Hospital apt - family member with covid

[jane19771]

I have a hospital outpatients appointment in a weeks time, suspected cancer. My son currently has covid but I do not. They don't want people to attend if they have been in Close contact with someone with covid over the last 14 days.

Aibu to attend anyway (providing I have a negative lateral flow test on the day) because :

It's almost impossible to get an apt with them

They don't answer the phone ever with no alternate means of contact so cannot rebook, which is what I would have done normally

I don't have covid and will not attend if I test positive

I don't want to die of cancer

I know aibu really and I'm sure I'll get flamed but I feel the cancer risk outweighs the risk provided I don't have covid.

What would you do?

Remember - you can never get hold of them so rebooking is out of the question sadly

I imagine those saying she shouldn't go have never been in her position.
You must have missed my post.
I was in that position. I rescheduled.

You must have missed my post Apologies, I obviously did. But you were definitely in the minority.

I still think OP should go to the appointment.

This happened to me, I had to move my appointment to the following week so after the isolation period.
I understand you can’t get through to the bookings department but please keep trying or contact PALS because they can get hold of the department for you

Going would be beyond selfish, you don't want to die of cancer but you're happy to lie and break the rules and put countless other people at risk. I have 2 friends, one has just finished treatment for cancer the other is still going through it, the only thing they are leaving the house for is hospital appointments because they know if they get covid it's likely to kill them. If you do get diagnosed with cancer would you be happy for others to do this and risk your life? Please don't say you won't be with others with cancer, your going to see someone about possible cancer obviously other people wity cancer and the same specialists will be there. It's well known that you can spread for approximately 2 days before a positive lateral flow so even a negative which is why hospitals are sticking to the 14 day rule. Start emailing every department, Google and try every number, find out how you can contact them to rearrange but going isn't an option.

Is your appointment with an oncologist or are you not yet diagnosed as having cancer?

I work in an outpatients oncology department and if you was unable to attend the appointment due to covid the oncologist would possibly attempt a telephone consultation with you, just to get the ball rolling and not delay treatment.
We would ask you a covid triage tool upon entering the department and would hope all our patients are honest.

Obviously if you've not yet been diagnosed and this appointment is for an initial appointment with another specialist and was referred on a 2 week wait cancer pathway, you wouldn't be sent back to your gp they should offer you another appointment and fairly quickly so you don't breach the pathway.

I would also go, take a LFT in the morning and maybe one again before appointment, wear.m a mask and go if negative.

Best of luck.

You have no idea who else is in outpatients and could potentially kill them. Up to you if you want to take that risk.

Oh and I absolutely understand what a difficult place you are in. It's ridiculous no one answers the phones or has a voicemail service.

Test, mask, sanitise, socially distance - go (if vaccinated).
If not vaccinated please don’t go.

@KiloWhat

And delaying cancer treatment could end badly for OP.

I would try and rearrange. My DH had an outpatient appointment this week on a 2 week referral. He had phone call on Monday to go on Tuesday and the pick of times. When he went, he was asked if he was a close contact etc., then he went to sit down, but got called in immediately. He said there was about 10 people in waiting room, when I went before pandemic there were around 50 people waiting. They are really only seeing the most minimum of cases, so I think you will be able to change your appointment for a couple of days later.

Contact PALs (patient advice and liaison service) to explain and also complain that you haven’t been able to contact them directly to rearrange. They should sort it for you ASAP.

Please don't go without getting advice to do so from the hospital.
Keep phoning the consultant's secretary and leaving messages.

I work in an NHS oncology department and there will 100% be chemo patients in the department along with patients with severely compromised immune systems. Many haematological cancer patients do not get the same immune response from the vaccine as we would expect to get so are still at a high risk from Covid. I completely understand why you would want to still go for your appointment and really empathise but please do not put other patients at risk. There is a reason we ask these questions.

[quote OnceuponaRainbow18]@KiloWhat

And delaying cancer treatment could end badly for OP.[/quote]
Yes that's why I said it's up to OP if she wants to take that risk. It's an absolutely shitty position for OP to be put in and could be alleviated by a simple voicemail system where someone could call them back to discuss and reschedule.

@jane19771

Thanks for your advice everyone.

Just to confirm I won't be entering an area with chemo patients, it's an outpatients department.

I will keep trying to call them..!

Chemo patients still attend outpatients appointments. We aren't usually inpatients. The staff who will be seeing you will still be seeing chemo patients. Consultant, nurses, scan department etc. There will be notices all over the entrance of the hospital saying do not enter if you've been in contact with someone who has Covid recently. This is why its so frightening going to outpatients appointments . We never know if someone in the waiting room has lied to keep their appointment

@MoiraRosefan

You must have missed my post Apologies, I obviously did. But you were definitely in the minority. I still think OP should go to the appointment.

Would you still say that if your immune suppressed child was sat in the same waiting room?

Would you still say that if your immune suppressed child was sat in the same waiting room?
My husband has very recently finished very gruelling cancer treatment. He was immune suppressed during treatment. Obviously I would not have wanted him to get covid but also I vividly remember how anxious we were while waiting for initial appointment. Our experience was that the initial appointment was not anywhere near the cancer centre, strict social distancing was in place as well as masks, hand washing etc.
I see this from both sides, however as a previous poster said, delays in starting cancer treatment can change prognosis. Other patients in the area could have already been exposed to covid and not be aware.
I would also expect that staff change PPE between patients.

Go. Do LFTs every day and before you go to your appointment. Wear a mask, social distance as much as you can, wash you hands and try not to touch anything. You are not going for fun, If you have cancer the quicker it is treated the better the outcome. Your health is just as important as the theoretical imunocompromised people that may possibly be in the same waiting room as you. They are more likely to catch covid from someone asymptomatic wandering around than you who has just tested negative.

You say you don’t want to die of cancer (obviously, I wish you all the best with your future appts ) but cancer patients don’t want to die of covid either!!

you REALLY can’t go. even if you don’t come into contact with other patients (you will) you could give covid to a doctor who then spreads it to other patients. a neg LF means nothing, it takes a few days to show up

I'm sorry but you really can't go. My ds wasn't allowed to go to 2 of his appointments in November because his brother was waiting for pcr results for what turned out to be a cold. 1 has been re-scheduled for end of february and he finally got his new hearing aids today after a month and a half of having his hearing severely compromised.

Keep pestering the hospital to get your appointment rescheduled. Phone the consultant's secretary, phone PALS. If you've got a scary dragon receptionist at your gp surgery ask them to contact the hospital as well.

The guidance will be excessive because there will be people there who actually have cancer, who actually have low immunity and who actually could easily die from Covid 🙄

But clinical staff with positive household members can continue to work with extremely vulnerable patients, I don't see how this is any different. You do realise that NHS workers also go on holidays/to parties etc and then go straight back onto the wards? We can't be delaying possible life saving cancer treatment for someone who has no symptoms and is testing negative.

Of course you are not being selfish op

I’m quite sure I would go

@Qthemusic

The guidance will be excessive because there will be people there who actually have cancer, who actually have low immunity and who actually could easily die from Covid 🙄

But clinical staff with positive household members can continue to work with extremely vulnerable patients, I don't see how this is any different. You do realise that NHS workers also go on holidays/to parties etc and then go straight back onto the wards? We can't be delaying possible life saving cancer treatment for someone who has no symptoms and is testing negative.

Of course I realise this🙄 I merely stated why the guidance will be excessive

Take daily lateral flow OP until the appointment. Trust guidelines are changing all the time.