"Breaking possible bad news to patients and their..."

Following an inconclusive bowel cancer postal test, my husband was booked in for a colonoscopy at the appropriate department at Glenfield. The appointment date was very soon after his referral - great. The procedure was professional and the staff concerned were sympathetic and he was very well cared for. Wonderful, as Glenfield always is in our experience to date. However, when it came for the results of the procedure to be relayed to us, the wording used was terrifying. We came out of there with impressions of terminal cancer, severe surgery to the lower part of the bowel, aggressive chemotherapy and end- of -life fears. That was before we were told that further scans and tests were required before a final diagnosis could be revealed. At this point, my husband had a small polyp at the base of the bowel, and had just had a section sent to histology, so the implications of having such a growth were completely unknown at the time. While we realise that some people do not take in the seriousness of even a small polyp, may we suggest that the "script "used to tell patients what they may face as to future treatment be reviewed so as not to mislead. Do not tell patients what they may face unless they specifically ask before the final results are known. We are intelligent people and are very aware of possible developments in cases such as these. As so happened, my husband was very quickly referred to the General Hospital, where he underwent both MRI and CT scans, the results of which we were given today. His treatment will not be terrifying or terminal, as we both spent the last week thinking. That aside, we have nothing but praise for the speed of referrals and diagnosis and the care which he has so far received in both hospitals.