Well thanks to Dustin, we came across some more differences between Australia and the United States. This Tuesday, Dustin had varicose vein stripping surgery. This surgery is NOT because he is old and out of shape, in fact just the opposite. Had he not started running again, and lost all the weight he has, he might never have realized how bad his veins were.
So let's start at the beginning....
Since we have private insurance, we are able to go to the private hospital in the area, St. John's of God in Subiaco. It is about a 10 - 15 minute drive from the house. Unlike doctor visits, we did not have to pay out of pocket, but instead the hospital files directly with our insurance (BUPA). To get to this point however we did have to:
-see a GP ($70 out of pocket)
-go to a Vascular ultrasound ($500 out of pocket)
-back to the GP to get another referral ($70 out of pocket)
-see a specialist and decide on surgery ($190 out of pocket)
* It was the going to the GP twice rather than just the specialist that was most frustrating and different.
On the day of surgery we had to arrive at the hospital at 7 am for admissions. Dustin did not have to go to any pre-op testing so this was the first time we had seen the hospital. However admissions did call to confirm details and ask medication, overall health questions, etc.
Initially we were moved through the process rather quickly, and it seemed to be smooth sailing. We were asked to wait in two different waiting rooms, before Dustin was brought to his "room". This is where his bed was and where he had to change into the hospital gown. I say room, but it was just a big area with about 8 or so bays. Each bed was separated by curtains, so we could hear everyone around us and by the time we left, knew what each one was there for that day!
At this point it was about 7:30...again, I thought we were doing great on time and Dustin would surely be going into surgery soon. WRONG....he was not scheduled for surgery until about 10 or so, IF the case before him ran on time. Regardless of what time your surgery is, you have to arrive at 7 and wait your turn. When I found that out, I was thankful that Dustin was the 2nd surgery of the day, and we would not have to wait for 6 hours before he was even taken back.
So we waited....and waited. Now, I am basing all of these comparisons on my surgery from last August, so I figured at some point they would have come and put in his IV and started him on some sort of relaxing drug. Again, I was wrong. Dustin had to lie and wait until about 10 am when they came to bring him to the "holding bay". I was not allowed to go with him at this point, so the next bit is from his recall ;)
In the holding bay, he had to wait about another 20 minutes until he was finally brought in the operating room or theatre as they call it. It was here that they inserted his IV. He said that he was prepared to count backwards as soon as they inserted the first medication, but he got to 1 and the next thing he remembers is waking up in recovery. All he had time to think to himself was "Elvis has left the building"
When he was brought back, I was told that I could go to another waiting room close to where his overnight room would be. When I got to his "ward" I noticed another big difference. Security. I was pretty much able to walk where ever I wanted and not one person asked what I was doing there. The only time I was questioned was while I was sitting and waiting. They were wondering why I was waiting so long instead of having left and come back. As if I would leave while my husband was in surgery....however, I did go and get a coffee and find a comfortable couch to sit and read.
Initially the surgery was supposed to take no longer than 90 minutes, so at 11:30 when I first bothered the nurses as to where Dustin was, I was told still in surgery. They were delayed. So I sat back down and waited...and waited...and pestered the nurse two more times until 2 pm when they finally brought him to his room.
Even though we asked for a private room, those are reserved for people staying longer bits of time. Dustin was sharing a room with an older gentlemen who was apparently hard of hearing. During the night this old man kept Dustin up with his coughing and incessant "expulsion of gas".
I won't go into ALL the details, but suffice to say that the medication made Dustin loopy and much of what he said the first few hours after the surgery did not make much sense. Nor does he remember much. He did have a good time joking around with the nurses =) For the most part the nurses were knowledgable and attentive. DIFFERENCE: Dustin asked one of the nurses for the device that he was to blow into to clear his lungs to prevent fluid build up. We were told that those had to be ordered by a specialist who would then have to show him how to use it. Of course this would be billed as a separate expense...plus the machine was expensive. Bottom line, they cost money and are not given unless absolutely necessary. So Dustin did not get his machine. Instead he was told to cough and breathe deeply. As he says, all of the advances that have been made with modern medicine and he is told to breathe deeply.
