Walking into Roswell Park today was very familiar and vaguely comfortable. Mum and I both know the routine .... get the blood work done fast , ask the nurse for a pager so we don't have to sit in the crowded waiting room and have a list of medications handy .Both mum and I tend to gravitate towards other people in the clinic. Mum chatted a woman she remembered from her last visit and I spoke to a friend of a young mom of four kids who is battling to cope with her diagnosis. There is a real sense of camaraderie at the clinic as there is an unspoken understanding that despite the cheerfulness of Roswell Park ,the walls of the place absorb a great deal of pain and sadness.
For us though, it was a very positive appointment. The verdict was that mum looks like a "million bucks ". Everyone was very pleased with her progress. Her CEA was 3.9 and her CA 27-29 was 15.8 She is due back on September 25th for a bone scan and a CT scan and she will get the results a week later. The picture I put up today is in the infusion room with one of her favourite nurses Katie. Katie was the nurse that looked after my mum just before she was admitted to the hospital with the espophagitis . Without exception, every single staff member here is incredibly kind and polite. We have yet to encounter one rude person in the entire hospital but sadly, we have become quite conditioned to unfriendly and officious attitudes in the healthcare system generally. I find now that I have no tolerance for any kind of rude behaviour and have raised my expectations accordingly. If Roswell Park can achieve outstanding patient focused care why can't we replicate this in other hospitals ? I'm not wanting to knock the Canadian healthcare system here, but I have personally encountered too many doctors and other healthcare professionals that should not be let loose on vulnerable and fragile individuals. Condescending and patronizing attitudes, long and unecessary waits for treatmentsand miserable drab surroundings create a demoralized and depressing atmosphere which has a direct impact on the quality of care . There are no easy solutions , but I do know that healthcare workers are held to a high standard and if they can't make the grade then they should find another job....
