My experience with the Northern Hospital, Epping Melbourne in 2004

My letter to the Northern Hospital  dated the 16th July 2004

            

                                                           To Whom It may Concern.
                                                               ‘Without Prejudice’

 I am writing this letter because on the 30th January 2004, I was unlucky enough to require your services.  I presented at the Emergency Room after having a 600kg horse collapse whilst I was standing beside her, My husband drove me to the ER at approx 8.30pm, I was triaged quickly and placed in a consulting room to wait for the doctor.

 I was kept waiting for several hours and when finally seen by a doctor the doctor was going to discharge me, because it appeared that I was not in pain, as long as I was immobile.  But as soon as any pressure was applied to my leg, I went through the roof.  The doctor still said (with out X-rays) that the leg was severely bruised and rest should take care of. 

As I am a fairly docile person and have a high tolerance to pain, I thought okay, he is the professional, and he has studied and should know best.  But my husband being a little fierier than me requested X-rays.  The doctor thought these were unnecessary, but decided to shut him up anyway.  X-rays were taken and low and behold I had a broken fibula!

 The doctor was amazed that I was in so little pain, but like I had said from the time that I presented to the triage nurse I have a HIGH pain threshold due to previous injuries that have been on going.

So after a while the leg was placed in plaster and I was told to present tomorrow for a ‘plaster check’. No X-rays were taken after the plaster had been set. 

I presented for the plaster check mid afternoon the following day and was told that the plaster needed to be reapplied as the ankle had been set in the incorrect position.

I endured this with some pain, but kept my mouth shut. At this stage I was feeling useless and depressed at the fact that I was unable to earn an income and that I would be relying on people for everything from getting around to even cooking and cleaning (by the way those people that I refer to were my husband and children, 7 and 12) because I have no family within a reasonable distance who are able to assist me.

I was told that within the week I would receive an appointment card in the mail to attend the plaster clinic with the time and day on it. By the following Wednesday the swelling on my leg had reduced and I was able to get my fingertips to my ankle inside the plaster cast. The cast was offering NO support what so ever.

I presented back to the Northern to get someone to look at the plaster and replace it. I would have thought that this would have been a given, considering that I had a broken bone and the leg had not been in plaster for the 6 weeks that I thought was the norm for a broken bone. I presented at the Triage window again and requested that someone needs to look at the plaster as I believe that it is wrong and needs to be replaced. Considering I was in considerable pain and had been for a period of a week by this time, I was feeling useless, depressed and close to tears most of the time. When the triage nurse saw the plaster I believe that she agreed with me and sent me next door to the clinic within the ER.

I waited there for hours, and by this time I was crying because my leg was sore and I felt as though no one believed me.  Finally a person (a nurse)  I believe came to me, looked at the plaster and said I don’t think we need to replace this, when is your appointment with the plaster clinic? I said what appointment, I have not received any notification and I have not even had the plaster on for 1 week. In the end I had to demand that the plaster be replaced through the Doctor. Who also asked me how I was coping. I was not coping. I was unable to feed my children I was unable to wash their clothes I was even unable to have a shower by myself. When I mentioned this to the doctor he found a social worker, who after asking if I lived with anyone, I said yes, my husband. Oh well he has to help you, we can’t

This was news to me, as he was trying to supervise apprentices and stop them from presenting to the Northern Hospital minus a finger or two. Sounds funny? Well stand in his shoes and see how funny Workcover think it is when you are charged with lack of supervision of an apprentice.

 At this same appointment I was presented with a card to see the Plaster clinic doctors the following week.

 Therefore I was sent home to fend for myself,  and try and feed two children and not kill myself getting up and down the front door step to tend the animals and the children. During this time, I was still in considerable pain, and my GP thinks I may have re-broken the leg at some stage when my left leg gave out, as it is prone to do, due to previous injuries, (Which I notified the Hospital about!)

 I presented at the Northern Hospital at the Plaster Clinic had an X-ray and was told it is okay to walk on!  Haha I could not weight bear let alone stand on it and walk.  I went to my GP, a person I am sure you are familiar with.  He took one look at X-ray and put me straight back in plaster.  This time the plaster was neat and reasonably comfortable.  I waited for a further 5 weeks and then the doctor took the plaster off and was happier with the result, but due to the two weeks, without adequate support, the healing process was very slow to start.

