I would have to say socially, financially, and timewise the unit has benefitted me. It’s fantastic.
Ian says: “I was diagnosed at West Suffolk hospital in September 2020, right in the middle of lockdown. The only symptom I had was reflux and they initially thought it was a hiatus hernia. However, from day one, I was referred very quickly to a specialist by my GP who obviously suspected something worse. Within two weeks I was being seen by the oncologists in the middle of lockdown. An endoscopy soon revealed a tumour in my oesophagus.
Despite the diagnosis being swift for him to “get cracking with treatment”, results from a PET scan to determine whether the cancer had spread took longer owing to lockdown. It had. “I was given a prognosis of 18 to 24 months, but we’re three years in now and I’m well over that one.”
It was after his first six months of chemotherapy on the ward in Bury St. Edmunds he heard about the “mobile chemo unit” as he calls it and was due to continue his treatment on there. But the tumour started growing again so his switch was delayed while he was moved onto immunotherapy. His stint in hospital was extended while doctors could monitor his tolerance to it. He responded so well that not only was he transferred to the mobile unit, but it has now also shrunk the tumour.
Reflecting on the benefits of the unit, he sums it up: “It has saved me a lot of time, money and effort as I was traveling every four weeks to hospital which was about an hour round trip, about 14 miles. Now it’s about 400 metres from where I live in Thetford. I just run straight across the road and on there. You’re talking a two-minute walk and an hour every four weeks as opposed to an hour round trip plus the treatment in the hospital, which prolonged the time with everything that’s going on there. I lost half a day whereas now it’s only an hour.
Ian finds the unit “friendlier because it’s the same people all the time. You get to know the staff, so generally I speak to them if I have an issue rather than phone oncology.
I just can’t explain how convenient it is. I’m not paying fuel to get to the hospital. I’m not paying parking fees. I’m not stuck in traffic. I’m not having to rely on other people when I can’t drive myself. I can’t praise the unit highly enough. It’s been a godsend.
He describes the patients aboard the unit as “in effect your local support network. We all exchange experiences; if something’s happening, somebody’s suffering from something, or if I’ve got a problem, or how they dealt with it. It’s great for a source of practical advice too! During the pandemic, I didn’t realise I could claim Universal Credit until a fellow unit patient told me about it. Who knew!”
Ian, who is 63, was a Transport Manager for a large building firm, but can no longer work due to the side effects of treatment which can often be very debilitating for him, although he admits he would love to get back to work.
He concludes: “I would have to say socially, financially, and timewise the unit has benefitted me. It’s fantastic. It’s not just me, it’s my family as well. I’m now home more than I am stuck in the hospital. They’ve never even seen the unit or been on it. But them just seeing the change in me tells them everything about the service.”
I would have to say socially, financially, and timewise the unit has benefitted me. It’s fantastic.
Ian says: “I was diagnosed at West Suffolk hospital in September 2020, right in the middle of lockdown. The only symptom I had was reflux and they initially thought it was a hiatus hernia. However, from day one, I was referred very quickly to a specialist by my GP who obviously suspected something worse. Within two weeks I was being seen by the oncologists in the middle of lockdown. An endoscopy soon revealed a tumour in my oesophagus.
Despite the diagnosis being swift for him to “get cracking with treatment”, results from a PET scan to determine whether the cancer had spread took longer owing to lockdown. It had. “I was given a prognosis of 18 to 24 months, but we’re three years in now and I’m well over that one.”
It was after his first six months of chemotherapy on the ward in Bury St. Edmunds he heard about the “mobile chemo unit” as he calls it and was due to continue his treatment on there. But the tumour started growing again so his switch was delayed while he was moved onto immunotherapy. His stint in hospital was extended while doctors could monitor his tolerance to it. He responded so well that not only was he transferred to the mobile unit, but it has now also shrunk the tumour.
Reflecting on the benefits of the unit, he sums it up: “It has saved me a lot of time, money and effort as I was traveling every four weeks to hospital which was about an hour round trip, about 14 miles. Now it’s about 400 metres from where I live in Thetford. I just run straight across the road and on there. You’re talking a two-minute walk and an hour every four weeks as opposed to an hour round trip plus the treatment in the hospital, which prolonged the time with everything that’s going on there. I lost half a day whereas now it’s only an hour.
Ian finds the unit “friendlier because it’s the same people all the time. You get to know the staff, so generally I speak to them if I have an issue rather than phone oncology.
I just can’t explain how convenient it is. I’m not paying fuel to get to the hospital. I’m not paying parking fees. I’m not stuck in traffic. I’m not having to rely on other people when I can’t drive myself. I can’t praise the unit highly enough. It’s been a godsend.
He describes the patients aboard the unit as “in effect your local support network. We all exchange experiences; if something’s happening, somebody’s suffering from something, or if I’ve got a problem, or how they dealt with it. It’s great for a source of practical advice too! During the pandemic, I didn’t realise I could claim Universal Credit until a fellow unit patient told me about it. Who knew!”
Ian, who is 63, was a Transport Manager for a large building firm, but can no longer work due to the side effects of treatment which can often be very debilitating for him, although he admits he would love to get back to work.
He concludes: “I would have to say socially, financially, and timewise the unit has benefitted me. It’s fantastic. It’s not just me, it’s my family as well. I’m now home more than I am stuck in the hospital. They’ve never even seen the unit or been on it. But them just seeing the change in me tells them everything about the service.”
