I hope your Mum is recovering well. To my knowledge in the public hospitals (unless it has changed over the last couple of years), they only allow one overnight stay for one breast (either lumpectomy or mastectomy) and two overnight stays for two breasts (either lumpectomy or mastectomy). I had two overnight stays as I had surgery on both breasts. Thankfully the nurse pushed for your Mum to stay another night and considering her health conditions is wise. I believe if there is a good Nurse Unit Manager then they will push for you.
I first had some treatment including chemo at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne and was never offered any Emla numbing patches, in fact I never was told even to purchase them myself either. Port access without numbing the area was painful. When I moved to a smaller public hospital closer to home the Nurse Unit Manager really pushed for the patients and got funding to supply Emla patches for those who had port access for chemo. One nurse "teared up" when she realised I had never been offered nor knew of the numb patch while having treatment at the previous hospital. Some NUMs are great and will really push for the patients, yet others are more concerned about staying in good with those higher up the food chain.
It does make me shudder when I hear these kinds of stories from others, but so glad you can support your Mum. Did they offer HITH for your Mum? Take care and thankfully your Mum is home safely now.
