Spent the past 13 days in hospital, as most would be aware by now. I'm home and i'm happy to be here. Spending time with a lot of very ill people has made me appreciate my health. Me healthy? Well compared to many other people i am bursting with good health!! I have been surrounded by some very ill people. Mainly patients on dialysis for kidney failure, awaiting transplants that they know will most likely not happen. 90% of the dialysis patients will not be eligible for a kidney due to other health complications, age, or suprisingly because they REFUSE to make lifestyle changes that would benefit their health.
I can't believe this. Why would someone choose to continue to keep themselves unwell? Why would a 43yo mother of 3 choose to eat chips, chocolate, and pizza (delivered to her hospital bed) and drink copious amounts of coke on an almost daily basis, having been diagnosed with diabetes 12 months ago? Not type 1 diabetes but type 2 - ie controlled by diet and exercise. Why would this same person, when informed 7 months later that their diabetes had now progressed to type 1 due to their refusal to change their eating habits, again knock back any help with diet and exercise? Why would this person again refuse assistance upon being told 2 months later that their kidneys were failing and that dialysis would now be required until they decided to take some action, or they died? And last week, when the person was advised that they were to be discharged as an inpatient, unless they agreed to undertake a fully supported, holistic program to assist the return to better health, why did this person refuse to leave the hospital, when they again refused help??? Why?? I found out why...... and i cannot believe the stupidity.
Here's a brief summary of the answer i received after asking my roommate for her reasons for not undertaking the programs offered:
i like to eat what i want and when i want.
No one tells me what i can and can't do.
I can't afford to eat the crap they want me to eat.
My kids wont eat fruit and vegetables. I'm not making different meals for me.
I'm too sick to cook food like that. Takeaway is easier. and cheaper.
I can't do the walking as my back hurts.
I'm not givin' up my smokes or my nights on the piss (drinks a bottle of bourbon a week)
BUT this person expected to be reviewed for the transplant list. When advised that she did not meet the criteria, could not understand why .....
"if you bastards give me a new fucking kidney and pancreas then i'd be better and none of that crap you tell me i can't do would fucking matter"
"so u think my kids don't deserve a mum?"
"who gives you the right to say who deserves a kidney more?"
No matter how many times she was told that the transplant wouldn't work unless it had a healthy body to work with, she still refused to change her lifestyle. She left the hospital escorted by security as she refused to be discharged. She was drinking Coke and eating a tube of Pringles as she was loaded into a wheelchair by 4 security personnel. She weighed 155kgs. She wished me well on the way past and offered me a Pringle.....
The next person to take her bed was a transplant recipient. 12 years previously he'd undergone a kidney and pancreas transplant. He would be dead if he had not received these gifts. He was doing well and at only 41 had many years left ahead to enjoy living. My 43 yo DUMBASS roomie will be dead in 5 years, if not sooner. And whats the bet she asks for help when she's dying from toxicity????
This may be harsh but the world is full of ABSOLUTE MORONS like this person. The hospital ward was full of them.... taking up space in our health system, using resources that could better help someone who is willing to take responsibility for their health and take action to improve it. It made me angry. It made me sad........
So i return home grateful for my intelligence and hence, for my health.
Ohh and my headache is now back to normal!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Queensland Trip April 2010
Del and i were lucky enough to spend 12 glorious days in Qld earlier this year. This was the last time i actually felt well so it has lots of good meories health wise for me as well as general holiday memories. :)
We visited my sister and family on the Gold Coast for a few days and then our best friends in the universe further up the east coast, called the Fraser Coast, Hervey Bay - the whale watching capital of Australia! They had just given birth three days earlier to their first child together so it was uber exciting. Kirby baby was so excited to see us too. He screamed for 5 days straight!! Poor little man. Poor mum. Poor Dad. Poor Nanny and Poppy who were visiting too. And poor Auntie Del and Great Auntie La - now affetionately known as GaLa!! haha For those not in the know, a galah is a bird and also what we aussies call someone who does something silly. An apt nickname for me so i'm told! Here's some pics. Enjoy. 1. Del and Kirby bonding. 2. Hervey Bay foreshore. had lunch there! 3. the beach next to the pier which is pic 4. the pier is longest pier in Australia at 868m in length. Yes we walked it.
