Some Background History:

Mum was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer in 99/2000. She was bleeding and went to the Male Dr who told her not to be concerned as it was

"just part of getting old."

Mum, being a former nurse knew differently and when her own female Dr got back from Holiday she went to see her, who was most annoyed at the previous response and so soon after diagnosed mum with Cancer.
Thanks North Devon Hospital for not treating her there.. instead she had to travel in the community car on 120 mile round trip to Exeter Hospital for the Cancer treatment! Mum didn't rate Exeter Hospital highly.. in fact the part she stayed in was dirty and not all the nurses were very caring or understanding. Enough said.

She received Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy. She used to be a nurse and so when the giggling young girls who were administering the Radiotherapy one day said:

"oh dear Mrs J, better get it in the right place this time hadn't we?"

mums heart sank as she knew that could have serious consequences later on.

She got through the Cancer and has been clear now for 8-9 years. About a year after her treatment ended and while having some chicken soup she started to be physically sick and having diarrhea. This lasted on and off for about 6 weeks. I was up til 4am many nights and didn't know what was happening. The Doctors that we called out, sometimes at 3am did the usual thing: Gave her an injection and left. Usually walking right past me as i stood at the bottom of the stairs.. and out the door they went.

I called the late night Dr on the emergency line and told how every time she swallowed a little water she would bring it back up again and just couldn't keep anything down. As if she had a blockage somewhere. The very help advice was that she should

"take two paracetamol every four hours?!"

She did go into hospital briefly although the nurse seemed to think that an Xray was good enough and an Ultrasound wasn't needed?! That would have shown the problem of course but in the end, and after coming home to suffer a little more, a Dr eventually called an ambulance from our place and when it arrived, 2.5hrs later (the drivers were having a tea break or so we were told) she left and i thought that would be the last time i would see her alive.

After an emergency operation where she died twice on the operating table she spent a couple of days in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) followed by two weeks on the ward at Torbay Hospital. On the whole mum thought Torbay treated her well, apart from one uncaring member of staff but there is always one rotten apple.

Because it had taken so long to get her treated she had lost a lot of weight. Down to around or below 6 stone and she is only 5' 3". The bones were sticking out from her spine and when she tried to smile she couldn't, as there was just no meat left on her face to smile with.

She told the nurses and Doctors while she was in hospital that she wanted to get to America to see her grandson and the answer was that she would be able to in a couple of months....

....7 years later the furthest she has been is the supermarket.. 5 miles away.

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