Extreme NHS cutbacks, spinal tumor, just wait and see!

[Confuzzeled]

So I met a close friend for lunch today and she is quite rightly worried about her brother. A few weeks ago they found a small tumor on his spine. But apparently because of NHS cutbacks they are not going to investigate it further as it's not in the breast or testicles.

They don't know if it's benign, they don't know if it's attached to the spinal cord. He's just been sent home and told to "Keep an eye on it".

He's in his early 30's by the way, just had a kid.

It seems madness to me that they're not even going to investigate it.

AIBU to think this is a total travesty, to think that the NHS has got to this point? Do we need to have blood splatted up the walls before we get any treatment? What happened to prevention being better than cure?

I'm in shock, I have always been a big supporter of the NHS and how hard NHS have to work, but this is too far for me.

This sounds crazy and implausible.

Sounds like your friends brother hasn't understood what was explained to him. If this is the case you could encourage him via your friend to go back and ask for another explanation.

To fail to investigate a potential malignant tumour would be negligent. The current financial situation would have no bearing on that.

I agree, it does sound very implausible. However this is a friend I respect greatly and while I don't know her brother very well I do know he's no fool. This is what I was told and I believe it has happened.

I was so shocked by what she told me, my first thought (after asking many of the questions asked here) was to spread this to as many people as I could and find out if this was becoming common practice or if this was a case of malpractice.

I think it's more likely (hoping) that the extent of the decision hasn't been fully explained and that some stupid remarks were made re. cutbacks.

I hope he does go back and presses for investigation or at least a proper explanation.

Dilly
There can IME be big gaps between what the NHS should do and does do.

Do you have any clinical input in your role ?
If not, you are probably as much in the dark as the rest of us.

I'd encourage your friend to encourage her brother to see his GP for more information. GP can go over the correspondence from the hospital and explain properly. My guess would be her brother was worried and not taking in all the information he was given fully - which is entirely normal - and that maybe the person he saw was having a bad day and made a jaundiced, off the cuff remark.

This makes no sense at all.

How could anyone know that there was a 'small tumour' on the spine without some sort of investigation.

The brother needs to go back to his GP for an explanation of what he has.

This makes no sense. I have a weirdy mole on my shoulder and have an appointment to see a specialist fairly quickly.

I do agree you don't appear to have the full picture.eg:

they found a small tumor on his spine

How ? Scan, phys exam ?
Why were they looking for anything in the 1st place ?
In sthe spinal canal, on the spine, skin etc ?

Too many unknowns.
And he could have given DS incorrect info.

Also it would only cost £200-300 to get a 1st appt with a specialist.

I'm a GP and don't believe this.

If they have investigated enough to find a "tumour on his spine" (his actual spine? the spinal cord? the vertebral column? or just his back?) then he has had some imaging of some kind done.

In which case they could well have discovered it either isn't a tumour at all but some other sort of growth (there are several) or that it is, but that it is benign.

I also think there's been a misunderstanding here, though I'm sure you've reported it just as it was told to you. I really hope they take the report back to their GP or someon who can talk it through with them; if they are living under this belief they must be terrified.

I don't understand. He has a spinal tumour but hasn't had a scan or a biopsy? How does he know it's a tumour then?

He needs to get back to his GP and understand exactly what the consultant has found.

Believe me, in our experience the NHS takes spinal tumours very seriously indeed. DH's two new ones are being treated with radiotherapy before his scheduled chemo starts for all the other cancers in his body.

My DH had a tumour on his spine. He had an MRI and they could see from this that it was fatty and therefore a lipoma. They did indeed say that he should just leave it until it grew because if you operate and remove a lipoma, the chances are it will come back and just do the same thing again. They don't want to do surgery on that area any more frequently than they need to.

It would really depend on his symptoms. DH had lost the sensation starting with his feet and gradually worsening until he could feel nothing to mid thigh by the time any surgery was done. And he had faecal incontinence - although even this didn't mean they would operate. He was finally admitted as an emergency when he was REALLY bad. So if the tumour is fatty and giving few symptoms then they really won't be doing anything. DH's surgery had a 70% risk of paralysis from the waist down. Not to be taken lightly. Also fairly long and arduous recovery as they had to remove some bone.

It sounds like they are panicking and therefore not taking in the information properly. There is no way that this is not being taken as seriously as it needs to be. I do understand the panic though and there is a huge amount to take in because when you hear the word tumour you cannot help but hear the word cancer.

Rindercella - I hope your DH's treatment goes as well as it can