Radiotherapy input

Chris Nutting is the radiotherapist treating me at the Royal Marsden. I've been trying to speak to him for a long time and my therapy is due to start on September 14th. I've had to play the 'private medical insurance' card to secure a meeting with him which happened today.

Chris and Patrick know each other so they had already spoken, and I had asked my original surgeon Tunde to also have a view on the second opinion.

Chris has also been great to talk to - clear and up to speed on my case. He has already spoken to Patrick and Tunde, and thinks surgery might help before radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is once only treatment in this case, and recurrence of the tumour in the same place is the problem we are fighting.

It strikes me how much of a big difference private medical insurance makes to the choices available and the quality of treatment I receive. Yes, everyone uses the same machines etc. but often I only get time to TALK to specialists when I switch to private care. Most of the professionals are ambivalent about this, they don't seem to understand I need information just as much as I need to be wheeled into another big white machine.

I am no less time poor because I have cancer!