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Original poster

Has a healthcare professional ever made a lasting impression on you - for good?

144 replies

Thisisit777 · 30/11/2018 18:37

What good thing has a HP ever done for you?

Me - a kind midwife persevered with me in labour ward - I couldn’t breastfeed and was crying buckets. Meant a lot as she treated me well despite me being a snivelling mess.

You?

OP posts:
LipstickHandbagCoffee · 30/11/2018 19:19

Yes v much so
A HV, kind & actually took interest in me.used my name didn’t just call me mum

partystress · 30/11/2018 19:23

Yes a HV spotted I was on the edge of PND and helped me get a grip and get out and meet other mums. She changed my life for the so much better.

ZackPizzazz · 30/11/2018 19:25

Yes - a GP registrar was very gentle, patient and supportive with me when I was recovering from being raped. She made a real difference. I still remember her after nearly a decade and if I could find her practising anywhere in London I'd go and register as her patient.

fourthusernamebutwhoscounting · 30/11/2018 19:26

Yes, comments from one nurse got me back into nursing as a profession.

thinkingcapon · 30/11/2018 19:27

Yes, my dad's oncologist never gave up hope and was always open to everything we as a family had to suggest. I vividly remember him sitting with my dad in his office saying he'll never give up on him until he's got rid of the bastarding cancer. I genuinely think he meant it.
Sadly it wasn't enough, and the bastarding cancer won , but it made a huge difference to my dad's positivity and to me and my family

silentcrow · 30/11/2018 19:29

We went back into hospital with feeding issues after my DD1 was born; my grandad had died unexpectedly the day after she arrived so I was a bit all over the place. She then developed BINC (convulsions) and ended up on NICU and HDU, but I had to stay on maternity for a couple of days to express. The midwives made sure there was always tea and toast left for me when I was stuck in HDU - i was so grateful, even when I'd come back hours later and the tea was stone cold. Good job too as the children's ward nurses had no idea how to look after a five days pp new mum.

Oh, and the women's physio that put me back together after DD2. She was amazing. I sent her flowers and she phoned me up in tears. No-one had ever even written her a thank you card.

Petalflowers · 30/11/2018 19:30

My DS was in Great Ormond Street Hospital. I recall a male nurse who made sure us parents were looked after, as well as the children.

user1471462428 · 30/11/2018 19:30

Yes a sonographer who was confirming foetal demise (second in six months) took time to look at my ovaries. I subsequently had one removed and a month later was pregnant with my lovely son. There are no words to express how grateful I am to her. He had brought utter joy into our lives.

Oatomatom · 30/11/2018 19:32

The wonderful GP who diagnosed and treated my PND. She saw me every fortnight for months - it made such a difference.

redexpat · 30/11/2018 19:32

My GP is lovely.

The student mw was lovely. And actually listened to me.

Original poster
Thisisit777 · 30/11/2018 19:33

Not ashamed to say my eyes are welling up.

I remembered another.

When In the grip of a terrible depression my GP said it will be ok. I said how can you know? And she said. Because I’ve been where you are. It will be ok.

I didn’t lull myself because I. Believed. Her.

OP posts:
redsummershoes · 30/11/2018 19:35

the (private) physio dc saw with a bone condition.
she got dc back on feet (literally!) and supported us with tons of information and letters to get dc the treatment needed to recover.

Toddlerteaplease · 30/11/2018 19:37

@silentcrow, agreed. But our priority is to look after the baby. We try our best to make sure mums are ok and fed and watered. But we aren't trained to look after adults. Most of us have very little training in breastfeeding support either. Especially if we work in a surgical ward.

DaisyDreaming · 30/11/2018 19:38

Lots, they all have the same thing in common - listening and seeing past my illness to see me as a person

Solongtoshort · 30/11/2018 19:39

On the 9th of December 2014 l had my third and worst miscarriage l was in resuss waiting to go to theatre, the wait was long a nurse stayed with me the whole 6 hours l waited. She told me her struggle to get pregnant and her last round of ivf had just failed. She held my hand whilst doctor's (three times) tried to remove the tissue which was holding my cervix open, which was what was causing me to continuously bleed she also stood her ground for me when they wanted to try a fourth time. I always think of her, she was so caring and brave. I wrote a letter to the hospital and hope she received feedback from it. The next few days and weeks l didn't think we would try again for another baby, she had said l should try again you never know. My next pregnancy was successful. She got me through that day, it was her story that made us have one last try and that one last try gave us my little girl.

I know she has probably had 100's of patients since, but l would only love to have this much impact on someone life as much as she had on mine.

FuckminsterBullerene · 30/11/2018 19:40

When I had hyperemesis gravidarum my GP and the staff in a&e were really kind and efficient. I took the time to write glowing reviews for the hospital and the gp practice and I got lovely replies back to both. It's a shame more people don't say thank you.

Gileswithachainsaw · 30/11/2018 19:41

Yes

A wonderful nurse who helped take care of my dd2 as a baby. Ddbwas poorly with bronchiolitis, having not long been out of hospital I was already exhausted from barely having slept in my own bed .

She was so kind. So gentle with Dd and she always took the greatest of care not to wake me if she was checking on dd in the night.

She was also the only staff member who had the time to chat to me. I got practically her life story Grin She saved me from going crazy with little adult contact.

I will never forget her kindness. She was amazing
.

Original poster
Thisisit777 · 30/11/2018 19:42

Yup. I’m welling up, I’m grateful for these kind hearted health professionals - they do make the difference.

OP posts:
maddiemookins16mum · 30/11/2018 19:43

The Dr we spoke to about donating my dads organs, he was just the kindest, most sensitive man, I still see his face in my memory very clearly. This was nearly 40 years ago. Plus a practice nurse who helped me through painful smear tests, I was gutted when she left.

CrookedMe · 30/11/2018 19:44

This thread ❤️

OrchidFlakes · 30/11/2018 19:48

A dr at uch children’s a&e. DS was days old and really poorly, he took as much care over mess he did of DS. When he handed us over to the ward he ensured the nursing team knew I was a patient as much as DS was and I wasn’t to be rushing about making my own food/drink etc. He was just wonderful, as were the nurses. I’ll remember them all forever

OldGreyBoots · 30/11/2018 19:48

When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a few years ago at 18, the doctor had the perfect balance of caring manner but urgency, got me seen very quickly in A&E and saved me from serious internal damage that I was in the brink of by taking me seriously. She was only young and doing her probation at our doctors' surgery, but she was so helpful and phoned my house the next day to ask how I was doing. She moved on soon after, I never got a chance to properly thank her for everything she did but I think of her often and am so grateful.

ohwownosnow · 30/11/2018 19:48

This is lovely. Nurse & HV here and love these stories. Makes me proud

SureIusedtobetaller · 30/11/2018 19:51

A HV who sent me off to a group for new mums and prevented me from completely tumbling into a well of PND.
A GP at my surgery who always feels like she cares, she took extra time with me when I was at peak anxiety and made me realise I didn’t have to feel like that for ever.
There’s been others but the first really sticks out 24 years on.

HariboHippo · 30/11/2018 19:53

Yes absolutely. My consultant Gynae who made me believe I would eventually be a Mom (and he was right!) and went over and above a dozen times or more, and a sonographer who took the time to come and find me on a ward to say she had been thinking about me all night, the day after confirming I had no cervix left to stitch and therefore was losing another pregnancy. Both complete hero’s to me then and now.