'In the past, I worked as an analyst for the Red Cross. As a result, I have always been more conscious of my health and alert to certain complaints. After I had surgery on my gallbladder due to gallstones, the complaints in my upper abdomen persisted. In January 2018, I was supposed to have a stomach and intestinal examination at the hospital. However, combining the upper abdomen with the existing examination was unfortunately not an option. Due to the health of some relatives, I thought: I need to do something about this. Not long after, I called Prescan, which I heard about because of the examination a well-known Dutch person had undergone.
Acting promptly
The next available opportunity for the necessary examination program was a few weeks later, which was not the best option given my complaints. However, there was one possibility available, on the day of my mother's cremation. A hugely charged choice, and the Prescan team understood this perfectly. In no time, they were able to move my appointment forward, after which it soon became clear that there was more going on.
The MRI scan of my upper abdomen showed that several areas in my body required extra monitoring. Among them, a suspicious cyst on my right ovary, which was remarkable for my age, and a cyst on my right kidney were revealed from the examination. The cyst on my kidney even indicated signs of a malignant tumor. And not everything was causing symptoms at that moment. Those symptoms were attributed to previously diagnosed bile duct blockage after my surgery. The radiologist from Prescan calmly talked everything through with me and discussed the different follow-up steps.
After a referral from my general practitioner, who was shocked by the results, I eventually ended up in the hospital. Initially, they responded a bit prematurely – "because there's always something" – but after reviewing the examination results, they realized immediate action was needed. To learn more about the causes, the doctors at the hospital asked: "Do you have kidney cancer in your family? Have you ever smoked or used drugs?" All things I could answer no to. "Well, then you’ve been unlucky," they concluded. Yes, indeed. That's really unfortunate. With that misfortune, I was fortunate enough to have gone to Prescan. Things could have turned out completely differently for me.
Being Proactive with Symptoms
At the moment, I feel good. I can enjoy my life, my children, and my grandchildren – with a sixth grandchild on the way. Due to my health history, I am periodically monitored at the hospital. This allows us to keep certain things well under observation. I also intend to undergo an examination at Prescan from time to time. Something might be detected that you might not be experiencing symptoms from. The examination and contact were also very pleasant at the time. My husband even wrote a letter to the radiologist to thank him for the whole process and his prompt action.
You sometimes read stories and think 'wow, they were lucky'. Now I'm the one who got lucky. I am now fortunately able to live my life. Due to the many different, specific examinations, it's also easy to work in a targeted manner. In my view, this significantly lowers the threshold. Why do we treat ourselves to vacations and new clothes, but not to good health? Better safe than sorry, I say.'
