It seems pretty logical to me that the more relaxed and the calmer you are before treatment, the more beneficial it is going to be.
When Kathryn was attending hospital for her post cancer treatment it wasn’t just the 30-minute drive in unpredictable traffic that she dreaded but it was where she was going to park the car that also gave her cause for concern.
“You just don’t need the stress” she says.
“Depending on what time my appointment was, the worry about the parking would turn it into an unpleasant experience before I had even started.
“I knew there were times of the day when I would struggle to find a space.
She is now due to have her next treatment in the summer on the unit known as Maureen which was launched by Liz Burton in 2016 and named after her late sister, Maureen Dore, a patient representative who was part of the original mobile cancer care unit project team.
Last year alone more than 3,000 patients received treatment on Maureen.
Kathryn is really hoping there won’t be any issues for her next appointment as the alternative to the unit is the Collingwood Centre at Colchester General Hospital which will involve her having to drive some distance and worry about parking again which she finds unnecessarily stressful.
“Whilst the care I have received at both places is incredible, I am not alone in saying all the travelling really adds to the discomfort when you are in that situation. I can drive, or get a lift to the hospital, but I can’t imagine how tricky it might be if you are reliant upon public transport or don’t have anyone else to call upon.
“I found having my treatment on the unit was great. The bus [unit] is quiet and private. The parking is no trouble, and the journey is very short and straight forward. I feel much more positive about my treatment when I know I am due to have it on the bus [unit].
“Everyone on the unit was so kind. The whole experience was so peaceful.
Kathryn says it is inevitably that people will be anxious when undergoing any sort of medical treatment.
“That just can’t be helped,” she says.
“If it was a morning appointment, I could find myself leaving early and then queuing for ages waiting for someone to leave, all the time wondering if I would miss my appointment.
“It seems pretty logical to me that the more relaxed and the calmer you are before treatment, the more beneficial it is going to be,” she says.
Her nearest mobile unit is much closer to her home when it visits the car park of the Co-op at Manningtree, Essex.
Kathryn, 45, was diagnosed with breast cancer more than two years ago. She underwent a mastectomy, but she was so sick she was unable to have her chemotherapy on the unit as it needed it to be administered through a syringe driver.
When she was finally able to attend the unit, she says it was a completely different experience and it made her realise how much more comfortable the whole process could be.
So, anything at all that helps to smooth the experience and alleviate worry in whatever way, however big or small is bound to help.
Kathryn says she is so pleased the unit is available to cancer patients in her area.
Each week the mobile cancer care unit visits Halstead, Stanway and Tiptree as well as Manningtree.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have had the treatment I have received so far both at the hospital and on the unit.
“And I am grateful that I am now well and fully recovered, but it did take a while for me to regain my energy levels. I know how important the bus [unit] must be for those undergoing chemotherapy treatments which make it harder and more traumatic for them to travel. The bus [unit] is an invaluable asset which I am sure everyone who uses it cannot fail to appreciate.”
It seems pretty logical to me that the more relaxed and the calmer you are before treatment, the more beneficial it is going to be.
When Kathryn was attending hospital for her post cancer treatment it wasn’t just the 30-minute drive in unpredictable traffic that she dreaded but it was where she was going to park the car that also gave her cause for concern.
“You just don’t need the stress” she says.
“Depending on what time my appointment was, the worry about the parking would turn it into an unpleasant experience before I had even started.
“I knew there were times of the day when I would struggle to find a space.
She is now due to have her next treatment in the summer on the unit known as Maureen which was launched by Liz Burton in 2016 and named after her late sister, Maureen Dore, a patient representative who was part of the original mobile cancer care unit project team.
Last year alone more than 3,000 patients received treatment on Maureen.
Kathryn is really hoping there won’t be any issues for her next appointment as the alternative to the unit is the Collingwood Centre at Colchester General Hospital which will involve her having to drive some distance and worry about parking again which she finds unnecessarily stressful.
“Whilst the care I have received at both places is incredible, I am not alone in saying all the travelling really adds to the discomfort when you are in that situation. I can drive, or get a lift to the hospital, but I can’t imagine how tricky it might be if you are reliant upon public transport or don’t have anyone else to call upon.
“I found having my treatment on the unit was great. The bus is quiet and private. The parking is no trouble, and the journey is very short and straight forward. I feel much more positive about my treatment when I know I am due to have it on the bus.
“Everyone on the unit was so kind. The whole experience was so peaceful.
Kathryn says it is inevitably that people will be anxious when undergoing any sort of medical treatment.
“That just can’t be helped,” she says.
“If it was a morning appointment, I could find myself leaving early and then queuing for ages waiting for someone to leave, all the time wondering if I would miss my appointment.
“It seems pretty logical to me that the more relaxed and the calmer you are before treatment, the more beneficial it is going to be,” she says.
Her nearest mobile unit is much closer to her home when it visits the car park of the Co-op at Manningtree, Essex.
Kathryn, 45, was diagnosed with breast cancer more than two years ago. She underwent a mastectomy, but she was so sick she was unable to have her chemotherapy on the unit as it needed it to be administered through a syringe driver.
When she was finally able to attend the unit, she says it was a completely different experience and it made her realise how much more comfortable the whole process could be.
So, anything at all that helps to smooth the experience and alleviate worry in whatever way, however big or small is bound to help.
Kathryn says she is so pleased the unit is available to cancer patients in her area.
Each week the mobile cancer care unit visits Halstead, Stanway and Tiptree as well as Manningtree.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have had the treatment I have received so far both at the hospital and on the unit.
“And I am grateful that I am now well and fully recovered, but it did take a while for me to regain my energy levels. I know how important the bus must be for those undergoing chemotherapy treatments which make it harder and more traumatic for them to travel. The bus is an invaluable asset which I am sure everyone who uses it cannot fail to appreciate.”