Because of this and the fact that the leg was still very painful, I requested a referral to a Specialist, I go to see the specialist In March, 3 months after the initial accident. He was surprised, but non-committal to the treatment that I had received from the Northern Hospital.

I am writing this letter for many reasons; one is to complain about the service and the additional cost that I now have to incur because of the inadequate care that I received under the umbrella of the Northern Hospital. I am sure that when I initially presented I was seen as a hypochondriac because I was not absolute agony, once I was immobile. I am sure that when I presented to the Northern Hospital on the third occasion I was just looking for attention and I am sure that when I tried to talk to the Doctor at the Plaster clinic he saw me as a malingerer.

I am none of the above and have never been. After being involved in a car accident whereby my vehicle was rear ended by a 12 tonne truck, and not having ONE day off. I know I am not. I am by no means rich in fact; some days my husband and children get a meal of potatoes only, because there is no other food in the house.  I am no entitled to any government assistance because my husband owns his own business and because I work a taxable income. I receive NO children support, No family and no income assistance and of course no rental assistance because we are struggling to pay off our own house.

Because of your treatment or lack of it. I am now faced with huge private medical bills and also the uncertainty that had I received appropriate timely treatment, I might already be walking normally on my leg, within the ‘normal’ six week period. I would not have lost as much income, because I would have been back at work already AND not spending time at Specialists along with the money for no reason. Because I am a contractor, I am not entitled to sick leave and was lucky that I did not lose my job. AT no point in time was ANY assistance offered to me. I get the feeling that because I was not ‘on the dole’ and I was not ‘single’ I was discriminated against.

I would like your comment on this letter as a matter of course, because I would like to see what your thoughts are.

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A follow up letter from me to the Northern Hospital dated the 24th September 2004

 

 

‘Without Prejudice’

 

Mr xxxxxx

 

I have previously written to you on the 16^th July 2004, regarding a problem that I have concerning the Northern Hospital, I have yet to receive a response other than ‘we have received your letter and are looking into the matter’ which was dated the 21^st July 2004.

 

It is now 2 months since the original letter was received and I was wondering when I might receive a reply?

 

I have enclosed both letters for your perusal and thought you might like to comment on them.

 

Since that time, I am still under the care of a specialist, the swelling in my leg is still quite evident and the specialist says that it is not normal.  Tuesday the 21^st September 2004 I tripped and managed to jar my leg again. This means that I missed another day of work due to the pain and I am now back on crutches.

 

Again I believe that had I received appropriate and correct treatment in the first place I would not be in this position.

 

I am still incurring specialist fees, I am still losing money due to the fact that I am sometimes unable to drive and consequently unable to attend work and this doesn’t take into account the fact that the house is a mess. Whilst we are on the topic of care or lack of, how many 7 year olds do you know that can make their own breakfast and clean up the mess afterwards? Because I have a little boy that has been forced to do this and that makes me very sad.

 

Should you require any further information please feel free to contact me 

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I received a one paged letter, that said, sorry, we have implemented changes in the emergency department and something like this shouldn't happen again. Forget the fact I've paid $1000's if not $10,000's now in 2014, or forget the fact no-one wants to employ a 'cripple'........... Yup, forget about ALL that. As long as the hospital didn't receive any adverse media coverage.

Forget the fact I sat on an esky in the shower, for the time my leg was in plaster, forget the fact.............. Yeah, well, you know the story. You've read it.

Have any hospital horror stories? Let me know

 

 

I have Private Health Insurance .......... but for how long?

I haven’t always had private health insurance, not because I chose not to – but because I couldn’t afford to. Now that I can afford private health insurance, I’ve taken it up (as is ‘my duty’) but I am struggling to afford it.

Firstly I’m being penalised because I delayed signing up after I turned 30 (because of finances, due to injuries that prevented me from working.) I joined as soon as I could afford to.

It means that I have a 10-15% loading (penalty) because I delayed. So with every hike in insurance costs, I get a further 10-15% penalty.

Alright – so the government said everyone MUST be insured and if you’re not – we are going to penalize you.

What about a ‘reward’ if you stay signed up for 12+ months? Something like, alright we penalise you for the time it takes you to sign up for health insurance, BUT for every 12 months you stay joined, you get a 1-2% discount every year. Until you are back to the regular rates. You’d still be penalised but not at a rate that may eventually cause you to drop out of said health policy?

