Thanks Dawn I am feeling much better about it all tonight!
I will keep you posted on mum too xx
Hi Jules,
I am a mental health nurse and there are procedures to follow if you get a needle stick injury and asking/telling the patient to take a HIV test is not part of any of the procedures.
The procedures are there for the practitioner to follow which involves the practitioner taking blood tests etc if necessary.
Do not feel guilty over this…it is not your fault…
Also as the others have said blood used in the NHS for transfusions is screened…
Hope everything goes well for you with your results.
Deb xx
Hey Jules
Blimey girl, what a day you had! I’m sorry you were really put through it, it all sounds like a right song and dance. Well, another rollercoaster waiting game… will be with you all the way, like a lot of others no doubt! Sending you lots of love and positive thoughts…
Jx
Thanks Jo, I have had lunch with a friend today and have managed to put it all to the back of my mind. Look forward to speaking to you soon.
And thanks Debbie, my sister in law is a nurse and she was apaulled by my experience yesterday, and said the same as you, making a patient have an HIV test is certainly not in the guidelines. She said the fact that having a test like that could change someones live etc. if the results were positive is something that you should not be pushed into.
Only five days to go till my results now! I am feeling considerably positive today. It has been so nice seeing all the other ladies this week get good news and it has made me realise that most lumps are benign.
I just want to say again to all of you that have had good news, well done, go and have good weekends and party hard if you get the chance. It is things like this that make you appreciate how precious life is and to count our blessings. (God that was deep) lol
xxxx
Hi Jules
sorry to hear all you have gone through its bad enough waiting for BC results let alone anything else, bloody women needed a smack I reckon. Still fingers and toes crossed for you that you get a good result. Going for my of next Friday then another waiting game I suppose still thanks to everyones support we all get through it step by step.
Best wishes and good luck
Deb x
Hi Jules,
Sounds like you have come a long way from what has happened in your past…good for you and good for you for protecting yourself from any danger of taking yourself back there by not giving in to having the test…it shows how strong you are…as usually when a doctor tells us to do something we just do it and don’t question or rock the boat…
I have fingers and toes crossed that your results will be negative next week.
Love Deb xx
Thank you to Debbie 1 and Debbie 2 lol for your kind words. I phoned up the breast cancer phone line yesterday and told them about my experience and how distressed I had been. They were quite shocked about my treatment. And horrified that the lady kept me uncovered during the ten mins while she was faffing around and having her panick attack. What I didn’t mention in my first posting was she started asking me about my sexual history etc. etc. and I am sorry but that is nobodies business buy my own. Also when I tried to explain about due to mental health issues I did not want an HIV test she started grilling me about that too. As anyone who knows (and I guess that is alot on here) that having various tests to see if you have cancer is distressing enough without having to go through that on top of it. I came out of that room shaking. When I get in a panick I have a terrible purple blotchy rash on my chest, my husband saw that immediately and knew something had upset me.
The other thing I am really concerned about is, the reason I had to have the extra tests was because it was very hard to see what the lump was because of various thick breast tissue, she kept loosing the spot to do the biopsy. Because she had her hissy fit in between taking the biopsy properly, I am worried that she might not have got cells etc from the correct spot. My friend had to go back last year because they had insufficent cells to look at.
And Debbie number 2, thank you for your comments, and hope it was ok to write to you privately. I didnt want to share what I told you with the forum because its very painful and hard for me, but I guess I wanted to let someone know that I really genuinely had good reasons for not putting myself through that, so thank you so much again for being so kind.
Oh and the lady on the helpline said that I should be writing a letter of complaint to the hospital about what I went through and the distress it caused, so that it won’t happen again to a patient.
Hi Jules
I just wanted to say that in my job, I am very prone to needle stick injuries - I can’t remember how many I have had over the years. I had an HIV test amongst loads of others last year as part of my employment screening and I was clear so I guess contracting an infectious disease thru needlestick is uncommon. The guidelines are that if you stick yourself, record which patient you were treating at the time and do a risk assessment from the records. If the patients hepatitis or HIV status is known, all well and good. If unknown, tough luck on me. I have never asked a patient to have a test on my behalf.
Thank you Cathy for your comments, it just goes to prove that the doctor acted totally unprofessionally, and to be honest I don’t feel bad for refusing to have a test so thank you for your valuable input.
xx
Hi Jules,
No problem writing to me privately…sorry i did not realise that it was a private message and i did not use the whisper back facility…many apologies Deb xx
No thats fine Debbie, I didnt mind at all you writing back on the forum, it was just the sensitive nature of what I wanted to say to you I didn’t want to share with the whole internet. Thanks again.
xxx
hello jules this a message from maria. hi i am marias sister she wanted me to check that all went well for you. i did post on thursday but it seems to have been missed
take care
margaret
i have posted on marias usual thread,surgery under terrified, this might explain better
Hi there Maria’s sister, say hi to her for me and tell her from me I hope she is taking some time out for herself and I hope she is ok.