A great friend offered to pick the girls up from school and bring them back to their house (THANK YOU Marie!!!). So I stayed until about 4:30 and left to go get the girls. We then all came back to visit before having to leave for the night. The girls did a fantastic job of being careful with Daddy's legs and NOT being too loud in the room. (This was no small feat for Addie). As expected, both of them are not big on hospitals and did not like seeing Daddy like he was. Because Morgan had a big day on Wednesday, we said our good byes and headed home. Plus, Dusty needed his sleep....he was still not feeling well from the anesthesia and medications.
The plan for the next day was to drop the girls off at school and then head to the hospital to wait for Dustin to be discharged. We were told that he would be discharged close to 10 am, but it could be early if we needed to leave sooner. (which we needed to, so we could make it to Morgan's race). On my way from dropping off the girls I got a text from Dustin asking when I would be back because I had to learn how to give him a shot in the stomach. I thought he was kidding....he was not. When I got to his room, he looked a lot better than the day before...but the pain was starting to kick in.
So I was shown how to change his bandages, given instructions on his medicine, and then taught how to give him a shot....in the stomach. I am not sure who was more nervous, Dustin or myself. Luckily I only have to give him 4 shots in total at home. After that, we were free to leave. I asked Dustin if the doctor had been by. Nope...not once after the surgery. His resident came by to check on Dustin, but that was it. We thought we would have to sign papers for the discharge....again nope. We were handed our supplies and Dustin WALKED out of the hospital. A wheelchair was offered, but not mandatory.
Now overall, I cannot say that the care Dustin received was bad. In fact, the nurses handled him very well. However, no one went out of their way to make him comfortable. Everything was very matter of fact and basic. No extras, because that would have cost money. I think the biggest difference was the process of how things worked.
So now Dustin is at home for 2 weeks recovering. It is day one and he is already bored....at least we have the shot in the mornings to keep things interesting ;)
Hugs to you all,
Amy
06 September 2012
05 September 2012
Where has the time gone?
I cannot believe that it has been almost 2 months since my last post. Looking back at my iCalendar, one would certainly understand why!! We have been on the go with everything from birthday parties to surgery. So in similar fashion to a Christmas letter, I will write a little about everything =)
July was actually pretty low key. The girls had two week vacation in early July and we decided to take it easy. They had officially finished HALF of their first school year in Perth. At the end of the 1st semester, the school distributes reports. Up until this point, the only report card or grade we have received was at the end of the first term. It was a portfolio of the girls work, and did not include numerical or letter grades. In fact they will not be graded on the scale that we are used to ever. So the report was a written report on the girls progress thus far. For Morgan it was a 4 page document, and every teacher (classroom, music, pe, French, etc) had to evaluate Morgan. For Addison, her classroom teacher had to assess her in 8 different areas using 180 words for each area. All I can say is WOW...the amount of time spent on these reports is incredible. Overall, we are pleased with both girls' reports. Morgan is right where she needs to be and skipping half of 2nd grade has not put her behind at all. She is excelling in Language arts and Music. Addie...well Addie surprised us all. Apparently she is a rather smart little girl and has learned so much in a short period of time. She is one of the top readers in her class and is close to being able to read chapter books on her own. According to her teacher, she is logical and inquisitive. Oh and she also enjoys being in charge ;)
Once Term 3 started, we were off and running! The girls started swim 2 days a week, and Morgan continued with Netball. Addie LOVES swim and does not complain one bit that the water is cold...remember we are swimming in Winter right now. Often it is cold, rainy, and windy. They have a wetsuit and are quite the troopers. Morgan is continuing to improve on her strokes...we just need to get her breaststroke kick down.
Netball for Morgan was a huge success. Her team worked so well together and was undefeated for the season. It was awesome to see how much they improved over the season! Morgan really took to the sport and I think she will continue to play during our time here. She is quite the athlete!
