotty from BC got an MRI of the brain in 7 days - a neurologist ordered it. neurologist suspected MS or tumor. His symptoms started 2 months earlier - must have been wait to see neurologist. As best I can tell, when symptoms worsened or saw neurologist, MRI was ordered and he got it in 7 days. He reported that it usually takes "many months". Varies by area, by need, by which (type of) doctor orders the test, and by type of test. J > This 'national systems' stuff is a bit of a red herring. The tests have to > be paid for and whether it's a national or personal health insurance > system, joe public picks up the bill. > However, Canada spends maybe 10% of GDP on healthcare, the US spends about > 16%. Despite that, life expectancy is higher in Canada, perinatal > mortality is lower, and cancer survival rates are as good or better. US can learn from Canada, the preventive measures are the way to go. HMOs in the US are using more preventive medicine. Alex > US can learn from Canada, the preventive measures are the way to go. HMOs > in the US are using more preventive medicine. Alex Actually, HMOs original concept was to reduce cost by being proactive. Somewhere along the line, they lost direction. > >> Posted from the UK. > >> At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or something [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > night the doctor ordered it was because she was already in the hospital and > unique for that reason, but... oh well, in hospital and/or if hospital doctor wants one faster... he's talking about a GP ordering one. > I've never had more than five days for CTs, MRI, or PET scans. How long do > you have to wait for those under the national systems? Varies by area and by need. I've been waiting for over a year now for a CT scan and I'm not allowed to inquire or I get my head bit off by the doctor. Different doctor, in another city said I'd wait for 2 years (or more) for MRI of my shoulder in his city, so he ordered it where he knows they just got 3 more MRI scanners: wait time 4.5 months (unless there's a delay - backed up due to other more urgent) The requisition form he checked off has choices : urgent, semi-urgent and elective. Interestingly tumour is on the semi-urgent line. Breast MRI Implant is on the urgent line. My shoulder is deemed "elective" Then he checks off "# of slots", which I think is the expected chunk of machine time (1 slot, 2 slots, 3 slots). Ultrasound can be done same day if one is seeing a specialist (or in hospital) at the hospital and the specialist wants it and there's an available slot, I guess. I expect if a person is in hospital or at ER and the doctor deems necessary, any test can be ordered same day. J Correction: > Interestingly tumour is on the semi-urgent line. > Breast MRI Implant is on the urgent line. I think that's meaningless. I'm pretty sure, if he'd checked off "tumour", he would have checked off "urgent". J >> >> Posted from the UK. >> >> At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > oh well, in hospital and/or if hospital doctor wants one faster... > he's talking about a GP ordering one. Yes - requested by GP specifically saying "ASAP". It just seems to pile on the agony of waiting - until the ultrasound is done she won't be referred to a gynaecologist. So she ends up on consecutive waiting lists rather than concurrent. SignatureRod > >> >> Posted from the UK. > >> >> At present we have no idea whether the problem is a cancer or [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > referred to a gynaecologist. So she ends up on consecutive waiting lists > rather than concurrent. I saw a lady on another cancer newsgroup, who had to wait several months (I think) for a biopsy. She wasn't in agony; despite the concern that it might be a recurrence. I read 2 other support newsgroups that are mostly female and there's one where they see so many specialists, two have delayed (for years) what is thought to be ovarian cysts. One's been having pains for years. The other actually worries me; she's gone from a size 5 to 0 and still losing weight, but dang it - I can't get her to surgery. She's stalling the process, it's not a slow system. If your wife is bleeding and it doesn't stop, I don't recommend ER. Ask her GP for referral to gynae quicker. If there's pain, the GP should be able to help. A watched pot never boils. If there's not too many symptoms going on, the less you think about, the faster the time will be here. Good luck. J <snip> > I saw a lady on another cancer newsgroup, who had to wait several > months (I think) for a biopsy. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > If there's not too many symptoms going on, the less you think about, > the faster the time will be here. J, Thanks. Of course you are right in so many ways. We are better off in so many ways than many here - and elsewhere. But it has been hard to find mention of actual times. Sites always say 'soon', 'urgently', whatever, without any idea of the timescales that they are thinking about. It's easy to find out detailed sugical techniques - but few ever give a timescale to things. SignatureRod |
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