Hospital appointment seemed a bit pointless.

[Madchihuahualady]

My DM is 92 and lives in a care home. Just recently my mum had a FIT test (stool test) as she has lost weight and the home noticed blood.
As blood was found in the sample an appointment came through within 2 weeks of the result which I thought was really quick.
The appointment was yesterday, I went with my mum, the consultant said that some blood was found in the sample and my mum needs to have a CT scan which should come through within 2 weeks by post. I showed him a printed off list of her meds which he took note of.
I feel that instead of this appointment it could of been done by letter to say due to your stool test results, we need to do further investigation so you have an appointment booked for a scan.
I appreciate that there was hardly any wait to see the consultant but in that timeframe my mum could of had the CT scan.
My mum gets very stressed, as her mobility is extremely poor, the home has a vehicle that they can use for a wheelchair and if it's an important appointment I accompany her.
I don't think she quite understands what they may or may not find.

More than focusing on one appointment, and thinking bigger picture…. If the tests do find cancer, is treatment the right thing for a 92 year old? MIL died last year at a similar age, and when it was clear she was in her final decline, DH (who is senior NHS) stopped them taking bloods (every day!). What was the point?

Yes, I do agree, any treatment would do more harm than good, I doubt at her age any would be given. She was told about the result and was asked if she was happy to see the consultant.

A close relative of mine had similar at 88, living in own home though, and they wanted to do a colonoscopy - if that is suggested, please read up on the risks to elderly people! They refused any treatment for it anyway (didn't want 'any poking about!) and passed away 6 months later of an ongoing heart condition. Good luck 💐

This would absolutely be the standard procedure because realistically it’s a cancer referral and most people upon hearing the news that they are being investigated because of the possibility of cancer would have questions and they would be reassured to see someone face to face to have them answered. Hope all goes well with your mum’s scans.

They do like to give appointments when they're not needed. My friend was diagnosed with a gluten allergy in April, and the GP referred her to a consultant in Gastroenterology.

She didn't get an appointment for 4 months - after she was told she has a gluten allergy. She travelled 30 miles (60 mile round trip,) paid £6 for hospital parking, and it was an hour and a quarter after her appointment, that he called her in.

All he did was give her a link to a website about gluten allergies, and refer her to the hospital dietician, and she got a letter 3 months later for a Group Appointment to chat about what they should be eating. She said by then she had worked out herself what she should be eating, and cancelled it. The consultant appointment lasted 5 minutes. I bet he got £300 for that.

tl;dr, the NHS waste so much time and money...

The important question is, do you want the longest life or the best possible remainder of life? I ponder this quite often, because my DH nearly died 20 years ago, and the NHS has saved him by quick interventions several times since. On the other side of the ledger, he went back to work after treatment, and he/we have paid probably close to a million pounds in income tax since they saved his life. The treatments were not cheap ones, and six days in an acute unit costs at least £1000 per day.

Thank you, that is my point. This appointment as the way I see it could of been skipped and an appointment for the scan sent through but this the way that things are done.
I cannot drive my mum as she is in a wheelchair so the home take her which costs £15 which now as she is being funded by the local council comes out of the small amount left for sundries. She gets stressed very quickly and ends upset at some point.
The consultant just said that it could be polyps or worst case cancer but the C word didn't seem to bother my mum as all she wanted was to get back to the home for a lie down.
I know that the hospital do not know about people's circumstances and I appreciate that she was seen quickly.
The scan will come through within 2 weeks so I will update once the results are through.

I completely agree - my mum has 4 weekly consultations for myeloma. She is virtually housebound, can't walk far so needs a wheelchair if out and we struggle to get her to hospital at the best of times.

These appointments usually consist of the Dr asking how she is feeling, mum replying 'I'm good, thank you'. The Dr then goes on to say that they've reviewed her blood test results, all is fine, no changes, 'We'll see you again in 4 weeks'.

Almost 2 hours spent travelling to the hospital, finding a parking space and waiting in the waiting room for ages - then we are in and out of the Dr's office within 5 mins. Can't they do that over the telephone??

I would ask them that...

Do you have Power of Attorney for your mum? Do you think she is able to make a decision herself about whether she has any further treatment or investigations?

It sounds like your mother still has capacity to decide if she wants to go to medical appointments? If that's the case then the decision is hers to make, she can say no if the whole process is too stressful.

I said no on behalf of my mother once her decision-making became ropey (she had dementia). She was once thought to have had a stroke, but realistically she would not have tolerated any treatment they offered so any investigations were pointless (paramedics and her GP agreed).

They may have wanted to 'eyeball' your elderly mum before requesting further tests to see if appropriate and give her the opportunity to ask questions and decline.

Many relatives wouldn't be happy if their elderly relative received this info in a letter or on the phone either. We sometimes can't win.

Ask the team why they are monitoring her so closely? Is she on treatment? Would they offer treatment if her condition were to worsen? If not you could negotiate a less intensive follow up course

I only have financial power of attorney. She doesn't have dementia but when I accompany her to appointments as she doesn't want to wear her hearing aid, I go through what is being said so she understands.
She is happy to go to appointments even though she finds it all a bit stressful.
The CT scan appointment came through for 2 weeks time then hopefully it won't be long till we see the consultant for the results.