There had never been a case of cancer in my family, no more breast cancer than any other form of cancer, and I thought I was safe from this terrible disease. But during a routine exam six years ago, my family doctor found a small lump in my right breast and ordered a mammogram on the spot.
The mammogram had confirmed the diagnosis and I had immediately entered the system as they say. Luckily the tumor was small and I didn’t need chemotherapy. They just did radiation therapy. The calm lasted almost three years, during which I felt quite safe, although still with a little worry behind my head.
But since nothing is ever safe, during my last routine examination a week ago, I was told that a little something had appeared once more in my right breast, and my heart did three rounds. Why does this happen to me who do everything to keep myself healthy? Given the waiting times that are still rampant in hospitals since the end of the pandemic, I torture myself with the idea of not being taken in time this time.
How is it that doctors are not more rigorous in the rapid imposition of treatments for people like me? Why is it that all forms of cancer are not treated as a priority? Don’t you find that specialists are lacking in heart towards their patients? Even if my spouse thinks I’m exaggerating, I think that if it were their spouse who was in my situation, they would put a little more pressure on the system.
One who feels sidelined by the Quebec system
I understand your impatience to want to receive treatment as soon as possible because I know that at the mere statement of the word cancer anyone would react like you. But despite the failures of our health care system, I believe in its effectiveness in treating Quebecers struggling with illnesses like yours. Moreover, the high rate of effectiveness of the treatments offered by our system proves it better than anything. It would be desirable for you to decompress a little to allow your body and your mind not to be exhausted by spending all its energies on vain conjectures.
– Louise Deschatelets