Let’s play pretends (with nice round figures)

M’ship length - - Pr Mnth $ - - - % Penalty - - - Total cost - - - Discount - - - Total
1yr - - - - - - - - - -$200 - - - - - - - 10% - - - - - - $220 - - - - - - - 1% - - - - - $218
2yrs - - - - - - - - - $210 - - - - - - - -10% - - - - - - $231 - - - - - - - - 2% - - - - -$226
3yrs - - - - - - - - - $220 - - - - - - - -10% - - - - - - $242 - - - - - - - - 3% - - - - - $235
4yrs - - - - - - - - - $230 - - - - - - - - 10% - - - - - -$253 - - - - - - - - 4% - - - - - $243
5yrs - - - - - - - - - $240 - - - - - - - - 10% - - - - - - $264 - - - - - - - - 5% - - - - - $251
6yrs - - - - - - - - - $250 - - - - - - - - 10% - - - - - - $275 - - - - - - - - 6% - - - - - $259
7yrs - - - - - - - - - $260 - - - - - - - - 10% - - - - - - $286 - - - - - - - - 7% - - - - - $266

So in 8-10 years, things would be back to normal and you might be enticed to stay in said health policy rather than dumping out because you can no longer afford to stay and pay both the yearly hikes and the penalty.

What say you? Are you being penalised the same as me – or don’t you have private insurance because you can’t afford to have it?

I’m beginning to wonder if $250 a month is really worth it – would I be better off putting that money in a high-interest earnings account, paying the 48% interest for having savings in the bank and use that if I need to?

Would love your thoughts.

Noting that I found this artical regarding lifetime health cover loading AKA LHC. There is no expections, no exclusions, and there is a further 2% levy if you fail to maintain your cover (even if due to financial hardship) NO EXEMPTIONS.

Another trip to the dentist

For many years I’ve had problems with my teeth, little niggly problems, that I’m sure others have similar experiences, but in reality I’m not so sure!

In 1986 I needed to see a dentist, first time, since flying the coop. I found a dentist, one that I thought was good, top end of Collins Street, Melbourne and all.

Seemed to spend a lot of time in the chair. Maybe because the bills were always paid on time, or because I was young and stupid. I don’t know.

Not long after the dreaded wisdom teeth started to put in an appearance, and true to form, nothing could be simple, of course they were impacted ALL 4 of them! The symptoms were massive migraine type headache that would incapacitate me for days on end. Only solution a full general anaesthetic, so of course booked into one of the private hospital in the inner Melbourne area.

I crawl/walk out of hospital after having a reaction to the anaesthetic (of course!) and then the real pain started.

TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder) possibly due to the over-extension of my jaw during the extractions – who knows. It meant that I was unable to eat a forkful of food, I was unable to raise myself off the floor when lying on my stomach. And they are just the things I remember (besides the pain)

I trundle back off to the dentist, who installs a splint (removable thing, that is supposed to rest the jaw muscles) 2 years later and no real improvement. Next solution (remember I trust this guy) grind my adult teeth down to try and improve my bite, again no success.

So two options left, keep the splint (making me lisp and making employment involving a telephone useless) OR spend LOTS of money on orthodontics. Of course, being young and stupid I took the second option.

2 years later, the pain is reduced, the headaches still evidence, I’ve got straight teeth, I’ve spent enough money for a house deposit and still got problems. FFS!

Essentially I give up. But every 12months or so – regardless of how often or well I brush my teeth – I end up with a tooth infection/abscess. Doesn’t matter if I get 6 monthly check-ups or not. The same thing happens almost every year.

Because of high pain tolerances, The only symptom is something similar to sinus pain, and a headache to boot. The first time it happened, took the GP 6 months to realise what the problem was and because there was no surface pain I had no idea.

It’s happened again (6-7th time), this time I’ll bypass the GP and head straight to the dentist. Ayn is used to me and my self-diagnosis, and I’ve not been wrong yet.

By the way – a Chiro helped with the headaches and I’m still seeing him now, once a month, and it’s well worth the money (my hubby calls him a fish monger!) But I don’t care if it works for the body or the mind, then that is all that matters!

