Apart from free booklets available on the onocology ward and elusive BC nurses I got no help from them whatsoever. friends of mine stopped their subsciption after seeing their advertisement on TV which promised help but in fact they do not seem to offer any practical support at all.
I agree Tralala
I’ve seen my BC nurse a couple of times and as my main appointments were on Tuesdays, she could not be with me as she had no one to look after her young children after 2.30. When I asked her to look at my lymph node wound as there was pus coming out, she said it was fine, the following day my doctor did a swab and said I had an infection, he put me on antibiotics. When I asked her what the surgery letter meant by the margin at the posterior, she said it meant just under the nipple, then corrected herself and said it was close to the chest.
The first time I met her, I had been told she would sit with me after getting the results from my surgeon and discussing surgery and have a good chat. I walked out of the surgeons room and she shoved a folder into my hands with some booklets and told me to go straight over to the pre op assesment unit, that was on a Tuesday, she was clearly in a rush to get home. She even said I could change my appointment for the oncologist, which was last Tuesday, so she could be in with me, after waiting three months to see the oncologist, you can imagion what I said.
Twice she has not returned my calls for help, so I now go to my surgery where the practise nurse has been wonderful and very helpful.
I think they are just ordinary nurses who just have a bit more training about cancer, as far as support is concerned, the nurse at my doctor’s practise is brilliant and the wonderful people who answer the phone on this site are excellent and very reasuring. As I said to my friend, my BC nurse is as much use as a chocolate teapot.
I am sorry you feel that way, I suppose that there might be a few bad apples in every barrel but on the whole most people find them very helpful.
The BCNs at my hospital are absolute angels and go over and above to ensure we are well looked after. Mine have been there for me at every appointment, fought to get my MRI pushed through early (I received my diagnosis in the morning and the MRI on the afternoon of the same day), telephoned every day for the first week post surgery, always available on the telephone and always happy to see me the same day if I have concerns. They are full of great advice and solutions, I couldn’t have done this without them. I’m sorry if you haven’t had the same experience, I consider myself very lucky.