30 January 2014
We have a Category 2 Cyclone (Dylan) about to hit the coast well north of where I live.
Everyone is praying it doesn't increase in intensity.
I wouldn't like to be a farmer or a cattle producer in this country.
Between the floods last year at this time, then a drought, now the cyclone... it's a tough life.

As for me, my letters have worked wonders.
I think the threat of going to one of the current affairs shows hit the spot.
I've been overwhelmed with attention at the hospital.
It still makes me angry that it takes letters to get the attention that should come automatically.

However it looks like I'll be hearing from the Royal Brisbane Women's Hospital some time down the track to have my foot attended to.

In the meantime I'm getting the "royal" treatment at the Wounds Clinic.
I had meant to upload this after dinner last night but when I came back to my computer
I couldn't get the monitor to stay open, it kept going black on me...GRRR!!!
I "lost it" and watched TV instead.
I did some fiddling a short while ago and managed to keep the screen visible
(looks like I'll be up for a new Monitor soon)

FEBRUARY 2014

Mostly computer problems, Host problems, spammer problems BUT
am getting attention for my ulcers.


Here's a pic of the little kitten that has adopted us.




It adores Jason..... and is growing fast!!!!

Wednesday.. back to the Wounds Clinic.
Teresa decided that I should go back in 2 weeks... I'm not happy about this but said nothing.
It's fine as far as the leg ulcer is concerned BUT I'm more concerned about the ones under my toes.
She said they were healing... but that means nothing, anything can happen in 2 weeks!

Friday, had visit with my GP.
Apparently she phoned up the surgeon (we'll call him "Dr P.") I was supposed to see on THAT Saturday and had an 'all out' argument with him! He is a friend of hers and lives next door.... OOPS!!
I told her she shouldn't have done that because I didn't believe it was his fault... we had a laugh about it. She was cleaning her bathroom at home when he came in to apologise and explain the situation. LOL!!!
I don't want her to lose friends over me....
Dr. P. was most apologetic when I saw him and has done nothing but help me since.

This week I received a letter from the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital stating they are reviewing the clinical information forwarded by the Orthopaedic Surgeon (Dr. G.) and will notify me of the outcome as soon as possible. I'm not holding my breath because the waiting times here are not the best, but it's a start. At least when I do have to go the 'Hospital and Health Service" will reimburse Jason for fuel used getting there and back.

With all these interruptions to my week I'm falling behind with stuff for Artistry.
It's hot here... not as bad as Melbourne or Adelaide, our highest temp has been 33C BUT the humidity is the killer.
I hate Summer and it can't be over fast enough for me.
Though I wouldn't change places with those of you at the top end of the planet!

We don't have air conditioning in the TV room. The door is always open so the cat can wander in and outside at his leisure. So inevitably after dinner the heat sends me to sleep on the sofa!! Which means when I wake up I've had about 5 hours sleep, come through to my room and get on my computer trying to catch up.

Talking about cats... I don't know what it is about us, but strays seem to hone in on us.
We have another regular visitor... a tiny kitten, don't know where he goes during the day but he has an inbuilt clock for feeding time. I have a feeling he may have been dumped because he's too young not to be around his mother. He was really nervous when he first appeared around 3 weeks ago but he's gradually coming to trust us.

Aydee (our cat) is sick of being shadowed and has taken to sleeping on my bed to get away from him. They have 'punching" sessions... so funny to watch!!!

He won't allow us to pick him up but Jason gets down on the floor at the kitty's level and he can stroke him and play with him now. He's becoming a little more confident around us.
I would love to know what happened to him before he found us.

11 March 2014
Haven't been able to update owing to the success of my complaints to health officials. Instead of being ignored, it's time consuming keeping up with all the attention. By the time I visit the hospital or doctor half the day has disappeared.

I also had an extra visit to the doctor last week because of further problems, unrelated to my ulcers that needed immediate help.

This week I have to have my 'blood sucked' (today), the Wounds clinic on Wednesday and the doctor on Friday. Except for the 'blood suckers' (*S) I lose precious hours.

I can't stand for any length of time (in the one place) because of my feet. So Jason has been making dinner. BUT I have one piece of good news... the leg ulcer I've had for 2 years and 8 months is almost gone. It has cost me a small fortune in dressings... around $700 a year!!

Now that I go to the Wounds Clinic I get supplies for free and am saving the money I would have spent... "for a rainy day".

Finally, when my feet cause me extreme pain I succumb to taking an Endone.... I don't like to make a habit of this... BUT it also unfortunately acts like a sleeping pill with me and can guarantee that after dinner it knocks me out! I fall asleep watching TV... and wake up hours later, missing the odd show I really wanted to see.

As a result I'm wide awake when I come through to my room and work through the wee small hours.