Busy parents, home-made meals, how can it be done?

Having home cooked meals ready for when you get home is really easy, doesn’t even require much preparation – believe it or not.

There’s not need for it to be expensive either.

Essential ingredients:-
1 x freezer
?? x single serve or multiple serve freezer containers
WASHED potatoes (very important – the washed bit)

After that the world is your oyster

I’m the first to admit it – I’m no masterchef, even if I do have a cookbook to my name Marysville Cookbook It’s amazing what generational education can teach you. These recipes are from my grandmother and mother and some I've collected myself

Simple recipes are the key to any success in the kitchen, simple ingredients, simple instructions, little stirring, little time consuming sautéing, little standing in front of stove type recipes. That is the key to healthy home-cooked recipes for the family.

Trick Number 1 – Always cook more than you need, Freeze the left-over for meals later.
Trick Number 2 – never peel another potato again
Trick Number 3 – want roast vegies? – Cook them in the microwave (about 20min) before transferring to oven and lightly coating with Olive oil to complete the cooking.
Trick Number 4 – a slow cooker is a brilliant thing – learn to use it
Trick Number 5 –next time you need a microwave, buy one you can pre-set the start and finish times – a wonderful invention
Trick Number 6 – Saturday/Sunday when I’m doing other things around the house. I’ll cook a meal or two. Not just 1-2 servings but multiples of, soup/stews/casseroles are a wonderful thing to cook copious amounts of. You don’t have to eat them all at once. That’s what the freezer is for.
Trick Number 7 – Failures more often than not, taste the best.

The 7 steps to success (in my kitchen)

Here is my freezer, a little light on ‘stock’ but plenty of single serve meals, single serve because of family dynamics have changed and this allows for 1-2 or 5-6 quick meals to be on hand at ANY time.

Antibiotics, Your Health and Your Childrens Health

I’ve spoken about this topic before here Anti-Bacterial Wipes, Sprays and Hand Washes 30.09.09 I suppose what makes me write again is last night while watching “A Current Affair” (Yes, I sick in mind and body) ACA - 29.04.10They made reference to the fact that perhaps peanut allergies and food allergies in general have increased 400% and this MAY possibly be due to the over-cleanliness of homes.

I was then reading this article today ABC 30.04.10 indicating that we are on the verge of a ‘superbug’ that will be resistant to ALL forms of current antibiotics. This scares me silly.

The New York Times makes reference to a very recent incident New York Times 27.02.10 From a further article also in the New York Times New York Times #2 27.02.10 it states “It is likely to be several years before new drugs to treat Gram-negative infections are available. A report last September by European health authorities found only six novel drugs in clinical trials that might work against at least one Gram-negative organism, compared with 13 for Gram-positive bacteria.”

Noting that the Gram-negative bacteria are even more resist to antibiotics that the MRSA bacteria which is prevalent in Australian Hospitals and is the bug that many Australian hospitals are trying to prevent under the ‘debug’ program, which involves hand washing between patients with an alcohol based dry hand wash from pumping stations available outside each ward.

Therefore our use and overuse of anti-bacterial products and antibiotics may just be harming our children and their children. Perhaps over-zealous cleaning in the house is also causing allergies, and the medical industry is already aware that overuse of antibiotics and the non-completion of prescribed courses is causing the creation of the superbug.

I’m not saying live like pigs, but I am saying perhaps put down that liquid anti-bacterial soap and pick up the one without the germicide in it. It cleans just as well, if not better than the ‘other’ one.

If the doctor prescribes antibiotics, consume them all, until the course is completed, not until you feel better.

If you are a city slicker, I’m sure you noticed that your country cousins never seem to be sick, it is a proven fact that children exposed to ‘germs’ on the land, or farms have a proven immunity to general coughs and colds and similar. Even an open graze seems to be offered protection from infection simply because of lifestyle.

Keep this in mind and perhaps try imitating our country cousins, they do say that imitation is the best form of compliment.

Dying for your music

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you”, will be a phrase heard more often as the years pass. Since the conception of personal music players, currently known as iPods, or even iPhones, the state of our ears, thus our hearing has declined dramatically.

