Wednesday 27 November 2013
Friday 22 November 2013
Cardiac Care at Cairns (Base) Hospital 2013/Letter to The Cairns Post 22 Nov 2013
Dear Editor
Re Danny Lee's letter of Nov 22 regarding patient services available to her brother-in-law at CBH following heart attack.
I was in a similar and yet more fortunate situation following a heart attack and was able to leave Cairns Hospital based upon my own decision to do so and to seek other services elsewhere as time went by.
I found the staff at Cairns Hospital to be alright. As a Registered Nurse who has worked in major Sydney cardio-thoracic units, etc, I found Cairns Hospital was okay.
It's a relatively small regional hospital and does good enough of a good job in a crisis. It's like public transport; it's uncomfortable, the seats/beds are hard and the springs are stuffed, and things seem to take forever (because they do take forever), but it's relatively cheap and it does its patchwork job well enough.
If I had to talk about the consumer interface with the expert cardiac and surgical consultants, and the 'notion' of informed consent, well, that would be another thing altogether.
There seems to be an information-blockade sometimes unless you agree to every test and every treatment.
Me: "Well, from the tests and procedures you've done so far, please advise me, Doctor, of the results before I agree to any more...this helps me get an indication of what I will do next, which may not be what you advise me to do, but it could be...this is informed consent."
Reply: "Well, no, it's not like that. We don't know anything unless we do...this and then that...etc..."
I didn't like that at all because they would have known some test results and been capable of an informed talk with me but refused to; so I just walked out.
Being told that unless I have every test/procedure the specialist told me to have that I 'would end up in a pine-box', tended to cross the border from advice to intimidation. Still, he is a busy professional and gifted guy, but so am I... and I have no fear of pine boxes.
Being as precious to myself as the cardiac physician/surgeon was precious to himself, there was always bound to be some disagreements, as I am a difficult patient, being a nurse with a sound knowledge base in cardiac treatment and care, for sure...but I'm always polite and respectful and it was a shock to know this respect was not reciprocated; it was fascinating to meet a cardiac surgeon who had never heard of Westmead Hospital... but all in all the Cairns Hospital was okay.
Would I go back to the Cairns Hospital if I had some more chest pain? Well...no, not if my life depended upon it; but that's nothing personal; I just don't like people withholding information from me, information that I have every right to, unless I comply with their pontifical assumptions and fit into their structured operating times.We are all busy professional men and women operating within very concise guidelines and always with the same 'through-put' obligations surgeons have to get money..
Re Danny Lee's letter of Nov 22 regarding patient services available to her brother-in-law at CBH following heart attack.
I was in a similar and yet more fortunate situation following a heart attack and was able to leave Cairns Hospital based upon my own decision to do so and to seek other services elsewhere as time went by.
I found the staff at Cairns Hospital to be alright. As a Registered Nurse who has worked in major Sydney cardio-thoracic units, etc, I found Cairns Hospital was okay.
It's a relatively small regional hospital and does good enough of a good job in a crisis. It's like public transport; it's uncomfortable, the seats/beds are hard and the springs are stuffed, and things seem to take forever (because they do take forever), but it's relatively cheap and it does its patchwork job well enough.
If I had to talk about the consumer interface with the expert cardiac and surgical consultants, and the 'notion' of informed consent, well, that would be another thing altogether.
There seems to be an information-blockade sometimes unless you agree to every test and every treatment.
Me: "Well, from the tests and procedures you've done so far, please advise me, Doctor, of the results before I agree to any more...this helps me get an indication of what I will do next, which may not be what you advise me to do, but it could be...this is informed consent."
Reply: "Well, no, it's not like that. We don't know anything unless we do...this and then that...etc..."
I didn't like that at all because they would have known some test results and been capable of an informed talk with me but refused to; so I just walked out.
Being told that unless I have every test/procedure the specialist told me to have that I 'would end up in a pine-box', tended to cross the border from advice to intimidation. Still, he is a busy professional and gifted guy, but so am I... and I have no fear of pine boxes.
Being as precious to myself as the cardiac physician/surgeon was precious to himself, there was always bound to be some disagreements, as I am a difficult patient, being a nurse with a sound knowledge base in cardiac treatment and care, for sure...but I'm always polite and respectful and it was a shock to know this respect was not reciprocated; it was fascinating to meet a cardiac surgeon who had never heard of Westmead Hospital... but all in all the Cairns Hospital was okay.