Also starting in Term 3 were piano lessons for the girls. They are learning using the Suzuki method, which means that I join them during their lessons. So for an hour on Wednesdays I am up at school learning piano with the girls =) They are offered through the school and are during the school day. Right now we are still learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but hopefully we move on quickly to another song!
Within a two week period the girls both went on two excursions. Clearly field trips are not cost prohibitive at a private school ;) The first field trip Addie took was to the Zoo. I of course volunteered to chaperone, only to find out that Addie did not want me to. When her teacher asked her why...her response was "I really just feel that my mom is at school too much. I am a big girl now, and I really need to start doing this thing on my own." Uh really???? She is FIVE...lord help me now. SO after a few days of thinking about it, Addie said I could help out (the teacher needed moms), but she did not want to be in my group. When it finally came down to it, she changed her mind and decided I was cool enough after all, and she was in my group. She even had a smile as we walked around the Zoo. Even if Addie did not want me there, one of the little boys I walked around with did. His mom told me that he went home that night all excited I went to the zoo with them. Morgan went on a "walkabout" of the neighborhood surrounding their school, sketching and discussing different architecture. Another day, they took the train and went to the local shops to again discuss and view the different styles of architecture.
The other field trip for Addie was local and less exciting, so I did not go...instead I decorated the door for their Book Week.
One of the things that PLC is good at is balancing academics and arts. For a week the entire school celebrated Book Week and Arts Day. Each day was full of different activities centered around books and the arts. On Tuesday, the girls dressed up as they favorite book character. Morgan decided to dress up as Paulina from an Australian book series. Addie dressed up as Fancy Nancy. Both looked awesome in their costumes. Addie's included a wig that she did NOT like....it came off an hour after she got to school. She said she did not like that she looked so different in the wig. Morgan had to make her entire costume, so we made her a wig out of yarn....that she kept on all day ;)
The highlight of Book Week for our family, was Morgan's performances. On Friday, she sang two songs with her Petit Chorale, as well as performed a song with her house group. But what made us the most proud, was her INDIVIDUAL performance in front of a library full of people. The girls were able to sign up to "busk". Basically this is performing for donations. Morgan signed up to sing "Bare Necessities" SOLO. Can I just tell you how amazed I am at her singing talent? I truly had no idea she could sing like she can. She amazes us everyday.
As if ALL that was not enough, Morgan was asked to run in a cross country race for school. Based on her running time in PE, they asked her to run a 1K. And of course as if our schedule could ever be anything but crazy, her race started an HOUR after Dustin was discharged from the hospital. Dustin was bound and determined to be there for Morgan, and so he was. And of course, she was thrilled he was there =) While she did great, sprinting might be more her speed. When it was all over, she said she liked it and would think about continuing training. We'll see how that goes.
FINALLY, as a family we participated in the "City to Surf" race. The girls and I completed a 4k along with several friends, while Dustin ran the half marathon. It was a good family day, and we all had a successful race. The event was HUGE with over 42,000 participants.
WHEW....in all of that, throw in 4 birthday parties, a Smashing Pumpkins Concert, a beach BBQ, playdates, volunteering at school, and all of life's daily chores. Now I know how our 8 months here has gone by so quickly!
We think of home often, and miss you all!
Hugs
Amy
July was actually pretty low key. The girls had two week vacation in early July and we decided to take it easy. They had officially finished HALF of their first school year in Perth. At the end of the 1st semester, the school distributes reports. Up until this point, the only report card or grade we have received was at the end of the first term. It was a portfolio of the girls work, and did not include numerical or letter grades. In fact they will not be graded on the scale that we are used to ever. So the report was a written report on the girls progress thus far. For Morgan it was a 4 page document, and every teacher (classroom, music, pe, French, etc) had to evaluate Morgan. For Addison, her classroom teacher had to assess her in 8 different areas using 180 words for each area. All I can say is WOW...the amount of time spent on these reports is incredible. Overall, we are pleased with both girls' reports. Morgan is right where she needs to be and skipping half of 2nd grade has not put her behind at all. She is excelling in Language arts and Music. Addie...well Addie surprised us all. Apparently she is a rather smart little girl and has learned so much in a short period of time. She is one of the top readers in her class and is close to being able to read chapter books on her own. According to her teacher, she is logical and inquisitive. Oh and she also enjoys being in charge ;)
Once Term 3 started, we were off and running! The girls started swim 2 days a week, and Morgan continued with Netball. Addie LOVES swim and does not complain one bit that the water is cold...remember we are swimming in Winter right now. Often it is cold, rainy, and windy. They have a wetsuit and are quite the troopers. Morgan is continuing to improve on her strokes...we just need to get her breaststroke kick down.
