gave a small nod.
With her pen poised over the registration form the nurse asked Zeena: ‘Do you want your doctor to be notified of any test results? It’s up to you.’
Zeena didn’t know so I stepped in. ‘I’ve registered Zeena as a temporary patient with my doctor,’ I said. ‘Those are her details on the form. I’m fostering Zeena – I don’t know how long for.’
‘We can send a copy of the test results there then, and they’ll be added to Zeena’s medical record and then sent on to her permanent doctor.’
‘No, I don’t want that,’ Zeena said, glancing at me fearfully.
‘That’s fine. It’s not a problem,’ the nurse reassured her. ‘Many of our patients don’t want their doctor notified.’ She made a note on the form.
‘It was the doctor who suggested we come here,’ I said, feeling this was relevant. ‘We saw her yesterday evening and she diagnosed Zeena with herpes.’
The nurse nodded and made a note on the second form. ‘Did the doctor prescribe an antiviral?’
Zeena shook her head.
‘She said it was too late for the drug to be effective as Zeena was over the worst,’ I said. ‘She suggested warm salt baths, which she has been doing.’
‘Yes, and some people find an icepack helps. Although it’s a bit awkward to apply.’ She threw me a brief smile and returned to the form. I thought you had to have a sense of humour in this job. ‘I’ll need a telephone number or an address so we can notify you of the test results,’ she said to Zeena. ‘A telephone number is best, as it’s quicker.’
I glanced at Zeena but she didn’t reply. She sat tense and anxious, chewing her bottom lip. ‘Can the clinic have your mobile number?’ I asked Zeena. ‘Or shall I give them mine?’
‘Give them yours, please,’ Zeena said quietly.
I gave the nurse my mobile number. She wrote it on the registration form under ‘Contact Number’, and added a note saying it was the foster carer’s number and not the patient’s.
‘So, you’ve been suffering from herpes?’ the nurse now said kindly to Zeena. ‘It can be very painful. Burning, discharge, with pain in the legs. Sometimes swollen glands. Did you have flu-like symptoms?’
‘Yes,’ Zeena said quietly. ‘Before I came to Cathy’s.’
‘Has that gone now?’
‘Yes.’
‘And what about the other symptoms? Are they getting better?’
‘Yes,’ Zeena said.
The nurse made a note on the second form. ‘Do you have any other symptoms that you’re worried about?’
Zeena shook her head. The nurse had a gentle and reassuring manner and was going out of her way to try to make Zeena feel at ease.
‘Now I need to ask you a few questions about your sexual history,’ she said. ‘When did you last have sex? Not necessarily full intercourse. It includes oral sex and heavy petting.’
Zeena kept her eyes down. There was silence before she said quietly: ‘About two weeks ago. When the sores first appeared.’
The nurse nodded and made a note. ‘It was too sore to have intercourse?’ she asked.
Zeena nodded.
‘The first outbreak is always the worst,’ the nurse said. ‘Some patients don’t have any more outbreaks, but we can talk about how to manage herpes later. Did you have unprotected sex the last time?’
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zeena sitting rigidly upright, eyes down and wringing her hands. My heart went out to her. Only fourteen and having to answer these intimate questions – and in front of someone she hardly knew.
‘Are you comfortable for me to stay?’ I asked her. ‘Or would you prefer to speak to the nurse alone?’
‘I want you to stay,’ she said quietly.
There was another pause and then the nurse said gently: ‘Does your partner usually use a condom?’
Zeena shook her head.
The nurse nodded matter-of-factly and made a note. ‘We can talk about contraception and protection later too, and I can give you some condoms before you go.’
‘Zeena doesn’t have a
With her pen poised over the registration form the nurse asked Zeena: ‘Do you want your doctor to be notified of any test results? It’s up to you.’
Zeena didn’t know so I stepped in. ‘I’ve registered Zeena as a temporary patient with my doctor,’ I said. ‘Those are her details on the form. I’m fostering Zeena – I don’t know how long for.’
‘We can send a copy of the test results there then, and they’ll be added to Zeena’s medical record and then sent on to her permanent doctor.’
‘No, I don’t want that,’ Zeena said, glancing at me fearfully.
‘That’s fine. It’s not a problem,’ the nurse reassured her. ‘Many of our patients don’t want their doctor notified.’ She made a note on the form.
‘It was the doctor who suggested we come here,’ I said, feeling this was relevant. ‘We saw her yesterday evening and she diagnosed Zeena with herpes.’
The nurse nodded and made a note on the second form. ‘Did the doctor prescribe an antiviral?’
Zeena shook her head.
‘She said it was too late for the drug to be effective as Zeena was over the worst,’ I said. ‘She suggested warm salt baths, which she has been doing.’
‘Yes, and some people find an icepack helps. Although it’s a bit awkward to apply.’ She threw me a brief smile and returned to the form. I thought you had to have a sense of humour in this job. ‘I’ll need a telephone number or an address so we can notify you of the test results,’ she said to Zeena. ‘A telephone number is best, as it’s quicker.’
I glanced at Zeena but she didn’t reply. She sat tense and anxious, chewing her bottom lip. ‘Can the clinic have your mobile number?’ I asked Zeena. ‘Or shall I give them mine?’
‘Give them yours, please,’ Zeena said quietly.
I gave the nurse my mobile number. She wrote it on the registration form under ‘Contact Number’, and added a note saying it was the foster carer’s number and not the patient’s.
‘So, you’ve been suffering from herpes?’ the nurse now said kindly to Zeena. ‘It can be very painful. Burning, discharge, with pain in the legs. Sometimes swollen glands. Did you have flu-like symptoms?’
‘Yes,’ Zeena said quietly. ‘Before I came to Cathy’s.’
‘Has that gone now?’
‘Yes.’
‘And what about the other symptoms? Are they getting better?’
‘Yes,’ Zeena said.
The nurse made a note on the second form. ‘Do you have any other symptoms that you’re worried about?’
Zeena shook her head. The nurse had a gentle and reassuring manner and was going out of her way to try to make Zeena feel at ease.
‘Now I need to ask you a few questions about your sexual history,’ she said. ‘When did you last have sex? Not necessarily full intercourse. It includes oral sex and heavy petting.’
Zeena kept her eyes down. There was silence before she said quietly: ‘About two weeks ago. When the sores first appeared.’
The nurse nodded and made a note. ‘It was too sore to have intercourse?’ she asked.
Zeena nodded.
‘The first outbreak is always the worst,’ the nurse said. ‘Some patients don’t have any more outbreaks, but we can talk about how to manage herpes later. Did you have unprotected sex the last time?’
Out of the corner of my eye I could see Zeena sitting rigidly upright, eyes down and wringing her hands. My heart went out to her. Only fourteen and having to answer these intimate questions – and in front of someone she hardly knew.
‘Are you comfortable for me to stay?’ I asked her. ‘Or would you prefer to speak to the nurse alone?’
‘I want you to stay,’ she said quietly.
There was another pause and then the nurse said gently: ‘Does your partner usually use a condom?’
Zeena shook her head.
The nurse nodded matter-of-factly and made a note. ‘We can talk about contraception and protection later too, and I can give you some condoms before you go.’
‘Zeena doesn’t have a
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