This not only affects our hearing, but also our speech, or even the ability to learn or even cross a busy road. If you can’t hear yourself speak, then it is likely that your speech will deteriorate with time, unless you are very aware that this is the case. If you can’t hear the teacher speak, then of course you will not be able to learn everything that is being covered in the course/lesson. If you are crossing at an unmarked crossing on the road, you may not hear a car, a bicycle or even an emergency vehicle and thus place yourself in danger, without even realizing it. Hearing loss can and will impact your life in ways you wouldn’t even think possible, until it is too late.

According to a recent large scale report from scientists of the European Commission examined the use of personal music players such as the iPod and they determined as many as 1 in 10 users of personal music players are at risk of suffer permanent hearing loss if they listen to a PMP at high levels more than one hour a day for five years.

The impact on understanding the world around you - Noise-induced hearing loss makes it difficult to understand what is being said in restaurants and other places with background noise. Conversations sound muffled, as if coming through a hotel room wall. It also becomes difficult to hear high-frequency, soft consonants, such as "s," "t," "f," "h" and the "sh" sound.

Imagine having a church bells ringing in your ears constantly – it may not be that loud – but from 2 blocks away, the sound is the same. That is called Tinnitus and while tinnitus may come and go for some, it’s constant for others and can be a particularly frustrating. Around half of those who suffer from it find their sleep is affected, which in turn can cause tiredness that both impacts their ability to work and the quality of their home life or even their social life and communication.

There is no cure – other than hearing aids, which although with new technology are now almost invisible. Imagine having to ‘plug into’ the world EVERY day for the rest of your life, just so you can hear your children speak.

There are others forms of hearing loss, most often industrial hearing loss, but with the implementation of OH&S policies, the incidence of this type of hearing loss is being greatly reduced.

Jeff Rich, former drummer of Status Quo, warned people against misguided over-confidence and against ignoring the scientific proof that loud noise causes hearing loss. He was unaware of this when he played in his band. As a result Rich has lost 70 percent of his hearing in his right ear and 50 percent in his left. He now requires hearing aids to function in society.

It is estimated that, one in eight children or young adolescents in the 6-19 year age group suffers from hearing loss caused by excessive noise. Once you lose part of your hearing, it is lost forever.
Remember – once the ability to hear clearly is no longer present, you may have trouble communicating with others, communicating with your employer or even doing your job at the required standard if your hearing is an important part of performing your job, for example answering the telephone.

Turn that iPod down, turn that stereo down and remember once your hearing has left the building, it will never return!

Taxes, Taxes, Budget in 2010 and Smoking

The poor smoke AND drink, the rich drink. The newest, shiniest, soon to be released budget is toting all sorts of healthcare funding, some community groups are saying raise the taxes on tobacco products by 25%, that will help fund the health component of this budget.

Now let’s be fair, if you are going to raise the cost of tobacco related products by 25%, then let’s raise the cost of alcohol related products by 25% also. All’s fair in love and war.

Remember both 'bad' habits are legal, smoking is taxed already beyond what would be considered normal, and the only reason the government gets away with it, is the addictive nature of the product.

Why doesn't the government sponsor people to undergo 'treatment' to assist them in stopping, smoking and drinking? The reason why they don't, it would defeat the purpose of putting the taxes up.

They want the profits, they want you to smoke and drink, and they would be the first to complain when the margins dropped when people DID STOP drinking and smoking.

And that is all I’m going to say on this matter today!

My Garden, My Food, My family, My Budget

March 2010

These last two weeks have been bountiful in the harvests, and our family has enjoyed eating fresh picked and home-grown food.

Some of the produce harvested this week – Over 10kg of Zucchini, 4kg of Almonds, 3 Chestnuts, 1 Mandarin, 500g of Blackberries. (Please no comment on the quantity of Chestnuts and Mandarines, this is the trees’ first fruiting season)

This week I’ve made Zucchini Chutney, Fig Jam (courtesy of the neighbours) every meal has had Zucchini in it and the Blackberries didn’t make it more than 2m from the bush, the same for the Mandarin and the Chestnuts which will have a ceremonial roasting when we light the fire.

There is currently a debate on eating locally, eating locally produced in-season food. I agree. Alright – you can have strawberries and apples in the middle of winter, but people just don’t realize is that cost of growing, storing and transporting those vegetables to places they are not meant to be in the middle of winter is huge, not just the dollar value – but the cost to environment and your health.