Netball for Morgan was a huge success. Her team worked so well together and was undefeated for the season. It was awesome to see how much they improved over the season! Morgan really took to the sport and I think she will continue to play during our time here. She is quite the athlete!
Also starting in Term 3 were piano lessons for the girls. They are learning using the Suzuki method, which means that I join them during their lessons. So for an hour on Wednesdays I am up at school learning piano with the girls =) They are offered through the school and are during the school day. Right now we are still learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, but hopefully we move on quickly to another song!
Within a two week period the girls both went on two excursions. Clearly field trips are not cost prohibitive at a private school ;) The first field trip Addie took was to the Zoo. I of course volunteered to chaperone, only to find out that Addie did not want me to. When her teacher asked her why...her response was "I really just feel that my mom is at school too much. I am a big girl now, and I really need to start doing this thing on my own." Uh really???? She is FIVE...lord help me now. SO after a few days of thinking about it, Addie said I could help out (the teacher needed moms), but she did not want to be in my group. When it finally came down to it, she changed her mind and decided I was cool enough after all, and she was in my group. She even had a smile as we walked around the Zoo. Even if Addie did not want me there, one of the little boys I walked around with did. His mom told me that he went home that night all excited I went to the zoo with them. Morgan went on a "walkabout" of the neighborhood surrounding their school, sketching and discussing different architecture. Another day, they took the train and went to the local shops to again discuss and view the different styles of architecture.
The other field trip for Addie was local and less exciting, so I did not go...instead I decorated the door for their Book Week.
One of the things that PLC is good at is balancing academics and arts. For a week the entire school celebrated Book Week and Arts Day. Each day was full of different activities centered around books and the arts. On Tuesday, the girls dressed up as they favorite book character. Morgan decided to dress up as Paulina from an Australian book series. Addie dressed up as Fancy Nancy. Both looked awesome in their costumes. Addie's included a wig that she did NOT like....it came off an hour after she got to school. She said she did not like that she looked so different in the wig. Morgan had to make her entire costume, so we made her a wig out of yarn....that she kept on all day ;)
The highlight of Book Week for our family, was Morgan's performances. On Friday, she sang two songs with her Petit Chorale, as well as performed a song with her house group. But what made us the most proud, was her INDIVIDUAL performance in front of a library full of people. The girls were able to sign up to "busk". Basically this is performing for donations. Morgan signed up to sing "Bare Necessities" SOLO. Can I just tell you how amazed I am at her singing talent? I truly had no idea she could sing like she can. She amazes us everyday.
As if ALL that was not enough, Morgan was asked to run in a cross country race for school. Based on her running time in PE, they asked her to run a 1K. And of course as if our schedule could ever be anything but crazy, her race started an HOUR after Dustin was discharged from the hospital. Dustin was bound and determined to be there for Morgan, and so he was. And of course, she was thrilled he was there =) While she did great, sprinting might be more her speed. When it was all over, she said she liked it and would think about continuing training. We'll see how that goes.
FINALLY, as a family we participated in the "City to Surf" race. The girls and I completed a 4k along with several friends, while Dustin ran the half marathon. It was a good family day, and we all had a successful race. The event was HUGE with over 42,000 participants.
WHEW....in all of that, throw in 4 birthday parties, a Smashing Pumpkins Concert, a beach BBQ, playdates, volunteering at school, and all of life's daily chores. Now I know how our 8 months here has gone by so quickly!
We think of home often, and miss you all!
Hugs
Amy
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