Would I go back to the Cairns Hospital if I had some more chest pain? Well...no, not if my life depended upon it; but that's nothing personal; I just don't like people withholding information from me, information that I have every right to, unless I comply with their pontifical assumptions and fit into their structured operating times.We are all busy professional men and women operating within very concise guidelines and always with the same 'through-put' obligations surgeons have to get money..
Good manners, professionalism, the consumer-interface, and the notion of informed consent, apparently haven't arrived at Cairns Hospital as yet...but, I'm sure, in the fullness of time it will be better for everyone if someone respectfully mentions it now.
I wish Danny's brother-in-law well, and hope that he gets a nice pillow.
John Fitzpatrick Registered Nurse
I wish Danny's brother-in-law well, and hope that he gets a nice pillow.
John Fitzpatrick Registered Nurse
Sunday 17 November 2013
Bangkok Dangerous
The recent gift from the King of Thailand to the temple in India related to Buddha's birthplace, of 300 kilograms of gold bullion, now being guarded by the Thai army somewhere...may indicate either the generosity of the King, which is well known, but it may also indicate that something has happened within the Thai Royal family. A death perhaps.
Meanwhile, although the Thai Senate has rejected the troublesome Yingluck Shinawatra Bill related to National Reconciliation and Amnesty, the demonstrations and rallies in Bangkok are growing more serious, whereas they should be ebbing away. Also weapons are now flowing into the city itself.
This may indicate a very significant change has happened or is just about to.
The King's birthday is 5th December, from memory.
God Save the King, the Great King, The King of Kings, King Rama IX.
Meanwhile, although the Thai Senate has rejected the troublesome Yingluck Shinawatra Bill related to National Reconciliation and Amnesty, the demonstrations and rallies in Bangkok are growing more serious, whereas they should be ebbing away. Also weapons are now flowing into the city itself.
This may indicate a very significant change has happened or is just about to.
The King's birthday is 5th December, from memory.
God Save the King, the Great King, The King of Kings, King Rama IX.
Sunday 10 November 2013
I-Ching Readings for one year ahead
I've always had a certain delight in the ICHING as a fortune-telling oracle but I haven't done any readings of it for about 10 years because I was unhappy with my understanding of it, the limitation and preview structure of the advice from it; but now, at 60, I am pretty happy with my understanding of it, the 12 houses of it and the 3 innocent desires in it.
And I have some lovely, perfect, coins to throw now. I can't read the ICHING with sticks or beads at all, and I tried, but perfect coins are very good.
An astute reading covers the three usual areas of inquiry re the View of the future (the physical-financial, the inter-relationship, & the spiritual)...for a 12 month period.
I was very concerned with the View in terms of the time-frame... for a long time, but now I have worked it out pretty well.
For people I know the reading is free, based upon either one or 3 questions, as the person wishes. For people I don't know the Reading is $50.
There can only be one reading for any person within any one year.
The reading remains cleanly atheistic and not arising from belief systems at all but rather from an understanding of the Human Condition and the natural flow of the physical Universe in General, and equally in us, and provides a guide to an understanding of the year ahead, that naturally arises and naturally passes away in all of us from time to time.
This is just a good time for me to do it.
John
so please feel free to ask a serious question. I will treasure it into incantations and observances etc and provide an answer in reply and then I will forget about it all altogether because I can't hold any more than one I-Ching question in my mind, due to the limits of my mental facility.
And I have some lovely, perfect, coins to throw now. I can't read the ICHING with sticks or beads at all, and I tried, but perfect coins are very good.
An astute reading covers the three usual areas of inquiry re the View of the future (the physical-financial, the inter-relationship, & the spiritual)...for a 12 month period.
I was very concerned with the View in terms of the time-frame... for a long time, but now I have worked it out pretty well.
For people I know the reading is free, based upon either one or 3 questions, as the person wishes. For people I don't know the Reading is $50.
There can only be one reading for any person within any one year.
The reading remains cleanly atheistic and not arising from belief systems at all but rather from an understanding of the Human Condition and the natural flow of the physical Universe in General, and equally in us, and provides a guide to an understanding of the year ahead, that naturally arises and naturally passes away in all of us from time to time.
This is just a good time for me to do it.
John
so please feel free to ask a serious question. I will treasure it into incantations and observances etc and provide an answer in reply and then I will forget about it all altogether because I can't hold any more than one I-Ching question in my mind, due to the limits of my mental facility.
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