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

[Thisisit777]

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?

Having a wee cry reading these xx

GP who was dealing with my PND telling me it was normal to feel pissed off. Couldn't believe he swore. He was so kind and made me feel like a human being having a human experience.
Brilliant Midwife telling my very controlling, pushy MIL that she couldn't take my newborn DD off the ward was priceless. Then removing MIL from the ward altogether for upsetting me.

Dr Ogoe, an amazing GP based in SW London who listened to me when I was at my lowest. I think he might have saved my life. He made me book double length appointments to chat with him and supported me through starting antidepressants and all that goes along with that. A lovely, warm and compassionate man. I've yet to meet another GP like him and I'll never forget the kindness he showed me.

The intensive care doctors who saved my DS life when he was 1 and dying from pneumonia and sepsis. They had to get a line in his shin (which meant drilling into it). One did the drilling while the other sat stroking DS hair and face.
I will forever be grateful to those two angel doctors. My son would be dead without them

Lots for me; but in particular the anaesthetist who looked after me after DD was born. He stood out for me as while the others in theatre were getting on with their respective jobs (quite rightly); he made me feel like I was the only person that mattered to him at that time. It was very comforting and I felt very cocooned.

The other was a wonderful Critical Care Nurse who looked after my darling Mum. She also looked after us and I will always be so grateful for her kindness. Everyone in the CCU was exceptional but because of her shifts we saw her more than most. A truly wonderful woman.

A gp when my mum was discharged from hospital after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her pain and nausea wasnt controlled and everyone else seemed to be bloody useless. She had been a gp at the surgery for donkeys years, she came straight to my mum's after her morning surgery and put a rocket under certain people's arses and organised pumps/oxygen etc. She would often drop in and check on her. Made a huge difference to my mum's last days, she was also great when I had an awful ear infection after having DD, I wasn't a patient but she took me seriously about the pain after I'd been fobbed off with drops which made it worse. She was very no nonsense and to the point, excellent doctor.

A occupational health doctor I had to see after suffering from pnd (and mum dying). She took one look at me and recognised that I wasn't ready to return, but understood I needed the money, she was so lovely and empathetic and I sniveled on her for awhile. As it happens I lasted two shifts before handing my notice in, she was 100% right.

Another gp we had was a bit odd and neurotic, took Ds in for a cough when he was a baby, he said see how it goes. Then got a phone call at about 4pm to say to take ds back to the surgery so Dr could check him, then asked to go back next two days. He was then given antibiotics .

I understand about the overuse of antibiotics, but it was all a bit odd. Miss living there though the surgery I'm at now is fucking awful.

The lovely, kind consultant obstetrician who delivered my first baby (emergency forceps) in theatre after a horrific 40 hr labour. DS wasn’t breathing and spent a week in intensive care. I lost 3 litres of blood and was laid up on the ward, so separated from my very ill baby for 24 hours. The doctor was so calm, gentle and attentive. I honestly think she saved DS’ life too and possibly mine. Nobody seemed to realise that DS and I were both getting into real trouble until she came on duty and Sprung into action.

She also distracted DH who was beside himself with worry thinking he might lose both DS And I by chatting to him about their respective childhoods in Ireland where she and he are both from, whilst simultaneously wrestling DS out of me

I was an inpatient for a week after the birth and she came to see me several times to see how we both were, to apologise for it being such a traumatic experience (even though not her fault!) and invited DH and I back to meet with her after 6 weeks to debrief.

She really went above and beyond and I will never forget her.

I keep thinking of more! The sonographer who told us our first baby's heart had stopped beating

• she had been quite brusque on previous visits but her genuine distress at having to give us the bad news was obvious and she was so kind. She even came to see me after my ERPC at the end of a shift.

@juniperbeer I had an amazing dentist once, he was so warm and comforting. He did a weird thing where he would inject a bit of the anaesthetic then kind of wiggle the area, so the rest going in didn't sting.

I felt so safe with him that I let him remove a wisdom tooth under local when I wasn't expecting it (20 odd weeks pregnant). It was fine.

Unfortunately I made the mistake of taking the odd cotton roll thing out at the bus stop and had to put my head between my legs for 20 minutes to avoid passing out. A white van man sat having his lunch behind looked very concerned .

And the consultant who held my hand at my birth debrief and apologised with utter sincerity for my experience, and promised that if I ever got pregnant again he would personally deliver my baby no matter what.

In fact I've only ever had one negative experience with a healthcare provider and that was many years ago. Thank God for the NHS.

I had to go on to a special care ward after having DD as I lost a lot of blood and was really poorly. Couldn't even stand up by myself. Tiny wee nurse sat me down in the shower and helped me have a wash without falling over. She washed my hair for me because I couldn't manage it without feeling dizzy and plaited it so it was tidy and out of the way. Sounds like such a little thing, washing someone's hair but such a simple kindness still brings a lump to my throat.

