Howdy,   Thanks for taking the time to post your story. I'm so sad to hear about your father.   Everyone will tell you it is natural to experience all the feelings you have at this time. I guarantee it is... my partner is fighting lung cancer right now and I am also on the same feelings rollercoaster. Also like you I have a history of depression and anxiety that I have meds to help with.   The first thing I can suggest is speak to your prescribing doctor. You may feel you can weather the storm as-is, but this situation will put you under more stress than you can picture now and you don't want to be playing catch-up with your meds.   The Cancer Council phone-in service where you can speak with a trained councillor was invaluable for me, and I recommend you give them a call to talk it all through.   Don't feel ashamed about not wanting to see your father suffer.. you wouldn't feel that way if you didn't love him and he would understand that. Don't worry... a parent doesn't want to subject their child to it either. You both have love for each other in common and understanding that will bring you both closer and give you both strength.   It is natural to think the worst at this time, but it is early days in the journey and far too early to give up hope. Oncology has come a long way and anything is possible.   As your father's cancer journey progresses you'll both be amazed at the inner strength each of you will find. There will be many things that will frighten you because you have no control over them, but keeping a hopeful, united front will also bring moments of peace.   Best Wishes. ... View more

Howdy,   I'm a bit late to this post but my partner & I have experienced the same sort of issues multiple times at the local hospital's  ED. She was diagnosed with Lung Cancer in Oct 2023 but has had auto-immune disease issues (Rheumatoid Arthritis aka RA) for years.   As one other poster mentioned, we too have a 'golden ticket' card that we are supposed to be able to use in order to get express treatment... but on 2 out of 3 ED visits it didn't mean much.   Visit 1: She had extreme body pain & a high temp as a reaction to the Immune therapy. Showed the card we'd be given by Oncology & it meant nothing. Spent 45 anxious minutes in the general waiting area & it wasn't until after I complained twice to the nurses in triage that we were taken through.   Visit 2: Julies Sodium & Potassium levels dropped to concerning levels & our Oncologist told us to head straight to ED. He phoned ahead & we were expressed through without needing to show the card.... obviously he had some sway over the triage system.    Visit 3: Julies blood O2 levels dropped sharply over 2 days, she was panting, felt heavy in the chest & had a temperature. Phoned the Radiotherapy clinic (a private clinic in the Hospital), an Oncologist said he'd ring the ED & we should go straight away. Arrived there, identified ourselves, showed our card, described the symptoms and mentioned someone should have called ahead. It made no difference ! . Grrrr. Called the Radiotherapy clinic for help & they said they's done all they could. Apparently a private clinic carries no weight in a public hospital. Grrrrrrr. Called our contact the Cancer nurse in the Hospital itself, she spoke to ED & got nowhere. Grrrrrrrrrr. We wait 20 minutes & by now I'm getting 'agitated' and the MSS security guy in the waiting room is starting to take notice. Calmly spoke to the nurse attending to the waiting room patients & brought the situation to her attention. She came over, took Julie's obs & within 5 minutes another nurse arrived to take us. That nurse took 1 look at Julie, said "Why did they make you wait out here" and "I don't need obs to tell me this is serious". 8 hours in an ED room, admitted for 5 days & had almost 3 litres of fluid drained from her lung.   In my opinion the Nurses are doing there best but have been seriously let down by successive State & Federal Governments of both persuasions. There's a chronic shortage of beds & equipment. On our 2nd visit there wasn't a IV pump available in ED to infuse a sodium solution, so the nurse had to go to another ward & pinch one ! Another nurse said she'd purchased her own equipment for her exclusive use 'coz sometimes there was nothing available.   We were advised by the outspoken nurse from our 3rd visit to use the magic phrases "difficulty breathing" and "chest tightness" as this will help get us through faster in future. Maybe it'd work for you too if you ever need to go to the ED again. ... View more