I had a bit of an ordeal on Thursday, I won’t bore the whole forum again with the details lol but if you read through this thread or tell Maria too, you will see what happened.
To cut the story short I have had a core biopsy and a needle aspiration, and go back on Wednesday to get the results. The doctor thinks it will be ok.
I am actually a bit concerned that Maria is not posting, is she ok. Please send her my hugs and lots of love.
Jules xxxx
hello jules sorry about your ordeal, turns out she had stopped all meds including tamoxifen. it only came to lite when doc felt concerned. but she will be fine,
take care
margaret
Oh god I have just read about Maria, Margaret, please give her all my love and tell her I am thinking about her, she is such a kind lovely lady.
xxxx
Hey Jules
How you doing? Not been on much over the weekend, trying to catch up on work I’d let slip during my ‘worry week’! I’m self employed and have an office at home so can pretty much work at any time day or night… sometimes a good thing but sometimes too convenient! Got shed loads to catch up on so will be heading for a busy week… will be thinking of you on wednesday tho! What time is your appointment?
Have got to try and get back into the wedding plans too, so much went by the wayside when I was riding the rollercoaster! I’m hoping the doc was right and my ‘cysters’ disperse naturally, I’m wondering if they will as they started quite rubbery but now feel hard as rocks! Anyway, at least they’re nothing to worry about…
All the best for weds but no doubt I’ll be chatting to you again before that!
((hugs))
Jx
Hi there Little jo
I have not been on as much either. I have had quite a busy weekend. Hubby and I enjoyed a beautiful day in the sunshine yesterday. We spent the whole afternoon walking around greenwich, the park and along the riverside. We had a pub meal which was really nice. I went out clubbing with a female friend. Tend to do that with her once a month. Then today another friend came over and we were going to Hever Castle, but as it was raining, we did some shopping, and I bought a dress for my sisters wedding on Thursday this week. I was not going to go because of work commitments but because I have the hospital on Wed and I work as a temp I am taking the whole week of which is really nice and I really wanted to go, but felt bad as I am trying to save up for some holidays I have booked. We then had a roast dinner in the Weatherspoon which was really nice. I came across a really rude women today while I was shopping. I had my top and a pair of tights on and thought she was the sales assistant and I asked her if she could put something I didnt want back on the rack. She grabbed it out of my hand and threw it on the floor and told me to do it myself as she wasnt the assistant! I was really shocked that someone could be so rude! My friend heard her from the changing room and was horrified. We saw her outside and I said to her why were you so rude to me, as I was quite curious and she told me “I have just recovered from breast cancer, do you want to see my breast” My friend and I were horrified. My mother has breast cancer, and she is so polite and lovely to everyone, so I don’t know how having recovered from breast cancer, gave her an excuse to get the item of clothing and throw it on the floor having a tantrum. If having breast cancer turns you into a rude person like that, I have even more reasons to prey my lump is benign (I am joking about the last bit, the lady was just rude period and would be rude whether she was ill or not)
My daughter is not good tonight, her depression is really bad and she came in sobbing her heart out saying she doesn’t feel like going on. This has worried me alot and I am going to make sure she rings the doctor tomorrow to maybe get her tablets changed as there not working.
When is the wedding, and have you chosen your dress yet and if so what is it like.
Hugs xxxxx
Hi Jules
Im glad you are keeping yourself busy, sounds like you had a nice weekend, apart from Mrs Strop, you are right breast cancer is no excuse to be rude to people, its probably just in her nature anyway.
I know how you feel about your daughter, my daughter has depression (which thank god is not as bad as it used to be) so I know what you are going through. My daughter changed her medication a few times before she found the right one.
You are doing really well, only 2 days now.
Yvonne x
Thanks Yvonne, I have tried not to think about my appointment by keeping myself really busy. It has worked as I am quite chilled and positive about my results.
I took the dressing thing of my biopsy bit yesterday, and there is a bit of bruising, but there has been no pain so that’s good.
I must admit, looking back on the women now I think it’s quite funny, I mean all she had to say was sorry dear I don’t work here and I would have said oh sorry and that would have been it. Some people just enjoy being rude and apart from her had a really nice weekend. (Actually I am sitting here now having visions of her taking her top off in M and S to show me and the rest of the store her breast!)
It is so worrying when your child is ill, but usually you can make it better and take the pain away, but I feel totally helpless watching her battle the depression.
Mum is her usual positive self today, and has my daughter going over there for dinner tomorrow night for a chat.
I am glad your daughter is improving, it’s a hard struggle.
Have a good monday.
Jules xxxx
Ps God I hope that rude women doesn’t post on this forum lol