I mentioned in my last post that I'd had a quiet weekend. This was partly due to me not feeling well.
Not wanting anyone at home to worry unnecessarily, I didn't mention it earlier but I had two days of stomach pains, on lower left side, which had me worried enough to seek medical care.
With our family history of appendix and peritinitis I was quick to get up to the hospital at the first sign of pain. After getting a range of tests done, including bloods, I was sent home with a plethora of medicine. Have I mentioned that they like dishing out tablets here? I also dropped off a form for an ultrasound but they had to get my health insurance approval.
The pain continued overnight but wasn't severe enough to call an ambulance. It was one of those pains that you think is going to get worse and I kept waking during the night, whether this was to check that I was ok or because of the pain I'm not sure. Of course this may be partly due to us having it drummed into us all our lives about the dangers of appendicitis. My family will relate to that comment and understand what I am talking about here.
So not taking any chance,s the next morning I stayed home from work and headed back up to the hospital. I got to see the same Dr, remembering the system here is so different from home and you take a number then sit and wait in a room like A&E. I had asked for a female Dr the day before as I'd been in two weeks ago with a similar complaint and the male Dr had hardly touched my stomach. So knowing it was going to need a good poke and prod I got a lady Dr. She assured me that my blood results were fine and she didn't think it was appendix, more likely interitis (gastro?).
At that stage I mentioned the pain had moved and was now also in the lower back. Thinking it may be gynacological she rang to see if they had any walk-in appointments available that day. Imagine that, walk-in appointments! (I know my mum & sisters will be having a fit at this news.) They had a clinic later that afternoon so I went home to rest and returned back to the hospital a few hours later. All this in a taxi. Lucky the hospital is reasonably close to where we live.
So around 1.30pm I head back up for registration at 2pm. I am third in line. I asked how it worked as I wasn't sure if there were women with appointments ahead of me but the receptionists (6 lovely Phillipino girls) assured me I was third and would be seen third. So I drink my 1.5 litres of water ready for a scan to check things out. 3pm comes and goes, 3.30, 4pm, 4.30pm and I'm bursting to go to the loo. With my Woolworths bladder I was getting very uncomfortable and wasn't looking forward to standing up! (That will get another laugh from my mum & sisters.) Finally I'm called and have to walk the gauntlet through the gyne ward full of very pregnant women to the Dr's office. A lovely man saw me and performed a scan. He didn't think it was anything gynacological but thought he'd play it safe and sent me for an urgent ultrasound. While I was in the waiting room I'd had a call from ultrasound to say my health insurance had approved an adominal scan and I had an appointment for the next day. But no, in I go immediately, still with my full bladder. I felt like one of the heavily pregnant woman as I waddled over to the radiology unit. A not so nice man thoroughly scanned my abdomin and sent a report back to the gyne Dr, who wasn't even my Dr. So back I go to him, with a bathroom stop on the way, to be told they couldn't see anything wrong but couldn't see the appendix.
Just to be safe, I'm referred to see a surgeon. So off I walk with my form to general surgery department and wait to see a surgeon. He thoroughly checks me out and declares it is colitis and dishes me up another prescription.
Each Dr cost me 30AED which you pay before you get your medical card back. So 90AED for the day's visits which equates to $30 NZD. For the numerous prescriptions the most expensive was 17.50 AED which is about $6 NZD. One lot of tablets were priced at 127 AED! So health care is very cheap, provided your insurer covers it. All this is paid by our employer so we are lucky.
To top it off, yes it gets better, I asked the surgeon about my varicous veins. Those of you who know me may know that I first visited the specialist at Palmerston North Hospital at the tender age of 17 to get them looked at. I remember him laughing at me and telling me to come back when they were worse. Which I've done many times over the following years. Subsequently, I was on the waiting list at Wairau Hosptial for 6 years to get them done before they removed me as not being urgent enough. Spending so much time in togs here I'd like them done.
I walked down one corridor and into a busy waiting room, up to reception and ask to make an appointment to see the vascular surgeon. Sorry, but it will be a month before I can see him due to Ramadam about to start. A month, I say? So now I have an appointment to see about getting my veins done in a month. No idea what it entails but will find out then make a decision. And I didn't need a referral or anything, just made the appointment myself.
By 7pm I'm back home and ready for a good nights sleep, doped up on my new medication. I was up at 6.30am and off to work by 8.30am. Late start but we have to stay until 2pm this week. Why? No-body knows.
You'll be pleased to know that I'm in good hands over here. New Zealand hospitals could take a leaf out of their books. Well some aspects of health care anyway.