It is estimated that if a family were to eat ‘in-season’ i.e. fruit and vegetables that are grown in the area AND in season at the time of shopping, this could save as much as 20% in plain dollar terms. On the average bill of $50, that would mean a saving of $10 per week which is a whopping $500.00 saving per year. Simply by buying what is right not what is wanted.

Add to that cost, the cost of keeping and transporting out of season and out of area fruit and the cost to the environment is huge. The cost can add up to 500% to out of season fruit and vegetables. Imagine paying 500% for your electricity. Would you do that if you had alternative choices? I don’t think so.

Not everybody has access to a garden, but you have family and friends and often they have fruit trees that are bending, almost breaking with the weight of fruit. Why not stew some, jam some, eat some, just plain old use some.

The cost of good quality jam is around the $4.00-$5.00 mark – why not reduce that to $0.50-$1.00. I made fig jam this week and the cost was $2.00 for the sugar and about 3 hours effort with little monitoring. The jars, well you collect those all year, so the cost is nothing. I made 12 jars of Fig jam which will last for 12 months and there is enough to give away to friends.

My garden grows my food, as long as I look after it. My food is for my family and it must be of a high quality. We waste nothing, if we can’t use it immediately, we find something that can be made so the produce is not wasted. If all else fails we blanche the products and freeze for later use.

My budget for food shopping is pretty good, simply because we buy specials, we buy bulk items and we do without and supplement where we can. So mushrooms in the casserole? You can do without, without affecting the taste!

And if you are looking for a cookbook - look at Cookbook for Marysville

A Story about getting on in life

In 1998 I was involved in a rather serious car accident, one that the only thing which stopped the car from exploding was the spare tyre that was punctured rather than the gas tank exploding.

I had been on the way to work – a reasonably new job of 3 months, I took 1 day off work to sort all the insurance out and report the accident to the police and go see the doctor.

For 8 years, I fought to keep a job, (where I was working forced me out - I should have sued, but it was all too much), I fought to keep my family together, my sanity and my house. We weren’t entitled to any government assistance due to issues with a failing business, TAC refused to pay any income support because my husband should have been able to help me home, not someone from the TAC. I told them time and time again, that he couldn’t leave apprentices in the factory – due to workcover regulations that could see him locked up in jail if the apprentices did something stupid – he would automatically get the blame.

So we struggled, we struggled to keep food on the table, we struggled to stay sane. We lived in a pigsty, because my back was too sore and I was too tired to do any housework, when I got home from paid work. I couldn’t lift my children. I had to work to pay the child care fees, because TAC wouldn’t pay the fees, and I couldn’t stay home AND afford to send the children to childcare. I barely had enough money to put food on the table. Work was the lesser of two evils.

I remember once asking the CES for $5-$10 so I could buy some potatoes (It’s amazing what you can do with potatoes) and they turned me away – I’ve never begged in my life – I didn’t know where to turn. We went hungry that night.

Things eased slightly when my youngest went to school. Still no permanent work – but at least no child care fees and people looked after me – loaned me money for work yet to be done, found me work. ‘Real’ employers didn’t want someone who couldn’t use their right arm sometimes, or walked with a limp.

Until recently, I didn’t have a permanent job – and I believe that was because of my disabilities.

Some 6 years later, just when I was starting to get my life back on track, another near fatal accident, which broke and crushed my leg. To this day the fibula is still broken.

Finally things started looking up – the bills get paid on time – the mortgage is paid up and beyond, finally we no longer need to scrimp and save just to have clothes and shoes to wear.

With perseverance I’ve come to realise that life is for living – I’ve had too many close calls not to realise this

You can move on – it takes time – it takes patience and most of all strength of character to succeed where others often fail.

Life is precious, family even more so and if you take one thing away from reading this – it is “Life continues with or without you, so make sure you are included, not excluded.”

The day I killed my horse

My horse, my friend of 20 years. She was a big girl, 18hh for those who understand that. She was crop high and had no neck. She was a registered appaloosa. Everyone who had ever seen her, always remembered her. She was a striking girl. No neck, almost steel grey in summer and speckled grey in winter.

I received a call from the owners of the property that she was staying on for grass control to advise me she had been rolling and was sweating. I raced home, suspecting that she had colic.

