Saturday 14 July 2012

Update on Health

So you can ignore this post if you don't want to know about the latest medical stuff.
Latest debacle.
Bloody, bloody doctors at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne (you know who you are. If you don't then look more closely at the Hep Biliary Clinic...).
Went to the clinic last Monday, again sat waiting for hours to get in. However, feeling just a tiny bit smug (very tiny bit) cos my lovely GP and I had done all the blood tests they had requested last year - Tumour Markers, and Hydatids - which had tacked weeks onto my waiting list.
And then I got called in, some idiot asked me for my medical history, so I said "It is all on the computer" and he said "Can't be bothered looking there, tell me to save me looking", and so I said that it had taken two hours to give my history on admission last year, I had had almost everything out, or looked into, and had haemorraghed at every opportunity.
He also flicked through the disc of CT pics I provided - because he couldn't find the ones that had been sent to them, also took all the copies of blood tests I had duplicated )couldn't find the ones which had been sent to them...) and asked me to get them copied at the desk and added to my file.
Then, poked my belly and told me I needed to have a colonoscopy and gastroscopy to find out 'why I was bloated'. Said it is cos there is frigging great cysts in my liver. It was like this last year, I had surgery, litres of fluid were drained, I was 5 kgs lighter and was back into my size 10 jeans cos I was again skinny.
He very patronisingly told me the liver is a very static organ which doesn't expand. So I need colonoscopy and gasroscopy. Sign this form.
WTF???? Liver certainly looks distended in the CT pics. And so it should, with another maybe 3L of fluid inside it already.
BTW, one of the cysts is the same one from last year, returned and bringing two siblings (cysters, hahaha) which have merged into one.
Last year, they spent some time explaining how the cyst had been 'deroofed' and stitched open so it wouldn't refill.
Instead, on the CT scan it is very obvious that this never happened - the cyst was drained and A CLIP PUT ON TO CLOSE THE DRAIN HOLE.
So it can refill????
Seems so....

Anyways, he gave me the form to sign and take out to the front desk and they will send me a letter letting me know when the oscopies are to take place. Which will be up to six weeks...
So I cried in his rooms, and then at the front desk in front of every other patient waiting, and then went and sat out in the gutter in Victoria Parade and bawled my eyes out.
Loudly.
And then had to catch a tram to Southern Cross Station and the train back to Castlemaine for 1.5 hours. Sniffling and snivelling. So humiliating, but I couldn't help it (and how different is it now? Here I am telling total strangers about snot-faced wailings...).
I am so over this being sick thing. Only had about a six weeks of heading back to being lively. I knew as soon as I could only eat two prawns at my nephew's wedding that something was wrong.

I measured myself today. Bust - 103cm. Waist ("waist"???) - 106. Hips - 109.
Perfect figure. If you like pyramids.

Knitting lots.

3 comments:

Kate said...

They are idiots and inhumane - and where DO all those "lost" scans and things go? I feel for you. Have a big big cuppa with sugar, curl up and be kind to yourself. Sending warm hugs.

Quiltbug said...

I can't believe that you saw a real doctor. He sounds like am imposter. Of course we have them here too. My husband was rushed to hospital after a fall. He had hit his head, passed out, and was totally incoherent when he came too. Most of his sympoms disappeared in the 4 hours we sat waiting for a doctor.
When she finally came she decided that if he was 83 and had never seen a doctor in over 40 then he obviously needed a colonoscopy. Does that sound familiar? Bloody nonsense.
He was sent home and within 2 weeks he was back in when he could not sit up, stand, or even say his name. He was diagnosed with 2 huge subdural hematomas and was rushed into the city for emergency surgery. This problem should have been seen to the first time he was in. He spent over a month in hospital and rehab and it all could have been avoided. He is fine now but he has had a rough 3 months.

Take care. You are loved by many people far and wide and we will send good thoughts to you. I cannot admit to the kind of thoughts I would send to your so called doctor.

ShuiNaga said...

I've just had tears, reading your report of your day at the hospital, even before I read the part about your own tears of
absolute frustration on the day. Of course, you know I've firstly read your Facebook and sent you my thoughts there.

You were so well prepared with your blood test results and CT scans. Obviously knowing the chances that they'd lose the lot!

Does this mean that you HAVE to have the "oscopies" just to make them happy before they'll do anything else?
Can you say no to unnecessary interference and hasten the process?
That man is idiotic and egotistical. Not that I've met him - but I've met his clones in the hospital systems.
Where is the compassion?