All things medical

As requested I called the skin specialist's office today.  Well, I couldn't believe my luck when the lady said the doctor will see Victor on the 20th of November ! Not even a 'can you' 'do you mind' 'is that ok with you' !

Well, I guess I can't complain. This was the result that I wanted.  We can now go in peace to my daughter's wedding next week and knowing that when we come back we will see an end to these BCC.

Here's hoping....

Medical Facilities

My husband has got really light skin.  Therefore, he has to be careful all the time when he goes out in the sun. In Brisbane it was not unusual to take care, but in Tasmania when the sun hardly comes out it is easy to forget.  But he is a stickler and he always covers up.  But it seems it hasn't helped.

Every 6 months Victor gets a mole scan done.  The last one was done in August last year whilst we were on a visit to Brisbane. And since then he kept getting skin lesions. And abnormal looking skin.

I might have mentioned before this that he is a very stoic man who thinks that making a fuss is not on.  Therefore, when I saw these skin lesions and wanted him to see a doctor the first answer was a resounding 'no'.

I am dark skinned therefore, I do not have the experience of anyone having these skin lesions, having to go and get mole scans done etc. So, at first I listened to him, but it looked like it was changing and therefore to get him to see a doctor I had to throw a bit of a tantrum.  We went to the doctors. The first one was on his arm which was duly excised and sent away to the laboratory for testing. The results came back saying it was a  Basal-cell_carcinoma but that it was all removed.  Sigh of relief.

Then I noticed there was a skin change on the top of his head.  He always wears a hat. How can he get something on the top of his head ? Well, it was taken out and I was a nervous wreck. Mainly, because it was on his head. Yes, I know, they won't go into his brain but after his accident, I am paranoid. The doctor is very good. He cut 4mm across and 1mm deep and again sent away to the laboratory.  It came back saying that it too was a Basal-cell-carcinoma and that they hadn't got it all.  In the meantime another lesion was growing on his head.  Whats with white people and the sun I ask you ??  So the new one was cut out, waiting for two weeks for it to heal and then went back to the old one again.   The second one was a BCC as well.  So, on to try and clear the first one again, this time going 11mm across. Sent away again to the laboratory.  Unfortunately, they still haven't got it all.

So, now we have to go to a skin specialist.  The medical and hospital system in Tasmania is really not very good.  There are hardly any doctors and no beds in hospitals. My sister in law was in Emergency for 4 days and was sent home because they couldn't find a bed for her. And she had a heart condition.

I called the skin specialist on Monday, the receptionist said, well the doctor has the referral call tomorrow.  I called on Tuesday. I was told 'the doctor has the referrals on his desk, there are quite a few there you will have to call on Friday'.  I tried to explain to her that I didn't want to wait till Friday. I wanted an appointment as soon as possible.  Yes, I am paranoid, yes, I think my problem is greater than anyone elses but I think we all do this ?   She then very calmly informs me that his next available appointment is June next year ! What the hell ?  But apparently, that is why the doctor looks at the referrals and then decides if it is important or not.

I wonder how he works it out ? I read the referral. All it says is the basic information. How can he decide whether this BCC is going to turn for the worse without even seeing the patient.

Sometimes, I really wish we were back in Brisbane.  Tomorrow is Friday. I will call and see whether we can get an appointment with him earlier than June next year. If not I am going to look for another skin specialist even if we have to go interstate !

It was all because of a cat !

It all started with me wanting a cat !  We have moved to Tasmania because my husband always wanted to be here. He had a freak accident where he fell off his bike onto a star picket which went through his eye into his brain. He was supposed to die that day in 2009 but he is a very strong willed and stoic man and not only lived through that, he is walking, talking and ‘looks’ quite well to the unknown.

A miracle, yes ! the doctors said at best he would be a vegetable needing full nursing care.  But we (read I) have problems with his brain injury. HE doesn’t think there is anything wrong with him, which is great, BUT because of this, he doesn't know, can’t remember how much I really do for him.

After his accident I was a bit dubious about moving so far away from family and friends, but this had been his dream, I still hesitated, afraid and then he started to have seizures. I had never seen a seizure before and I found him after he had one.

I promised myself that if he came out of this(I thought it was a stroke and so did the ambulance guys) I would move to Tasmania with him so at least he can be happy. Life is too short !

Well with all the stuff that I have to deal with, and me missing my friends and kids over here, (he is quite happy to stay home and plod along and feels safe in this environment) I thought it would be nice to have a cat.  So I researched and found a breed that I would like, discussed it with my husband and found a breeder.

I wanted an older cat. I didn't want to deal with a kitten. I found two lovely breeders who had two cats that had finished breeding only two years old that they were willing to give me at a really good price. As soon as I mentioned this to him, he went off, he told me I wasn't being responsible because I ‘flit’ off to Brisbane.

The funny thing is I DO NOT ‘flit’ off, as a matter of fact I have not left his side except once in this whole time. When we go to Brisbane it is for doctor's visits for him, and I did ‘flit’ off once a few weeks ago to go wedding dress shopping with my daughter! But I think he felt insecure because I wasn't here. The thing is the words ‘not being responsible’ hit a cord.

It goes back to when I was 5 and I was responsible for one sibling and then as the years went along 3 siblings, I was a single mother of two beautiful children, I was responsible for them not getting help from their father, I was responsible for my mother when my father died, I feel responsible for my brother who doesn't have a job and has 3 children and now I am responsible for my husband.

It was quite like someone flicked a switch. I went into the shower after this conversation and it was almost exploding my brain, I started to cry, and sobbed and sobbed for a good 20 minutes.   I HAD been responsible all my life for one thing or another and never acknowledged for it ! I was sobbing so much I thought I was going to be sick. I came out of the shower and HAD to get out of the house.

The weather here is horrid, it was raining sideways and the wind was blowing, but get out I did. I think I surprised my husband that I wanted to go out, but I said in no uncertain terms that I needed to get out. I walked and walked and cried and cried. But came back home, calmer and also wondering about something Jon Gabriel had mentioned on the webinare that sometimes it is a ‘cord’ that needs to be struck for you to have a good cry about something deep inside you which turns off a fat trigger!!! Can’t tell you for sure whether that is what it is, but I have been walking 5km a day and feel like I have ‘shifted’. I am still struggling with the responsibility issues.

I discussed with my husband what he said to me, and how I felt, he apologised and I know he felt bad. The upside is I have since got a cat, I think it will be good for him as much as it will be good for me.