What a wonderful thread @MNHQ ... nominate for classics?

When I worked in a CMHT I worked with some of the kindest most lovely people.. We all supported each other.

Most recently I have needed a termination. The staff that worked there were amazingly supportive and it must be a really hard job. They made a terrible situation something I got through. One nurse in particular was fabulous and letting me cry and talk.

The nurse who saved my Father (and inspired me to become a nurse myself). Just the fact that he listened to him when others had dismissed him.

Psychiatrist who helped me get my life back, but better than it was before.

Group psychotherapist - ditto.

Dentist who has helped me get over disabling dental fear.

I'm a nurse and just back home after a horrible shift .

Threads like these make it all worthwhile

Loads.

My GP gave me over an hour when I went to see him after dh died. It was between his surgeries so he should have been either at least eating a sandwich or more likely signing, phoning and visiting about a billion other people and things that he probably then had to do after his afternoon surgery and finished at God knows what time. But I needed that hour so badly. I adore him.

The GP who looked extremely unshocked about me having taken the MAP a couple of times over a decade, and accepted that I was trying to be responsible, not a whore, by taking it. Because of previous HCP opinions, I think I needed another HCP to heal that wound.

One of the gps at our surgery. My son has Pathological Demand Avoidance and doesn't cope well with dr appointments. This doctor doesn't set off his anxiety with demands though and is utterly brilliant with him. He's also helped me fight for appointments and generally gone out of his way to be helpful. Obviously everyone likes this doctor though so there's about a months wait to book in for a routine appointment with him!

Ah, a lovely anesthetist that worked at the Altnergelvin hospital. I had food poisoning 2 days before Christmas while visiting the in-laws. I was so dehydrated and couldn't stop wretching, I was barely conscious and a walk in centre had already tried an anti sickness injection with no success. A nurse was repeatedly and unsuccessfully jabbing at my veins to get a drip in. The lovely aforementioned Dr was walking through A&E for his break, heard what was happening and intervened, hitting the spot 1st try. I've never been more grateful!!

Specialist gynae who listened, believed me, did the necessary surgery and improved my level of pain massively. Unfortunately I saw 4 before that who misdiagnosed me/didn't believe me.

Yes, I breastfed for 3 months but felt exhausted, felt so guilty for wanting to give up, was in tears. HV said if you want to stop then you stop, 3 months is brilliant well done you now lets talk formula

The angels at the EPU where we had far too many awful visits and several miscarriages. I don’t know why anyone would want those jobs, so much of what they do is painful and tragic and yet they keep going with kindness and humour and dish out coffee and painkillers, reassurance and compassion.

The wonderful male nurse who looked after me post ERPC and got me clean pads, amazing toast and took the time to chat to me.

My incredible consultant who’s spent hour upon hour with us over the last few years helping us deal with our losses, did one of my surgeries, has refused to give up on finding a way to make a pregnancy stick and is taking the best care of me now it’s working.

I know the system isn’t perfect but we’ve truly struck gold with the care we’ve had the last few years. So much kindness and thoughtfulness. To us both, even though I’ve been the patient, which has meant more than I can possibly describe. I wish it was like that for everyone and despite some shitty times the people who’ve made it bearable make me feel very lucky.

My husbands oncologist and his nurse are beyond wonderful. Without the care he has given I seriously doubt my husband would be here today, let alone loving reasonably well.

Not only is he the world expert in DH cancer which is very rare but he’s the most lovely and patient person ever. Our relationship with him is two way and a real partnership. No question is too stupid, no suggestion is dismissed. He will explore every avenue and explain everything in great detail. He’s on the other end of an email if we ever need him and we feel totally safe in his hands. The catch? We see him privately. I’m sure he’s wonderful with his NHS patients too but having chosen him to manage DH care and to know he’s the only one who will treat him and that he will never be passed over to anyone is priceless

Yup, my GP / ogbyn.

Listens, he's patient, courteous and knows he's stuff.

Yes, I was in late pregnancy with my DS3 and the ctg was showing an intermittently massively raised heart rate. By the time the consultant came down it had stopped doing it and he patronising told me it was all fine, clearly interference on the monitor and he would swear the baby was ok and he was sending me home. I was so upset I knew something was wrong and he wouldn’t listen. The lovely midwife took him aside and spoke to him for ages (she said later that she was trying to tell him that she had heard/seen it too) and he came back and said they would admit me and put me back on the ctg in a couple of hours. 2 hours later his heart rate was consistently very high and 15 minutes after that he was out by emergency section after suspected placental abruption. If that midwife hadn’t gone to bat for us I don’t know what would have happened to him but I don’t think it would have been good. I took her up a worlds best Midwife mug afterwards and I still see her around the clinics (now expecting DC4). She’s always very interested in DS3.