Page 17 - COBH EDITION 18th OCTOBER DIGITAL VERSION

they had in the Bons for this procedure, they told me they had none.

The obvious question then is, why wasn’t I advised that this test was available at a
different hospital? It would have made sense to accommodate those of us with pri-
vate health insurance in a hospital where there is no queue and remove us from the
waiting list in the CUH to shorten the wait there for others.

It’s also quite possible that there may have been patients in the public system in the
CUH who would have been willing to pay for the bone test privately if they had been
given the option. They might gladly have taken the opportunity to be seen earlier at
a cost of about €380 and this would have reduced the queue in the CUH even more.
In the lead up to the surgery, I felt like a very small cog in an enormous wheel.
I felt largely invisible and I got no sense of urgency. The wheel was turning very
slowly and at times, it seemed to me that the payments I was making along the way
were more of a priority than my welfare.

I was beginning to question the value of early detection and intervention. The medi-
cal advice encourages us to check ourselves for changes in our body and to contact
a doctor if we notice something different, so I was a little confused when I seemed
to be the only one trying to speed things up.

That’s not a reflection on the medical staff on the front line who are trying to do the
impossible, but it is a damning inditement on those responsible for the administra-
tion of this broken health system. Nursing is a vocation and those people are fight-
ing hard to keep the system afloat.

My patience eventually ran out and I contacted the Mater Private Hospital in Dublin.
From that point on I felt I was being looked after and events moved quickly after
that. That’s how the system should work for everyone, but we all know it doesn’t.

The most important lesson I’ve learned, is not to wait for symptoms to occur be-
cause they don’t always appear. That can’t be said often enough. And don’t panic if
you receive a diagnosis of prostate cancer. It’s not nice to hear, but it’s not the end
of the world either; it’s a common complaint in men and is, usually, very treatable.

While the surgical procedure might be a little uncomfortable, it’s a lot better than
the alternative. Patient experiences vary, and recoveries are different for everyone,
but anyone faced with the prospect of surgery should stay positive.

Read more from Trevor on his blog at www.trevorlaffan.com