26 March 2014
WELL.... yesterday was a day I hope I never have to repeat!!!!
We left home at 5:20am. I couldn't sleep the night before so was still tired when we left.

The trip to Brisbane was uneventful, dodged the threatening rain and we made it to the outskirts of the city in 3 hours... pretty good timing BUT the last 12 kilometers took us FORTY MINUTES!!!!!!
This is why....

The cars were bumper to bumper!!! ALL the way up to where the 'arrow' points and beyond that!


We found the hospital eventually... it is HUGE!!!!!

I hate to admit it but if I didn't have Jason with me I would have become lost quite easily. I didn't think we'd ever find a parking space.. we had to drive up 5 floors before getting lucky.
Found the Orthopaedics on the 7th floor but we were too early to check in so we went all the way back down to the ground floor where we had spotted an eatery... and had breakfast.

Went back up to the 7th floor when we were finished... I checked in, it was around 10:20am, and settled down for the hour and a half wait to be seen. Jason went back to the car to have a cigarette since there were "NO SMOKING" signs everywhere.

I just got a magazine out of my bag to occupy myself while I waited and heard my name being called! I hurriedly tossed it back in my bag only to hear my name being called a second time... I yelled out... "I'm coming!!" (I was sitting around a corner so the nurse couldn't see me panicking...*S*)

I was shown into a room to wait, and wait, and wait. Eventually two young men came in, neither looked any older than my grandson Jared and I'm wondering what's going on... they're not doctors!! They told me they were students and were there to get some details from me...

"Why had I come to the hospital today?"

I asked if they were kidding me! I was referred to the hospital by a specialist at the Hervey Bay Hospital.... surely you would have those details?????

"No, it doesn't seem so... how do you hope we can help you?"

Well... considering this is Orthopaedics I must need help with my feet... what do you think?

Then I thought to myself... Jamie, they're just doing their job don't smart-mouth them. So, I co-operated with a smile.....

They checked my toes, asked the usual questions, how long had I had the problem, what medication was I on, why wasn't I on arthritis medication, was I diabetic (NO), then the discussed my hands between themselves as to what the different twists in my fingers were called.... like that had anything to do with my feet... not! Was I in pain... how often... how much pain in a range of one to ten and so on....

They left to see the doctor and I waited for at least half an hour before he made an appearance with the students in tow.

He asked me the same questions I had already answered!!! He had a look at my toes on both feet and told me I had 2 options... chop them off or have them straightened!!!! If I had them "chopped off" since they only remove the tips...I wouldn't miss them........says who????!!!!!!

If I had the straightened then I would probably still suffer from ulcers under them.

I told him that I had been told the ulcers were caused by the bones being twisted and pushing through my skin!! SO...... wouldn't it be logical to assume if my toes were straight, the bones wouldn't be pushing through my skin therefore there would be no ulcers?????????????????

He was lost for words.

I added.... if I was back on arthritis injections then surely that would control any change in my feet after the toes were straightened. I haven't been on arthritis medication for THREE years!!

Then another doctor came in and he too was all for "chopping them off".

I WAS LOST FOR WORDS!!! It seemed to me they wanted to take the easy way out!
I was told I didn't have to make a decision there and then. The second doctor left. The first doctor said he would make another appointment for me to give me time to consider it. That would be in TWO MONTHS from now!

I asked him... once I made a decision how long would it be before I could get the operation. He said that depended on the 'waiting list'... could be three months or could be 18 months.

By now I'm wondering why I had come all the way here just to get basically the same information I got in Hervey Bay.... nothing new. I wasn't happy. I left the appointment form with reception and Jason and I left.

I had heard rain outside while I was waiting for the first doctor, it had eased off when we headed back to the parking station. $23 poorer for parking we headed home. Traffic wasn't much better on the way out of the city and the rain started in earnest. By the time we were on the highway it was belting down and I was terrified because we couldn't see anything except the white line at the side of the road. This is what Jason concentrated on. I'm glad he was driving because I would have stopped.... there's no way I would have been able to drive through it.

On this photo you can at least see the shape of the trees... a couple of minutes before they were completely invisible !!!



We would get 10 minutes relief where the rain would ease then it would belt down again for 15 or so minutes making it impossible to see anything. We had a truck in front of us and Jason followed the tracks it left on the road.. we couldn't see the truck. This happened all the way home.

By the time we arrived I was exhausted from praying that we wouldn't be involved in an accident. God was kind... we arrived in one piece.

ALMOST Home... the place on the left with all the trees ... a welcome sight!!


If it had been raining before we left I would have cancelled the appointment. An ELEVEN hour trip for what.... to tell me the same thing I was told here in Hervey Bay!!! What a waste of a day! $90 for fuel and $23 for parking... a waste of money and time.

I have an appointment on Friday with the specialist who sent me to Brisbane... haven't decided how I'll handle him yet.