My mum's mastectomy
This may be a repost.

Back in the eighties, my mum had breast cancer. The recommended treatment at the time was to have her breast removed. This happened and went as well as could be expected and she was sent home.

I can't remember the details about this now (it was a long time ago and my mum has since died so I can't ask her) but my mum had been given some replacement dressings to put on the wound until it healed and the stitches could be removed.

One of the stitches broke and there was a bit of a gap. As we lived about 2 minutes away from our GP and my mum's GP was sympathetic, mum decided to pop along to have the dressing changed there.

OK - probably there were better people to go and see - the practice nurse maybe or go to A&E but it made sense at the time. She was worried about it and needed treatment and reassurance. She had been through traumatic surgery.

My mum's GP wasn't there and so she had to see a locum. What was the locum's carefully considered response to being asked to look at the would and fix the dressing? What was this healthcare professional's insightful thought on my mother's physical and emotional wound?

"Ew!"

I'm paraphrasing slightly. We didn't have that word in the eighties but she definitely pulled a face and made my mother feel like something found on the bottom of a shoe.

Nor did she actually do anything about the dressing. I had to deal with that and my mum was left with a bit more of a scar than was intended but at least the nice doctor didn't get her hands dirty.
(BearWithLittleBrain, Thu 18 Mar 2010, 12:52, Reply)