lets talk about st vincents fitzroy

My journey really began at St Vincent's Fitzroy - mainly because the great job I landed when I got to Melbourne was in the private consulting rooms of a pretty great bunch of St Vincents nuerologists so I got to know the Victoria Parade hospital buildings pretty well.  Actually, I should just mention here how lucky I am to have such an amazing employer, although it's hard to find the words for the fabulous support I've received from them.  When I was diagnosed I hadn't yet completed my probation period with them so they would have been within their rights to tell me that they needed an employee who they could actually rely on to turn up on the days they were supposed to work, rather than sitting in the waiting room across the courtyard.  But, they didn't - in fact while I was going through surgery they paid out my sick leave and said that the job was mine as long as I wanted it but to just focus on getting well and not to worry about working until I was ready - it was after all, just a job and they would get by until I was ready to come back.  Honestly, they have been beyond amazing and I'm so grateful to them.  However, I digress.

So, because I worked for a St Vincent's specialist I was able to go to the staff GP clinic when I found the lump that I was sure would turn out to be nothing.  The doctor I saw that Wednesday afternoon in May was lovely, but she was worried about the lump and some others that she found on examination as well, so she sent me off to Diagnostic Imaging with a request for a whole bunch of delightful sounding tests.  Go now, she said, because they might be able to see you today and I will be here tomorrow so I can go through the results with you right away.  So, off I go across the courtyard.  My heart sank a little when the receptionist said that there was about a month's waiting list for imaging in the public system (because of course I had no health insurance) but when I gave her the request form something in her face changed and she told me to sit for a minute and she'd see what she could do.  She disappeared for about 3 minutes and then came back to say they could fit me in tomorrow.  Which of course just made me freak out even more, but mostly I was incredibly grateful that they fit me in so quickly.  And thus began an absolute whirlwind of tests and scans - by the end of the next day my head was spinning. 

All of these tests are exactly as horrible as you would imagine them to be, there's nothing nice or remotely comfortable about them at all.  But my story would not be what it is without mentioning the staff at Diagnostic Imaging St Vincents, Fitzroy.  I have never known such kindness and care as I got there that first day (and subsequent days).  Every single person that I came across - whether they were checking my Medicare card, or sqeezing my poor boobs into a terrifying mammogram contraption, or sitting there for more than an hour while they meticulously scanned my boobs for every single little lump and cyst, or just showed me where the toilet was - was just amazing, and really made what was a very traumatic day for me a lot easier than it could have been.  Say what you like about the public health system - the people that work in it are hands down the best you will find. 

For me, by far the scariest prospect was the biopsy (that is until I knew what a lymphocyntogram is - bloody hell that's painful).  Everything happened with lightning speed for me, so my biopsy was only a couple of days after my first mammogram and scans.  My head was spinning and all I could think about was the massive needle that was about to be plunged into my lovely boob.  I was scheduled for 3pm so I worked in the morning and one of my workmates suggested I pop down to Imaging and see if they could recommend anything I could have that would take the edge of my anxiety - maybe a valium or something?  So, off I went and instead of telling me to man up, they were just really lovely to me.  One of the nurses sat me down and went through the whole procedure with me and explained what was going to happen.  He said that if I wanted to take something to relax I could, but I'd need a script (no problem) and they would have to go through the consent with me beforehand otherwise I wouldn't be able to sign it if I'd taken anything that could impair my judgement.  So, he very kindly tracked down the doctor that was scheduled to do my biopsy that day and he came and did the consent and off I went back to work with instructions to take something about half an hour before my appointment.  Believe me, I felt much better about the whole thing at this point and as I'd never taken valium before I was almost looking forward to the experience.  I'd been back at work for about half an hour when the lovely nurse rang me and said Darling we know you're really anxious about your biopsy, why don't you come down in about half an hour and we'll do it for you now and get it over with?  Do you see what I mean about how wonderful the staff are at St Vincents? 

The biopsy was every bit as terrible as I thought it would be, even with the edge taken off with a little white pill.  But, that lovely nurse changed his lunch break so that he could be in there with me just to hold my hand through the procedure.  I will never forget his kindness as long as I live.