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Changing Hospitals


Grecian
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Could anybody advise me if it is possible to continue having my 6 monthly check-ups at a different hospital other than at Bordeaux please. I ask the question because last Friday I had to make a six and a half hours round trip to Bordeaux to see my surgeon for 20 minutes!

As things stand at the moment after 22 months since my operation my latest CT scan was clear again, thankfully. Unfortunately after having a full stomach hernia repair January last year, my surgeon advised that I now have another hernia, not as big as the original one. He told me that he does not think that there is anything that he can do to repair it. He also stated that I have had too many operations in a short space of time, to really perform another one at the moment. He left the situation that we will continue to monitor the situation.

So basically assuming my scans continue to show no recurrence, and the hernia cannot be repaired, there seems little point in continuing to see my surgeon at Bordeaux, and to continue my check-ups with a surgeon closer to home. If it is possible to switch hospitals, would my surgeon send the case notes of all my operations, and follow-up appointments to my new surgeon?

Also I need to have a colonoscopy, which can be carried out locally, as I never had one when first diagnosed. How would I go about organizing the colonoscopy, would I need to see my own doctor to obtain a letter from him, or do I just telephone my local hospital for an appointment.

Any advice on the above would be most appreciated.
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I think on the transfer things and the colonoscopy the best starting point is your MT (GP). They should know what resources are available and equally how good they are. You could organise the colonoscopy yourself (if you know who does them or can find the relevant entry in pages jaunes) but the doc will have perhaps a better idea and I think an ordenence from there will make the charges/ refund level from CPAM more advantageous.

Regarding your notes; you should have these already. Copies of letters from the specialists to your MT and any scans and X rays.
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As the others have said you can ask your local Doctor( your médicin traitant)

 for a referral for a coloscopy. It doesn't need to come from Bordeaux

I had one just before Christmas for the same reasons as you, and I will be showing the report at my 6 monthly check-up at the cancer clinic in March

The results and report will be given to you and you can give them to whoever you have as your specialist in the future.

On the medical records you should have been given a copy of those on each occasion from Bordeaux, and normally the Doctor who referred you will also have been sent a copy of all your notes.  I have asked at my surgery for a full copy of all these on a USB stick.

In any case if as I believe it was one of the network of specialist cancer centres they keep computerised records so nothing will be lost.

I have had a couple of operations one for a hernia on the site of the old stoma and another for an intestinal blockage, both done at the local clinic which has a good reputation for that surgery, and which has nothing to do with the Cancer centre, although of course I gave them the records from there so they could see what I had had done.

The last op there was done in emergency 36 hours after coming out of the centre for the operation on my liver in 2015.

This shows that it is perfectly possible to have different types of operation at different centres. In fact the one I had for a blockage was probably better done by the more general surgeon in the local clinic who does this sort of surgery all the time than by the specialist who is mainly doing the more complicated work I had for the cancer.

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Thank you all for your replies.

andy and Norman you are quite correct that I do indeed have a copy of the notes for the four operations that I have had, I had completely forgotten that I had them. So no problem in taking them to a new surgeon, although one of them is very long, I guess doctors over here are used to the situation of people seeking their treatment from different specialists.

WoolyB yes indeed Poitiers is probably the hospital that I will be looking to transfer to, as my oncologist is based there, although one day a week he practices at Thours, which is only about a 30 minute drive for me, so very handy.

I have an appointment with my own doctor shortly so I will seek his advice regarding the colonoscopy and transferring hospitals.

Norman you certainly have been going through it with all your operations and complications, it really seems unfair that some people get almost everything dumped on them and others escape unscathed, unfortunately my wife falls into the category of 'dumped on' like yourself. Apart from all of the operations that you have had I hope things are good with you at the moment.[:D]

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Yes I keep fighting on...glad to hear that your last results were clear too.

A coloscopy is relatively minor. Most people have them as an outpatient, just in for a few hours, and all your local gastro-entologists should be able to do them, although I don't know what the situation around you is like for specialists, since some country areas have become a bit of a desert..

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