Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 29: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

Here is a link to the prior thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4967206-come-and-tell-me-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-28-calmly-through-the-day

Welcome to all regulars, lurkers, and new contributors! Everyone is welcome to join.

Miss, apparently you can buy online for delivery without a membership. Haven't heard of BJ's...must just be in US or your region? Things must be getting exciting re dd's wedding! Hope you get answer quickly re your shoulder (?).

I paid for a few private mri's several years ago. It was worth the cost (about $1000 each) as it sped up getting to specialists. As opposed to waiting for mri (low priority so long wait time) and then waiting for specialist referral). GP rec'd report and sent off referrals right away.

I had a text message from the doctors today, informing me of an upcoming breast screening. I’m assuming that if it is postponed, they won’t be doing that over the phone!

I have to arrange blood tests and a diabetes review as well, plus feet and eye checkups. It’s all go health wise here. Thank goodness for the NHS..

I am trying to get a private MRI to check for cancer as the mammo only picked up 1 out of 3 cancers before but NHS is refusing to help at all saying mammo is all they offer, they won't do a private referral or look at a private MRI at the hospital. There's a woman just joined the stage 4 cancer thread with this issue in her 50s missed by mammogram. I know quite a few like this, including women in their 40s with several kids who now won't see them grow up, very sad when it's preventable especially when they have children at home. You can see why our survival rates are low. Private so far has been saying need referral but am keeping trying. I am trying another complaint but it's a waste of time. I found one place called scan UK but not sure how good that is or whether if I try they will say no as cancer. One way around it might be to go private to see oncologist first then pay for MRI then pay to see for results but it's very pricey.

@Penguinsa Does your GP Surgery have Patient Access? It’s an app that you download and register with. Ours does,it shows upcoming appointments, repeat prescriptions, plus other things and we can also access other services not offered by the practice. It show where they are available locally, eg we have MRI scans available at a nearby private hospital with prices starting from £160, so it says. It might be worthwhile looking into it, if you can.

Thanks Uman We don't have any app here (rural and its still 1950 and they are just totally overwhelmed by demand) but I need to try and see if GP can do anything but its not easy to get the GP here and generally they won't help with cancer monitoring as that is the hospitals job. It was 6 months of back and forth between the 2 when I had stage 4 symptoms before I got a scan both arguing it was the other's responsibility. Eventually hospital backed down. Luckily it wasn't. I just put a complaint in again but this issue has been going on since 2022 so don't think will get a resolution from that. I probably just need to pay for private everything. The cancer treatment itself was fine but think there are shortages of money, staff, scanners. I just don't know with scan UK if its reputable but it says its at an NHS hospital one option so that's presumably fine, just whether its looked at properly fine. Scan UK is only £350 for an MRI but seems too cheap, Nuffield will be more like £1,000 with appointments assuming no issues and £1.5k if issues and more tests needed. Nuffield would definitely be fine though. I just really need to get something done, not been checked since Nov 21 though had treatment to Aug 22 and was all clear after surgery. No symptoms at least and think its clear but sometimes you can't tell, the type I had grows in a spiders web and then forms a lump at end so its quite hard to tell you have it though I did feel tiny, tiny specs before which I don't now. The hospital say a mammo will be OK now as I have had chemo and breasts will have changed but its hard to trust it when it failed before and there's radiation which my dentist keeps lecturing me on. The NHS did send me private for free for my second surgery but I am not working at the moment due to SN child and awaiting reconstruction but we do have savings.

Penguins, I think that scan uk site was the one i looked at when you mentioned having difficulty getting a scan. That site mentions ultrasounds for breast cancer investigation as well if it's the same site.
My mum's was estrogen positive stage 2, grade 2 with lymph node involvement. Had mastectomy one side.
She gets yearly mammograms, blood screening every six months with oncologist consult in person or by phone at mutual agreement and is on Letrazole.

Penguins, would it be worthwhile contacting McMillan Cancer Support?
Forgive me if you've been there, done that with any suggestions. 🩷

Thanks so much Havoc I have just messaged Nuffield to see if I can get into see private GP or oncologist to get referred for MRI. Its only lobular that needs the MRI, other breast cancers which form as a lump do appear on mammos but lobular tends to only appear at stage 3. My 4.6cm one showed but the 1.7cm didn't and the LCIS didn't. I may also try the SCAN UK, I am just concerned if the scans and reports are good enough quality, its just a lot cheaper. And will the NHS accept them? I need one for reconstruction though no idea what they will accept. Nuffield does transfer reports over and has oncologists who also work at the NHS hospital. I've also tried the lobular cancer charity to see if they have any ideas, Macmillan is good but they do all cancers so its better to do a specialist one. I had counselling via them before which was good.

