Countdown....

Surgery tomorrow. The countdown begins. I'll be spending most of the night setting up my house for my period of convalescence post surgery, which will be approximately 2 months.

My respiratory problems have eased up, moving up from my chest into my thorax. It's the top part of my chest that always seems to be afflicted with breathing problems, rather then my lungs. I still have a sinus run but not all that bad. My GP was unwilling to give me an antibiotic as he felt that the hospital would postpone surgery and blame him, so he's leaving it up to the hospital tomorrow.

Last week in pre-admin I was told I would be last on the list in the afternoon, to give the plastic surgeons plenty of time to finish their work. However when I phoned the surgical care unit this evening, for my arrival time, I was told 7:30AM. As I live on a bay island, that time is almost a physical impossibility. A quick check of public transport time-tables confirmed that. As I'll have to leave my car at home & no-one else to drive me (the only island taxi doesn't start before 6:00AM), I have to leave home, on foot, at 5:20AM to to catch the 6:20AM ferry. Catching the first available bus will get me in there at 8:00AM. The hospital wasn't very happy when I told them I could not get there any earlier. They know where I live. I told them these things in pre-admin. This was no drama in June with the biopsy surgery as to these issues, as the hospital made allowances as to where I lived. Maybe as the doctors originally had me scheduled for Tuesday afternoon they didn't worry to note this last week. It's Melbourne Cup day tomorrow.

In June, when I had the biopsy, they had me in at 8:00AM, only for me to to find out I was being operated on in the afternoon. I am diabetic and had no breakfast.... a recipe for disaster with hypos... the same again tomorrow. It's not good. Why can't they stick to plans and do things as originally intended in an organised, calm manner? The Australian public hospital system is very much in the media these days and at times appears to be in disarray. The hospital where my surgery is being carried out (Princess Alexandra - Brisbane) was having to cancel much surgery due to budgetary constraints as very much reported in the press, recently. I don't know whether that was why I have encountered some unusual situations since late September with doctors being non-committal on a range issues until last week, and thus the hurried nature of arrangements. The state's premier has since relented on the surgery ban and allowed the hospital more time to sort out its budgetary problems.

I encountered all sorts of administrative muck ups when I had an appendectomy (in a different hospital) a few years ago - appointments being mailed to the wrong address, getting me down to the hospital 2 or 3 times for the same thing only to send me back home again etc.

I must comment that the health system falls down in the area of administration and co-ordination as well as the usual range of problems affecting the medical professions. Attend to administration problems and communication problems, and the health system will run more effectively and a lot less expensively. This sounds simplistic, and is. It's a matter dear to my heart and I hope to blog more on this in the future. Doctors are among the most appalling communicators among the professionals I encounter. Back in 2000 I was seriously considering returning to studies in psychology with that in mind, as a thesis. But how to go about it? One might as well study how cats cross a road..... LOL. ;)

It's very much a mystery why urgent radio-therapy of a rapidly growing tumour, commenced more than six weeks after the biopsy. The oncologist told me it would be 2 weeks. Was it an administrative or medical decision? Then the previously mentioned cancellation of outpatients appointments making it almost too late for surgery?

My simplistic advice to the medical profession ... 'stick to plans, communicate & listen to your patients, but think outside the square when you have to guys, and check things out for yourselves. Rely on your own judgement rather than just accepting your fellow professionals..... they might not have looked too closely at that scan either ;) ..... LOL'

As they say laughter is the best medicine.. :) That plus effective communication goes a long way.

Most doctors are OK, but why do they work & communicate in such a harem scarem manner?

Again I digress.... let's hope all goes well and I move from being a cancer sufferer to cancer survivor.

See you all some time in the future :)

cheers

Rob.