We visited my sister and family on the Gold Coast for a few days and then our best friends in the universe further up the east coast, called the Fraser Coast, Hervey Bay - the whale watching capital of Australia! They had just given birth three days earlier to their first child together so it was uber exciting. Kirby baby was so excited to see us too. He screamed for 5 days straight!! Poor little man. Poor mum. Poor Dad. Poor Nanny and Poppy who were visiting too. And poor Auntie Del and Great Auntie La - now affetionately known as GaLa!! haha For those not in the know, a galah is a bird and also what we aussies call someone who does something silly. An apt nickname for me so i'm told! Here's some pics. Enjoy. 1. Del and Kirby bonding. 2. Hervey Bay foreshore. had lunch there! 3. the beach next to the pier which is pic 4. the pier is longest pier in Australia at 868m in length. Yes we walked it.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Gratitude
When I awoke this morning I was in shock. No I didn't win the 30 million in Lotto, or wake up with Rob Lowe in bed beside me. I did have a really good dream though. But the reason I was in shock was way better than either of those. When I opened my eyes, rolled over to check the time on my phone and sat up,I realized I DIDN'T HAVE A HEADACHE! For the first time in 59 days my vision was clear & my head was not throbbing!! And I was awake before lunch time. I had a brilliant morning. What a pleasure it was to read a book, to shower standing up, to go for a walk in the bush over my back fence. I have had a great day. And even though my headache came back I've still had a fantastic day. A few hours headache free gives me the strength & hope to remain positive. To know that I will wake up headache free again.... If not tomorrow then maybe the day after!!
My Miracle
If you'd known me 20 odd years ago at uni you would have voted me least likely person to have been a mother!!! I was heavily into sport/outdoors, and partying!! But miracles happen and I've been reminiscing a little lately, with it being Adele's birthday - the big 20! No longer a teen!!
Apparently you are supposed to forget the pain of childbirth but my memories are still strong today. It hurt. A lot. For a long time. But after 20 years i can laugh at it. A little. :) I'll spare you the details and just deliver the highlights package! 47 hours of labour. For about 6 of those hours i cleaned my teeth every 20 minutes. I don't know why, i just had to. I used a whole tube of toothpaste and wrecked a toothbrush. The hallway at the hospital was exactly 627 paces long. At around hour 34 i tried to call a taxi to come collect me as i had had enough and wanted to go home. When Adele finally decided she was ready to do her meet and greet she also decided to start her dance career and do a pirouette, wrapping her cord round her neck. My obstetrician decided it was time for the big guns and brought out his weapon of mass destruction ie the forceps. He got himself ready and everything was action stations when he, the doc, felt it was all too much for him and had a little fainting fit on the floor right in the delivery path!! After many urgent calls a new dr arrived as the first one was literally dragged out. I wasn't inspired with confidence by my new docs appearance as he'd been called in from milking his cows!! It was about 4.30am. He was wearing gumboots and a holey old jumper!! Anyway, he prepared himself, the midwife, braced himself behind the dr and with a huge push from me, a yank from them and a plop from Adele, she came into the world at 4.57am on the 9th August 1990.
After that things are a bit hazy..... i know she was a bit bluish so they took her away for a bit. I did see her at some point but i'd been awake for two days. All i wanted to do was sleep!. Her father went with her and bathed her, cleaned her up a bit and brought her to me where she screamed, i cried and said take her away...how mean of me:( Later on they sat me on a rubber ring (remember that weapon of mass destruction) in a wheelchair and took me up to see her in the nicu. She was still screaming. I didnt like her much at this point. She was too noisy. Not much has changed - she talks a lot! I was given her to hold and then the nurse left. My eyes wouldnt stay open, she finally shut up, and we both drifted off to sleep. Except i kept dropping her, so i put her on the floor. Then i went to sleep. Gosh i was a caring mum :). Someone eventually found us and growled at me. I felt like the worlds worst mum and it was only day 1!!
It wasnt until day 3 that i changed her nappy. i assume someone else had been doing this before! i basically slept, ate, fed her, repeat for first 3 days. After that i think i realised there was a bit more to it!! Especially when they said i had to leave the hospital. i did manage to stay for 10 days!!!! lol
But we survived and have made it to 20 years!! who would have thought eh? And for the record Adele was not going to be an only child. She was a twin, the other we sadly lost at 20 weeks gestation. And we did go through GIFT (IVF) when Deli was younger to try for a sibling but it wasnt to be. So my Deli is a miracle. One i treasure everyday!!
Apparently you are supposed to forget the pain of childbirth but my memories are still strong today. It hurt. A lot. For a long time. But after 20 years i can laugh at it. A little. :) I'll spare you the details and just deliver the highlights package! 47 hours of labour. For about 6 of those hours i cleaned my teeth every 20 minutes. I don't know why, i just had to. I used a whole tube of toothpaste and wrecked a toothbrush. The hallway at the hospital was exactly 627 paces long. At around hour 34 i tried to call a taxi to come collect me as i had had enough and wanted to go home. When Adele finally decided she was ready to do her meet and greet she also decided to start her dance career and do a pirouette, wrapping her cord round her neck. My obstetrician decided it was time for the big guns and brought out his weapon of mass destruction ie the forceps. He got himself ready and everything was action stations when he, the doc, felt it was all too much for him and had a little fainting fit on the floor right in the delivery path!! After many urgent calls a new dr arrived as the first one was literally dragged out. I wasn't inspired with confidence by my new docs appearance as he'd been called in from milking his cows!! It was about 4.30am. He was wearing gumboots and a holey old jumper!! Anyway, he prepared himself, the midwife, braced himself behind the dr and with a huge push from me, a yank from them and a plop from Adele, she came into the world at 4.57am on the 9th August 1990.
