An Edmonton woman fears she will die before she can get cancer treatment after she has been told the medical system is too busy to help her.
Debra Williams went to Gray Nuns Community Hospital in late November because of severe abdominal pain.
She said that there were frequent problems with her care at the hospital. Several attempts were made to collect the sample for biopsy, then the results were delayed. A drainage tube was not properly placed, so she spent most of her time there in “excruciating” pain.
On December 18, Williams received a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma, a form of cancer that forms in the bile ducts.
Family friend Lori Hersh said, “She should have been out of the hospital within a week.” “I thought it was mismanaged.
“After a month of being in the hospital and being on bed rest, she has become very weak and she has gone downhill.”
Global News contacted Alberta Health Services for comment on Williams’ condition. Hersh said that shortly afterward, he received a call from relatives of an AHS patient who said they would follow Williams’ case and make recommendations based on the medical treatment he had received.
Despite positive experiences with her nursing team, Williams felt that her overall treatment was focused on how quickly the staff could free up a hospital bed to accommodate someone else.
Hersh has been helping with Williams’ home care needs since she was discharged on December 27. She tried to book an appointment with her family doctor but hasn’t been able to make an appointment until late January.
Williams said through tears, “I would like to know where I am (with my diagnosis) … what time I have.”
“We need information. What is the status of his cancer? Is there a cure? We don’t have any answers other than, ‘You have cancer,'” Hersh said.
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Once she got home, Williams said the Cross Cancer Institute advised her to give it eight weeks before seeing an oncologist because they were “supported.” Global News is also awaiting comment from AHS on this matter.
“We have been informed that (his) cancer is quite progressive,” Hersh said.
“I don’t even know that she would even make time to see an oncologist.”
A homecare worker is coming once a day to clean Williams’ drainage tubes. She is waiting for an emergency appointment to a palliative care unit to receive more complex care while she waits for an oncologist. However, her homecare doctor tells her that AHS has advised that there are no beds available for her right now.
Harsha said that she will take care of her friend for the near future.
Harsh said, “I fear that in the midst of all this, before she gets some medical care, she will no longer be here.” “She deserves better. She is caught in medical limbo.
“I just need things to progress a lot faster than I’m used to,” Williams said.
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