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Dr. Harness explains how loved ones can make sure they are caring properly for a mastectomy patient.
Dr. Harness, M.D.:
Well, the number one thing is hopefully the caregiver is there when we do the training, and we do drain management training and the other aspects of the care in the Breast Center way before the surgery. And then we have the nurses at the time of discharge re, go through all the steps again. And so it’s really important that whoever the caregiver is--it could be a husband, it could be another relative, it could be a grown child, friends, whoever they are, we, it’s critical that they be trained.
If they are intimidated by the drains and don’t strip them properly, and what have you, the drains could not function properly. That’s a , that’s a real problem. The bulb that we collect the fluids can become disconnected. We need to teach them how to make sure that how to reconnect and how to measure the output properly. And so we need to empower the caregivers to make sure that they feel comfortable.
About Dr. Harness, M.D.:
Dr. Jay Harness, M.D., is the Director at St. Joseph Hospital Comprehensive Breast Center. Practicing medicine for 35 years, Dr. Harness specializes in general surgery and medical oncology. Graduating medical school from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, he conducting his internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center. Recognized nationally and internationally for his work in breast and endocrine surgery, Dr. Harness is the immediate past-President of The American Society of Breast Surgeons and is President-elect of Breast Surgery International. Dr. Harness can assist patients in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Visit Dr. Harness at St. Joseph Hospital