Ive had an exceptional few weeks of medical problems that is. I guess I shouldn’t complain, Ive had a good run for the last four years with little hospital intervention. Friday night I had a fall on a muddy pathway and it felt like I kicked something with my knee on the way down. Lay in the mud for a while waiting on an ambulance. A mate helped me up into an old wheelchair and I managed to make to the shed , out of the weather until pain relief arrived.

75mg of fentonol and 5mg of morphine to get me into the ambulance. After xrays I was released with swelling. No fractures, on crutches. By the morning the pain killers had worn off and I had a pill they had released me with and spent the next few hours trying not to vomit. I hate morphine.

Once again back to the hospital. Thats when the last 5 days of fun began. Funny thing is its taken then CT scans and an ultra sound to diagnose the tear but while I was waiting in the shed after a self examination I told them it was a tear. Not a break I could move everything and too much pain for a bruise and the knee hurt when moved in one direction only.

So back to where we started. Two hours in emergency with no ID bracelet or pain relief Saturday morning. When the doctor finally turned up she didn’t even examine the injury. So to my arguing of saying no to morphine. They just replied it’ll be find. Not to put a canulare in my right wrist because that was the only side I could put any weight on. Itll be fine. Then no the the anti nausea meds because they were using ones that didnt work on me. Pumped it all into me anyway.

Spent two hours vomiting with no nurse buzzer. Throwing things out the cubicle doorway trying to get someones attention. I was disgusted.

Was moved to the ward and spent several days fasting for the tendon on the quad to be reattached. I now have several screws in my knee cap and a very long scar. Another to add to the collection.

One meal a day for three days. Great for a diabetic. Im still being served heavy sugar diet for breakfast.

The third day I cracked the shits and tried to leave the hospital and be transfered to another. The ambulance would not pick me up from my room and they insisted that I sign a wavier against leaving under medical advice. Which I refused to sign until I was in an ambulance.That day I remarkably was slotted in for surgery.

There was some argument about how to put me under and they decided to do an epidural into my spine rather than risk damage to my lungs.

Its now been six days and they still have got my meds chart correct, even after talking to the Pharmacist. Funnily enough they are now talking about transferring me due to the specialist at the hospital that was doing the biopsy is rope-able about me not being taken there in the first place. To commence the two bookings I had made for the shoulder and throat. The second hospital has a larger rehab facility and social work section. Im trying to arrange emergency accommodation, as theres no way I can make it back onto the property where I was staying. Id end up doing the other leg.Lots of endone and targin over the next few weeks. The medical system here is 30 years behind the rest of the country from what I can tell.

For instance. Theres a complaint from a male nurse that Im using my own medications. So the ward manager says I can no longer self dispense. The next morning Im told the hospital doesnt have any of my anti rejection medications and that Ill have to use my own and that it’ll be two days to order them in. As soon as they appear its back to YOU cant do it yourself and yet they are still not supplying the medications required. Its a joke.

The Attitude; I dont know if its just in this hospital or country hospitals or the whole state. For example I asked a nurse to move the food tray so I could use my computer. The response. There will be someone along later to do that.

I get so much grief from mates when they ask about an experience Ive had and I talk about how nice the people are. Thats because there are so few nice people out there now. They just stand out when you meet them.

2nd/June

Seems nurses have been getting trained by the police. If they ignore or I should say not acknowledge you they dont have to do anything. I waited 30 minutes for a nurse for assistance to get to the bathroom and couldn’t wait any longer. They arrived as I had managed to hobble back on the frame as I asked for help getting out my toothbrush etc they walked away.

Later I had asked for endone as the leg ached and had started to bleed. The reply lunch is coming and no acknowledgment to the question and they walked away.

Bed sheets have still not been changed in 7 days. Is this what its like every where. Let me know. Average reaction time to a nurses call buzzer. Depending on shift 20 for night shift 30 to 40 minutes for all other shifts. They must like cleaning up soiled bedding.

No emergency accommodation in the area. Waiting on a transfer to another hospital for the surgical bookings that were a priority before the knee namely the throat biopsy and the meat getting cut out of shoulder that was meant to be done within two weeks and now cant be fitted in till the end of the month. Will have to pick up my old caravan from consignment, take the wheels off to lower it and make a ramp to get in on a walker.

3rd June

Looks like Im being released into an aged care facility. Finding out more later today. Thats the best they can do where food is included and I can have my dog.

Social Workers. I love their attitude. Q how much do you get on the pension. A about a grand a fortnight. OHHH you can afford the $415 per week. Didnt bother to ask how much I had in my bank account. Boarding houses was an option. I said I have a low immune system I cant be around groups of people, I shouldnt even be sharing a hospital room with four other people. Response. Thats ridicules how are you supposed to live and walked out of the room.

This is our medical system, well at least the Victorian medical system. Shocking.

Latest update. Was talking to a specialist at the larger city hospital I was meant to be transferred to and they had been trying to get me there and this hospital has said thats not our plan hes being released into a boarding house with multiple occupants. Crazy. Plotting my escape now and a possible law suit at this stage.

“Law suits and government departments are useless been there done that the paperwork will change to suit the environment.”

4th june

I dont think Ive seen a floor cleaner yet, just did a big clean up of my area of rubbish. some nurses pick up some dont. I had a pile of used towels, sheets, gowns etx and hanged them over my walker to get them out of the chair and made it to the door and asked isnt this stuff picked up or do you have a linen bin. The answer was “its usually dumped on the bathroom floor and picked up from there” . There seems to be no proper procedures in place.

So in ending Im still confused why they just didnt transfer me at the start to a city hospital that could have done the leg, shoulder and throat all at once. Yourd think that cancer in the shoulder and possible throat cancer would have been a larger concern. My surgeons for those procedures are now booked up till the end of the month in this area.