An Edmonton woman fears she will die before she gets cancer treatment because she’s 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 there were recurring problems with her care at the hospital. It took multiple attempts to obtain a biopsy sample, after which the results were delayed. The drainage tube was not placed properly, so she was in “excruciating” pain for much of her time there.
On December 18, Williams was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a form of cancer that forms in the bile ducts.
“She was supposed to be out of the hospital within a week,” said family friend Lori Harsh. “I felt it was mismanaged.
“After a month in hospital and on bed rest, she is much weaker and has gone downhill.”
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Global News has reached out to Alberta Health Services for comment on Williams’ situation. Harsh said shortly after that she received a call from AHS patient relations who said they would follow up on Williams’ case and make recommendations based on her account of the medical treatment she received.
Despite a positive experience with her nursing team, Williams felt her overall treatment centered on how quickly the staff could vacate her hospital bed to accommodate someone else.
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Harsh has been helping Williams with her home care needs since she was discharged on Dec. 27. She tried to make an appointment with her family doctor, but she can’t make an appointment until the end of January.
“I’d like to know where I’m at (with my diagnosis) … what I have time for,” Williams said through tears.
“We need information. What is the status of her cancer? Is there a treatment for this? We have no answers other than ‘You have cancer,’” Harsh said.
READ MORE: Edmonton hospitals nearing or exceeding capacity; the medical association expects it to worsen
After returning home, Williams said Cross Cancer Institute advised her it would be another eight weeks before she could see an oncologist because they were “backed up”. Global News is awaiting comment from AHS on this matter as well.
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“We were informed that (her) cancer was quite advanced,” Harsh said.
“I don’t even know if he’ll even get to the point of seeing an oncologist.”
A housekeeper comes once a day to clean Williams’ drain. He is awaiting emergency admission to a palliative care unit to receive more complex care while he waits for an oncologist. However, her GP told her that AHS had advised that there was currently no bed available for her.
Harsh said he would take care of his friend for the foreseeable future.
“I’m afraid that through all of this, before (she) even gets any medical attention, she’s not going to be here anymore,” Harsh said. “She deserves better. She is stuck in medical limbo.
“I just need things to move along a lot faster than they are, for everybody,” Williams said.
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