I called the vet and organized for them to meet me at home (500m from the property) I walked her home with the Old Man, her life-time mate following, no halter, no bridle.

The vet gave her some pain killers and then the waiting began. I walked and walked and walked her. For 5 hours. There is little else that can be done. An operation can be done, but the cost and the age of the horse, pre-determined that this was not a viable option.

The Old Man, walked beside me almost the entire time, encouraging her, encouraging me to try and fix the pain. It was a constant battle to keep her on her feet. She constantly wanted to roll to stop the pain. This is the worst thing you can let them do.

The vet came back and advised there was nothing else could be done. A decision had to made and the sooner the better.

I sent the children down to the property that the horses had come from to advise them that needed to come and say good-bye. Hubby was yet to come home. I was alone. She went to roll again. The pain killers must have been wearing off. I ended up underneath her. I heard my leg ‘pop’ the pain was unbearable.

I remember her getting up and off me, the pain was agonizing. I rolled under a raised water tank, thinking that would give me some protection if she came down again.

The Old Man was trying to help her. She was trying to figure out why I was hiding from her.

Hubby came home, called out apparently, I don’t remember hearing him. The kids came back with the friends to say goodbye to her. All these people and no-one could see me!

Finally I was spotted under the tank, passed out. Many hands tried to get me out and walking. I couldn’t weight bear.

Ambulance was called, I refused to leave until she had been “dropped” In other words killed.

All was organized. All was done, I could leave, knowing that I had done the best thing I could in the circumstances. I could not leave her to suffer and I refused to leave my friend of 20 years in agony whilst I was tended.

RIP – Garrisson Three Bells (Char) – I knew you and loved you for 20 years.

See tomorrows post for the continuing story........................

The Magical Mystical Handbag of a Woman

As a woman, I am just as guilty as the next……. If the world were to end tomorrow – I’m sure I would be able to feed, water and cater for the needs of at least 10 human beings, all from the confines of my overweight, over-sized handbag!

In theory this might be great but……….. it leaves many women with sore backs, arms and necks, simply because they do carry too much ‘stuff’ around on a daily basis.

Let’s be honest, let’s be minimalist. We carry far too much around and it is affecting our health.

Hands up – who carries, make-up, pen/s, notepad, book, diary, phone, headache tablets, chocolate (for a quick pick-me-up) This can weigh almost 2kilos. Bet you never thought of that.

Add to that keys, wallet and ‘other’ stuff and you are carrying the weight of small newborn child on one half of your body.

This affects the muscles in your neck as the weight pulls down on your shoulder, it can compress the ribs on the side you carry your bag. It can harm the tendons and muscles in your arm if you prefer to carry the bag over your arm. This can affect the way you walk, it can cause headaches and muscle aches, that would not occur if you didn’t carry this much weight around.

If you are fortunate enough to own a mini-PC, you know the type less than 30cm/12” in length, don’t go adding that to the burden, get yourself a slim-line back pack to take that weight.

If you have children, it is tempting to add their ‘stuff’ to your bag also, you think it is easier than taking two bags to the same location. Do get a second bag for the kids’ stuff, because as sure as there is day and night, you never quite take all the stuff out when you get back home, thus adding more weight to your bag.

So in closing, think of these things:-
1. Do you really need such a big bag?
2. Get a backpack for mini-PC’s
3. Get a 2nd bag for the kids’ ‘stuff’
4. Make a regular thing of checking what is actually in your bag and be critical
5. Consider a stylish backpack, instead of a ‘handbag’
6. If your shoulder, arms, neck or back are sore – get it checked out
7. If you can manage it – use a small/er bag as often as possible

Good luck and remember – you were only given 1 body to last a life-time!

Death in A Can.

We all know the names, Black Stallion, Buzz Monkey, Cocaine, Hero, Lift Plus, Lucozade, Mother, Red Bull, Red Eye, Rock, Rockstar, V – We ALL know someone who has tasted one of these products at least once in their life, perhaps they have had more than a ‘taste’.

I am targeting one brand at the moment that appears to breaking all sorts of moral rules and regulations.

I am currently looking at a can of Rockstar energy drink, no big deal you say, this can is 710ml in volume, 22cm tall and 7cm in diameter and it looks HUGE. I mean a can of coke is just over ½ the size of this can.

