Macmillan is currently advertising heavily again on TV and in flyers in the mail. They say they offer all sorts of support for people with cancer. I'm sure they do. My question, though, is why nobody a) told me to contact them of b) contacted them for me when I was in recovery? Some people seem to get an 'automatic' visit from Macmillan. I didn't. I went through the whole horrible business alone; the health service seems unable to accept the concept of having no relatives at all or of friends not being available to support you.
Would I have protested more if I'd felt less ill? Would I have insisted that social care was called in? You bet I would. Discharging someone from hospital because it's a holiday weekend and there's no social care on call shouldn't be an option when the person being discharged has pointed out there is no support at home and that neighbours can't be expected to run around doing things forever. Certainly telling the patient that they'll just have to pay for private social care and no they can't give any advice on how to find that, isn't good enough.
So, Macmillan, where were you when I needed someone to talk to? And why did nobody in the hospital suggest contacting you?
Maybe I'm not feeling quite as forgiving as I thought I was last time I blogged!
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