09 March 2023
Sue, from Kent, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of cancer, in October 2020. She spoke to us about her experience of receiving treatment at home with Sciensus.
When Sue was first diagnosed, Sciensus nurses were administering her treatment at home several times a week. She said: “I’m very lucky we have private medical insurance and I was able to access the Sciensus services through that. My husband has a few debilities so being able to receive treatment at home has made it much easier.
“I was diagnosed just before we went into lockdown. If Sciensus’ services weren’t available, I’d have been going to hospital and if I hadn’t been able to drive myself, I don’t know how I would have got there.
“You’re likely to be getting treatment when you’re not feeling well, and really not feeling like getting in the car, going to hospital, having a treatment and then having to get home again. So being treated at home was a huge bonus.”
Sue’s husband has been vulnerable to Covid due to his health issues, so accessing treatment at home helped her feel more relaxed about infection. She said: “If I’d had to go into hospital for treatments, I would have been nervous about bringing any Covid problems home for him.”
The clinical nurse specialists who treated Sue were also helpful in reassuring her that support was always available. Sue said: “The nurses were very kind and one or two were absolutely outstanding.
“One particular nurse was very reassuring when I got into panics about anything. She told me not to worry and said I could ring her if I needed to. I’ve got three lovely children but none of them are on the doorstep and there is nobody nearby to help, so it was comforting to know I had someone I could contact. She also used to send me the odd text and ask me how things were going.”
Sue has now been in remission for over a year so is receiving one maintenance treatment per month from the clinical specialist nurses. She praised their continued dedication, saying: “They have been extremely good, very professional and kind.”