After that things are a bit hazy..... i know she was a bit bluish so they took her away for a bit. I did see her at some point but i'd been awake for two days. All i wanted to do was sleep!. Her father went with her and bathed her, cleaned her up a bit and brought her to me where she screamed, i cried and said take her away...how mean of me:( Later on they sat me on a rubber ring (remember that weapon of mass destruction) in a wheelchair and took me up to see her in the nicu. She was still screaming. I didnt like her much at this point. She was too noisy. Not much has changed - she talks a lot! I was given her to hold and then the nurse left. My eyes wouldnt stay open, she finally shut up, and we both drifted off to sleep. Except i kept dropping her, so i put her on the floor. Then i went to sleep. Gosh i was a caring mum :). Someone eventually found us and growled at me. I felt like the worlds worst mum and it was only day 1!!
It wasnt until day 3 that i changed her nappy. i assume someone else had been doing this before! i basically slept, ate, fed her, repeat for first 3 days. After that i think i realised there was a bit more to it!! Especially when they said i had to leave the hospital. i did manage to stay for 10 days!!!! lol
But we survived and have made it to 20 years!! who would have thought eh? And for the record Adele was not going to be an only child. She was a twin, the other we sadly lost at 20 weeks gestation. And we did go through GIFT (IVF) when Deli was younger to try for a sibling but it wasnt to be. So my Deli is a miracle. One i treasure everyday!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
You broke it how???
Today I'm gonna tell you about my right wrist. Specifically about my scaphoid, a small bone in my hand that is about the size of a fingernail. It may be small but it is crucial as it controls the movement of the thumb. So onto the story....
I first broke this bone as a result of a car accident. Pretty normal. Well actually no! The car accident was minor. Slid off the road due to icy conditions. Noone injured. Until the police arrived. I was a passenger. The car was balanced on it's undercarriage on an embankment, no wheels on the ground. Police asked me to exit vehicle via drivers side door. I slid across, opened door and as I stepped out of car it slid down embankment. Taking me with it. Result: broken scaphoid, exposed nerves in hand, busted up and scraped raw knees! That's NUMBER 1!
NUMBER 2 occured about a week after cast was removed. Again passenger in car. Travelling down a slight hill. Car in front braked suddenly requiring us to do the same. I put my hand on glove box to steady myself. SNAP! that's 2!!
Approx 5 weeks after cast removed I was at at home when I got a call from a friend to come collect her from a local night club. I was waiting outside the nightclub when a bouncer threw a large bloke at the door. The door rushed open so I put my hands up to stop it hitting me! That's NUMBER 3!!
NUMBER 4 occurred a couple of years later. I stepped into the shower, slipped and sat on my hand. This time I shattered the bone on all previous fracture lines. Dr wanted to operate and fuse it with piece from my hip. I refused as it meant loss of most of range of motion of thumb! So 5 months in cast. My job at this time- swim instructor!! Lol 30 hr weeks in water!! Managed with combination of waterproof casts and plastic bags!!
And NUMBER 5!!! the best. Had the cast off for less than 24 hours!! And without going into too many details let's just say it involved another person, some nice wine, and a coffee table!!! And a cast for another 5 months. LOL
BUT I avoided surgery again and it's been fine ever since!! So one bone, 5 breaks! Can anyone beat that?
I first broke this bone as a result of a car accident. Pretty normal. Well actually no! The car accident was minor. Slid off the road due to icy conditions. Noone injured. Until the police arrived. I was a passenger. The car was balanced on it's undercarriage on an embankment, no wheels on the ground. Police asked me to exit vehicle via drivers side door. I slid across, opened door and as I stepped out of car it slid down embankment. Taking me with it. Result: broken scaphoid, exposed nerves in hand, busted up and scraped raw knees! That's NUMBER 1!
NUMBER 2 occured about a week after cast was removed. Again passenger in car. Travelling down a slight hill. Car in front braked suddenly requiring us to do the same. I put my hand on glove box to steady myself. SNAP! that's 2!!
Approx 5 weeks after cast removed I was at at home when I got a call from a friend to come collect her from a local night club. I was waiting outside the nightclub when a bouncer threw a large bloke at the door. The door rushed open so I put my hands up to stop it hitting me! That's NUMBER 3!!
NUMBER 4 occurred a couple of years later. I stepped into the shower, slipped and sat on my hand. This time I shattered the bone on all previous fracture lines. Dr wanted to operate and fuse it with piece from my hip. I refused as it meant loss of most of range of motion of thumb! So 5 months in cast. My job at this time- swim instructor!! Lol 30 hr weeks in water!! Managed with combination of waterproof casts and plastic bags!!
And NUMBER 5!!! the best. Had the cast off for less than 24 hours!! And without going into too many details let's just say it involved another person, some nice wine, and a coffee table!!! And a cast for another 5 months. LOL
BUT I avoided surgery again and it's been fine ever since!! So one bone, 5 breaks! Can anyone beat that?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)