Last weekend (30-31/1/2016) I earned myself a trip to Royal Perth Hospital, complete with a nights accommodation and a free tetanus shot! 🙂RoyalPerthHospital
I wish I could say that I attempted to something noble and brave such as saving a Fair Maiden from a Fire Breathing Dragon. Unfortunately, despite having an IQ that should allow entry into MENSA I did something completely retarded. We live on a 5 Acre Block and collect our own rainwater (no mains connection). As it was raining I wanted to measure the water level of our tank and how much water was running in. I had left our ladder at our other property and using a make shift ladder I proceeded to pull myself up on our water tank. Then, unable to resist the force of gravity I slipped and in doing cut myself on my right forearm.
As I landed on the ground I realise immediately I was in trouble. The cut was in fact a deep laceration. I could see the inside of my arm with blood gushing out. Whilst I am not one to go squeamish with blood or accidents there is something quite disconcerting when it happens to you. Remembering the first aid course I did many years ago saw me grab a towel, apply pressure, and elevate.
Unable to drive and with only the kids at home I rang the ambulance who turned up quickly ten minutes later. The ambulance officer took a look at the wound and immediately suggested that they transport me to Royal Perth Hospital as they have a specialist surgery unit.
Arriving at the hospital I was funnelled through the Emergency Section. The attending nurse had a look and then within an hour the consulting plastic surgeon came and looked at it and scheduled an operation for the next morning. It appeared that I was very lucky has despite the length and depth of the cut I had not damaged any nerves, tendons, or muscles. I was then transferred to the ward.
Despite checking in as a private patient (encouraged by admission staff, given the WA Government has no money at the moment) I ended up in a shared room. This didn’t bother me too much. In any case I didn’t sleep that well as I couldn’t really move (my arm was elevated) and you get woken up every four hours for your vitals to be checked.
Being in a shared room made me appreciate how lucky I was. The person next to me had some skin grafts done and didn’t move from his bed. The person opposite (young man, early to mid-20’s) me had managed to cut through his Achilles tendon with a lawnmower (I didn’t ask how) and also could not move. He did have other psychiatric issues, a dependency on alcohol and drugs. The person diagonally opposite had done something to his arm (which had been operated on and was going to take several weeks to heal). He was in for a few more days but then homeless and unemployed. I almost felt guilty for lack of severity of my injury.
The Hospital Staff were super friendly and accommodating.
The next day I was operated on by the Plastic Surgeon I saw the previous day. You get wheeled to the other side of Royal Perth Hospital to the Operating Theatre. On a Sunday there is a surreal feeling as the place is almost completely deserted. I didn’t have to wait long, got wheeled into theatre, and the anaesthetists put me to sleep. I woke up a couple of hours later in recovery and was allowed to go home late that night.
If I had any gripes about the whole process it would be the waiting. When you ring the Ambulance they do not / cannot tell you how long it will take to arrive. When you go through Emergency, after it is determined that your condition is stable you really just need to wait for a doctor / specialist to make a determination. And on the day of an operation you are advised that you are on the list but you are not told when. The reasoning for this is that the previous operation may go longer or a more serious patient is scheduled in front of you. I can accept all of the above but it sure would be nice if rough timelines where given. Then perhaps this could just be my Germanic obsession with being on time. 🙂 And the food wasn’t great either but then again when you have done serious injury to yourself this is not a high priority either.
You hear stories on the news about how poorly our Public Health System performs but all of my few experience, including this one contradicts this. I must honestly say that during the whole process (Ambulance, Emergency Ward, Hospital Attendance, Surgery) I felt that I was dealing with very professional and super friendly people. I have stayed in 4/5 Star Hotels where the service from the people is not anywhere near as warm.
Thoughts to keep in mind:
1. Don’t do stupid things; consider your safety. You only get one body in life. Things that seem like a good idea at the time maybe aren’t! 🙂
2. If you haven’t done so do a First Aid Course. It gives you knowledge and confidence in an emergency situation.
3. If in doubt, call 000.
4. Ensure that you have Ambulance cover (either directly or through your Health Insurance). Ambulance Transport is expensive.
5. Irrespective of how bad things seem consider the possibility that there are other people who have it much worse than yourself.
Author: Jurgen Steinert