Floof is very trilly. Hopefully going out tomorrow, well today now, to a gardens which is doing lambing. Its one of the Historic House we joined for a year.

I sent a message to Prok sending our love a few days ago, not had a reply yet but will let everyone know if I do. I hope she is still with us, she does take a few days sometimes, so hopefully just a delay.

Sorry for making thread depressing. Hopefully will get this sorted and move on - I do think I am all clear but safest to check.

Penguinsa, Are you able to access care in France via partner's citizenship?

Apparently yes though I don't quite know how it would work - we've only used it for minor things before and just did the standard UK person route before. But we did enquire before at the start when they said it would be 3 months before the first cancer op (in the end it was 1 month after a successful complaint) and we found friends of DH work in Paris hospitals and could have got my care there and they thought it would be free. Though it was supposed to be free if DH lives there, the issue is also timing like you might need to stay in France a while. DH goes back to France for a lot of his health checks. It might be worth looking at if we can't get anything here.

Penguins, I'm sending good thoughts your way for quick access whichever route you go. 🩷

Oooh you fibber!!!
We do! A A Milne told us...

Whenever I walk in a London street,
I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
The sillies who tread on the lines of the street
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, "Bears,
Just look how I'm walking in all the squares!"

@Umanresources
I keep eyeing up those steaks in Costco, and the other meats
It never seems that good a bargain to me tho - am I missing a trick?

@Penguinsa have you emailed your MP?

I have found on several occasions, the NHS moving (fast and efficiently) on a query from an MP

I think it will help - and it certainly won't hurt

@Tilllly

Well ok apart from Winnie and Paddington and those in Zoos....!!!!!!

😁😁😁😁

Loads of bears in London!

Penguinisa, if you fancy a holiday in NYC it would be very easy to get it done here. Loads of Brits come to NY for cancer care. NYU Langone International Patient Services would be a great choice. NYU is one of the best university teaching hospitals in the country.

Havoc, BJ's Wholesale Club is a regional chain based in Massachusettes and located in the northeast of the US. Most locations have a massive petrol station attached to the store. Their meats are excellent and much cheaper than the supermarkets.

Great news from the wedding dress fitting - it only needs hemming. The shoulders, bust and waist are all perfect as is. I think it really suits her.

Also, the invitations arrived last night and are lovely. They will be over an ounce in weight, so I'll take one to the post office to have them weighed and buy the stamps. DH has offered to help me assemble them. We have about 80 to put together, so not that big a job. I'll take them to the PO first thing Monday morning for mailing.

Stunning

Absolutely beautiful

Miss, what a pretty dress! 🥰
How are you feeling that your baby girl is getting married?

What a gorgeous dress 😍!

Gosh ...June is going to come around so quick now ...

Thank you for letting us join you in this exciting journey x

@MissConductUS that is an absolutely stunning dress. Your daughter looks gorgeous.

@Tilllly although the steaks are quite expensive, they are really tasty. My OH did once buy a box of steaks and he left them in his car. He works from home and we didn’t use the car for over a week. Oh the smell; it must have been the hottest week in summer.

We used to go to the Manchester (quite local) Costco and the Watford one (local to his parents). They have exactly the same layout which made it very helpful for shopping. We then changed to another one nearby and the completely the opposite way around. It took me ages to get used to it. I don’t do change very well.

I'm the same @Umanresources
I hate shop layouts moving around

I might give those steaks a go on your recommendation then ☺️

Oh I hope you enjoy them.

I am in the middle of a task ...I really wish I had not started 😅😅!

I am re-organising my bedroom 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️...

You know....finding stuff that I didn't know I had ... wouldn't have been able to find even if I needed it ...but just can't throw out .....in case I need it 🤣🤣🤣🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😂!

I have a bottle of wine in the fridge that I think I will open now !

Tea makes me mellow ...
Coffee gives me energy....
Wine makes me ruthless..😂😂!!!

Any support and suggestions will be gratefully received!
😍😍😁😂