How was it for me?

On Monday, day 5 after the operation, the doctors took out the last drain and immediately allowed me to go home. At the time it was a bit of a shock and I wasn't sure that I was ready, but in retrospect it was the right decision. It has been much easier to sleep at home, the food is a lot more appetising and I have less risk of infection.  My in laws have lent me a motorised chair which moves up and down at the touch of a button (just like those found in old people's homes...!) and I have been able to sit in the chair for the majority of each day - reading, sewing, watching box sets of The House of Eliott (one of my favourite drama series from the 1990s) and being waited on by my fantastic and long-suffering mother. The perfect recuperation.

About an hour prior to my discharge from hospital, a volunteer brandishing an IPad was sent to interview me on my experience of hospital.  Given how much press time is devoted to the NHS, both positive and negative, I thought it might be interesting to summarise here my thoughts on my (admittedly quite narrow) NHS experience. 

Prior to the operation, I have to admit that I was not particularly impressed with the administrative side of the hospitals involved. The plastics team, in particular, were very difficult to reach by telephone and if I had not been a pretty persistent caller, I have a feeling I would have become lost in the system and the estimated wait of 4-5 months would have been much longer than the actual 6.  Furthermore, with two surgical teams needing to co-ordinate to perform the operation, there was considerable confusion over which pre-assessment protocol was 'correct', with the two consultants having different views as to when the relevant blood tests should be carried out and how long before the operation I should stop taking Tamoxifen.  This confusion definitely increased my anxiety and apprehension at a time when I was already pretty anxious and apprehensive - and desperately trying to prepare myself for the weeks ahead.

All that said, once I arrived at the hospital at 7am on the day of the operation, I really could not fault the care and attention I received. Once the operation had finished, I spent 2.5 hours in recovery, being checked constantly, including once by the surgeons themselves.  When I asked to speak to my husband, the nurse brought me a phone, dialled the number and put the phone to my ear.  Having been transferred to the ward, I received at least hourly checks (including verifying the blood supply to the new breasts with a doppler each hour) and every request for attention was answered promptly and without any sense of annoyance or inconvenience. I was made to feel safe and secure, and as though my care - at least for that first night - was an absolute prority.

Throughout the rest of my 5 day stay, I remained thoroughly impressed with the quality of care provided and with the following especially:

• Each nurse on the ward was experienced and knowledgeable as to the ramifications of the type of surgery I had experienced.  Their clear knowledge and experience helped both to put me at ease and made me less afraid to ask questions than I might otherwise have been.
• Despite their huge competence, the nurses also knew their limits and were swift and happy to seek advice where necessary.
• The mastectomy and own tissue reconstruction was an operation that they see relatively often on the ward, as it is used for both cancer patients and those (like me) who are seeking to reduce their cancer risk.  They therefore had a protocol to follow, which they did, but without it feeling formulaic or as though they were 'going through the motions'.
• Perhaps most importantly, the nurses were all personable people who really listened and tried their very best to alleviate any patient's concerns, despite being on their feet practically constantly for 12 hours at a time. As it is a teaching hospital, the nurses were often accompanied by students and it was clear that they really took time and effort to explain each procedure to the students and even let them practise certain techniques under close supervision.  This in turn meant that the students themselves seemed to find their experience rewarding and gave their all to every mundane task, such as washing patients' hair or serving food.

Overall I would say that this hospital stay was a very positive experience - much more so than I might have expected following the administrative confusion beforehand.  For me, it definitely highlighted what a vocation nursing is.  They really do make a difference to people's lives - how many of us can really say that about our careers?!