#MackayBaseHospital

[dwjensen]

My Lesson in Learning

August 20, 2017

I guess that it depends on when you like to welcome the new week, be it on a Sunday evening or on a pale Monday morning such as myself however the week for me was only one day old when God laughed at my plans. On the Monday (for perspective) I was on the chain saw, trimming some trees and gathering wood for an end of week fire with visiting friends. I had some scant moments of fatigue but I felt better for the sweat and a bit of physical work for a change.  The next day I had earmarked for some mowing and whipper snipping; not a great deal but paced out to fit in with chemotherapy on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Monday night was a precursor with a cough ending with an inferno by Tuesday morning; an Ambulance ride to Hospital and 4 days in isolation. This was all standard procedure for people on Chemotherapy who spike temperatures through opportunistic viral or bacterial infections while their immune systems are compromised.

The Doctor said to me yesterday, “You were lucky that you recovered quickly and the chemotherapy hadn’t began on the next cycle.” I must admit, she was wearing a mask at the time and though I didn’t feel “lucky”, I am grateful to be now home and feeling much better. So this morning when 3.30 said to me “You may as well get up, no more sleep for you!” I thought I’d just reflect and feel the new day. Lesson 1: The Paramedics who attended me did so with respect and professional bearing. I don’t remember ever being as young as 2 of them and I could not fault their work. My visitors later that day were my beautiful wife, a million words would never come close but I’m working on it; the Chief Superintendent of the Ambulance, the Manager of Operations, The Operational Supervisor and the Duty Officer of the local area. How can I ever thank them enough? Lesson 2: The Nurses/Doctors at Mackay Base Hospital…simply brilliant! The health system can certainly treat the populace like cattle, but the people treat you like family. I remember cutting my teeth in Hospitals and these people are so much more clever, so much more mature and so much more empathetic toward their clients; I can’t find enough superlatives for them. If this process is my final one, these 2 lessons have given me even more confidence in the world I leave behind. It screams to me to “Let it go; the shift is over and the new crew will keep the faith.”