Support Person in TX Room
We have many "Like" experiences that are detailed in this forum. This is a nice support group! We need to share experiences as a way of helping keep our mental health in check. I experienced something yesterday I've never run into...and it really annoyed me. First, I was diagnosed with MM in 2018. After that having some Dr. drill for oil in my pelvis then 17days in the hospital for transplant....and you know everything that follows. My wife has been with me thru the whole thing. She recently got breast cancer and I've been with her. She's going to be fine, but she did have a treatment yesterday and for the first time in 8yrs a support person (me in this case) was not allowed back into the TX room during treatment. They said "We've started enforcing our policy of 'no-one goes back but the patient'" To me, having a support person is incredibly important and I'm extremely unhappy with this. What are your experiences?
I know that during COVID most hospitals here in NYC started implementing that policy but they repealed it after blacklash like a few years back. It sounds like they are using the ol' COVID type exuse just to make it so they don't have to deal with extra people back there. I'm sorry that you have to go through that alone in person but, as you said, we are here virtually always at least. I'd talk to your actual oncologist and let them know how dissatisfied you are about it and even, if you want to , tell them that you get super anxious without her there and it makes the entire experience extremely stressful. They hate stress and want you to not have any during treatment. It might be worth a shot. Plus tell them she doesn't eat alot or talk to loudly or use much oxygen. Ha ha, no just kidding, but you get my point! Make them feel like they are really negatively impacting your care and if that doesn't work find the "patient experience office" or something similar in the hospital, or if you have to, go straight to the hospital director's office. We have had to do that once or twice in my forty years of dealing with this. One time the only doctor who could do a bioposy was leaving for a "medical conference (golf trip)" on Friday evening and wouldn't be able to do the biopsy until Tuesday when they got back so I'd have to stay in the hospital. We went directly to the hospital director and said "are you nuts? Not only is this costing us more but life and death trumps 18 holes!!" Suddenly she could take a later flight and do the biopsy that night. Don't be afraid to be assertive! If you need help let us know. Keep on keepin' on, DPM I'm sure the insurance company would loveeeeeee having someone be in the hospital waiting for a biopsy a few days later!!