The can itself, other than looking HUGE looks harmless UNTIL you roll the can over and read:- Usage: Consume no more than 500ml per day. Yet this can is packaged at 710ml – so who in their right mind would measure half the can, then re-seal it, so that it may be consumed the day after?

Why is this company that admits there are health concerns (Product contains caffeine. This product is not recommended for children, pregnant or lactating women, or individuals sensitive to caffeine. Consume responsibly) package their money earning products in such volumes which they openly admit is over the daily limit?

(please click to enlarge)


*All figures are above the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake)

These drinks are advertised as giving you a pick-me-up when you are a little tired, giving you more energy and get up and go than any other product on the market.

Some of the health concerns raised are:- severe tooth decay, heart problems, tooth staining, liver damage, kidney damage, diabetes, Nausea, vomiting.

Deaths have occurred when mixing Vodka and Energy Drinks. Some countries have banned the product from being retailed in the country due to health concerns.

Some confirmed health issues are whole mouth tooth decay, reduction in bone density, which leads to fractures and breaks, aggression, heart palpitations, kidney failure, liver failure, headaches, heart failure, dehydration.

These are just some of the concerns, along with the manufacturers OWN Admission that the product is not recommended for children or individuals sensitive to caffeine.

At what age are you considered no longer a child and who is monitoring the purchase of these products? If a milkbar owner sells one of these cans to a child of 14-15yo – who is monitoring the milkbar owner?

Is it his responsibility or should these products be removed from sale and only be allowed sold on/in licensed premises?

Your thoughts and ideas appreciated - perhaps the voices of the public need to be heard above the voices of the conusmers?

Let your thoughts be known!

Morals in the employment field

I once had the opportunity to accept a high paying job, very close to home. One that on the surface, it suited me – I suited it.



The job interview was a success, the offices were nice, the parking good, like I said everything a girl could want.

UNTIL………………….. I was browsing the product lines that were manufactured and I realized this company made energy drinks. This was way before they become a fad, way before people even knew what they were and how much damage they could cause when used incorrectly.

The product was not widely available back then, the warning label clearly stated, not suitable for people under the age of 18years, not suitable for pregnant or lactating women, not suitable if you have a heart condition. So many warnings on a product that was available on the open market to be abused.

I made a decision, right there, right then. Regardless of the outcome of the interview, regardless of the pay conditions, regardless of how good the position was – I would not take this position.



I could not take this position on moral grounds.



I would be interested in your thoughts and what you would have done in the same situation.

Anti-bacterial wipes, sprays, hand-washes

It is now fashionable to carry and use copious amounts of anti-bacterial ‘goo’ I can not understand why – I can’t fathom why people would knowingly place their immune system at risk of permanently breaking down.

As a parent I made a deliberate decision not to allow anti-bacterial anything into my house, other than when my child was under 12 months old and really that was only Milsons Sterilizing Tablets for the baby bottles and teats .

My house is clean – I allow cleaning products into the house, bleach is a brilliant cleaner, sanatiser, anti-bacteria preventative. My children rarely go to the doctors for infections of any kind, in fact just the other day, my daughter wanted to know why she never has antibiotics when all her other friends have them all the time. She thought she was missing out on something.

I purposely made my house an ‘anti’ anti-bacterial wash/powder/spray zone because I believe that they are causing more people to be sick rather than stay well.

I understand that in a hospitals where the immune system is compromised and with the assistance of anti-bacterial hand washes many infections have been cut off at the pass. But to use these products in the general community I believe is asking for trouble.

By using these products we are inviting our children to become sick, we are asking for their immunity to become compromised. These types of anti-bacterial products actually cause the bugs that cause sickness to become stronger and more resistant to the antibiotics that we currently have in use today.

Antibiotics were first an effective medication about 1890, The first sign of antibiotic resistant was noted in 1943. Since that date, the number of infections caused by resistant bacteria is climbing on a daily basis. Some infections can only be treated by other means that are not antibiotic reliant. This problem is becoming bigger and bigger.

It is possible that within a matter of years the ‘super’ bug will cause more deaths than knife wounds and bullets.

As a household do you purposely look for cleaning products, hand washes that are NOT anti-bacterial?

Do you use these often and purchase them for exactly that purpose?

I would like your input – am I the only crazy one in this world or do others stand beside me on my little island?

Feedback appreciated.