Not wanting anyone at home to worry unnecessarily, I didn't mention it earlier but I had two days of stomach pains, on lower left side, which had me worried enough to seek medical care.
With our family history of appendix and peritinitis I was quick to get up to the hospital at the first sign of pain. After getting a range of tests done, including bloods, I was sent home with a plethora of medicine. Have I mentioned that they like dishing out tablets here? I also dropped off a form for an ultrasound but they had to get my health insurance approval.
The pain continued overnight but wasn't severe enough to call an ambulance. It was one of those pains that you think is going to get worse and I kept waking during the night, whether this was to check that I was ok or because of the pain I'm not sure. Of course this may be partly due to us having it drummed into us all our lives about the dangers of appendicitis. My family will relate to that comment and understand what I am talking about here.
So not taking any chance,s the next morning I stayed home from work and headed back up to the hospital. I got to see the same Dr, remembering the system here is so different from home and you take a number then sit and wait in a room like A&E. I had asked for a female Dr the day before as I'd been in two weeks ago with a similar complaint and the male Dr had hardly touched my stomach. So knowing it was going to need a good poke and prod I got a lady Dr. She assured me that my blood results were fine and she didn't think it was appendix, more likely interitis (gastro?).
At that stage I mentioned the pain had moved and was now also in the lower back. Thinking it may be gynacological she rang to see if they had any walk-in appointments available that day. Imagine that, walk-in appointments! (I know my mum & sisters will be having a fit at this news.) They had a clinic later that afternoon so I went home to rest and returned back to the hospital a few hours later. All this in a taxi. Lucky the hospital is reasonably close to where we live.
So around 1.30pm I head back up for registration at 2pm. I am third in line. I asked how it worked as I wasn't sure if there were women with appointments ahead of me but the receptionists (6 lovely Phillipino girls) assured me I was third and would be seen third. So I drink my 1.5 litres of water ready for a scan to check things out. 3pm comes and goes, 3.30, 4pm, 4.30pm and I'm bursting to go to the loo. With my Woolworths bladder I was getting very uncomfortable and wasn't looking forward to standing up! (That will get another laugh from my mum & sisters.) Finally I'm called and have to walk the gauntlet through the gyne ward full of very pregnant women to the Dr's office. A lovely man saw me and performed a scan. He didn't think it was anything gynacological but thought he'd play it safe and sent me for an urgent ultrasound. While I was in the waiting room I'd had a call from ultrasound to say my health insurance had approved an adominal scan and I had an appointment for the next day. But no, in I go immediately, still with my full bladder. I felt like one of the heavily pregnant woman as I waddled over to the radiology unit. A not so nice man thoroughly scanned my abdomin and sent a report back to the gyne Dr, who wasn't even my Dr. So back I go to him, with a bathroom stop on the way, to be told they couldn't see anything wrong but couldn't see the appendix.
Just to be safe, I'm referred to see a surgeon. So off I walk with my form to general surgery department and wait to see a surgeon. He thoroughly checks me out and declares it is colitis and dishes me up another prescription.
Each Dr cost me 30AED which you pay before you get your medical card back. So 90AED for the day's visits which equates to $30 NZD. For the numerous prescriptions the most expensive was 17.50 AED which is about $6 NZD. One lot of tablets were priced at 127 AED! So health care is very cheap, provided your insurer covers it. All this is paid by our employer so we are lucky.
To top it off, yes it gets better, I asked the surgeon about my varicous veins. Those of you who know me may know that I first visited the specialist at Palmerston North Hospital at the tender age of 17 to get them looked at. I remember him laughing at me and telling me to come back when they were worse. Which I've done many times over the following years. Subsequently, I was on the waiting list at Wairau Hosptial for 6 years to get them done before they removed me as not being urgent enough. Spending so much time in togs here I'd like them done.
I walked down one corridor and into a busy waiting room, up to reception and ask to make an appointment to see the vascular surgeon. Sorry, but it will be a month before I can see him due to Ramadam about to start. A month, I say? So now I have an appointment to see about getting my veins done in a month. No idea what it entails but will find out then make a decision. And I didn't need a referral or anything, just made the appointment myself.
By 7pm I'm back home and ready for a good nights sleep, doped up on my new medication. I was up at 6.30am and off to work by 8.30am. Late start but we have to stay until 2pm this week. Why? No-body knows.
You'll be pleased to know that I'm in good hands over here. New Zealand hospitals could take a leaf out of their books. Well some aspects of health care anyway.
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