Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

No photos yet so one of my old paintings.

Hello to all my wonderful blogging friends. I am home!  I guess at this point in time Dianne is on her knees praying that I do not have a repeat of the first time I was discharged.

Huge, huge thank you's to all my wonderful blogging friends who have sent such lovely good wishes and prayers to me.  I am just amazed at the outpouring of love I have received from wonderful friends who I did not even know existed 12 months ago.  I am truly doubly blessed to have had the great fortune of getting to know you all.

The cardiologist has me on medication to slow down my heart rate so I wont have a repeat of the initial episode, but they make me a bit tired.  It will take a while for me to get back into the swing of things  because I have been instructed to rest and get my strength back, so please bear with me wonderful friends.

I have been truly blessed with having Dianne as a friend she has just been so wonderful.  Nothing was ever a trouble.  I am forever indebted to her and her lovely kind  husband.

It was very scary spending my first night home alone without the security of the hospital and knowing the nurses were there to care for me should I need them, but when I woke  this morning all I could think of was I was still alive.

Rest for the next few weeks is heavily on the agenda.  I am not sure I will be able to totally comply, but imagine that the Doctors have sorted that one out with medication.

On the subject of Doctors, I was fortunate to have had two of the most wonderful and competent specialists take my case....and by the way both were quite dishy and made me wish I were quite a few years younger. (oops thats right I was supposed to be quite ill and not able to notice those things!)

I have been discharged with so much paperwork to wade through, and appointments for this and appointments for that.

At the moment the cardiologist (the dishy one with the red bow tie) has put off my going to Brisbane for and "ablation" (too scary a procedure to describe), and the medication seems to have regulated the heartbeat.  

At least now I know that should I get any sort of pain I am not to phone for a cab but to dial triple 0 for an ambulance to take me to hospital.  My foolishness in not wanting to cause a fuss in the new neighbourhood by not ringing an ambulance almost cost me my life so wont do that again.  Evidently if I had been a few minutes later in getting to hospital it would have been night night shirley....scary stuff!  Just as well Di was there holding my hand when they told me that.

Bye for now, next week Di and I are really going to get into the course one day together, and might have some more interesting photos.

I dont know whether I should mention "the hospital" ...the State public hospital...

I have always had private hospital cover, so have not experienced the public system which I might add when I was younger had the best reputation in the country before it was decimated by the government heirarchy.  Things have definitely changed, and if it was not for the fact that the wonderful doctors and nurses in emergency saved my life with their knowledge, calmness and expertise I would be rushing off to a solicitor.  The critical care ward was ok, but then they sent me to the "Third world ward" which had all men patients, and one lady who had obviously be injured and was very disabled in body and speech.  

To say I was shocked was a gross understatement...it was disgusting.  We were crammed into this small area like sardines.  The facilities were in an area off the ward, and to my horror there were only shower curtains in front of the toilet and shower...yuk....the toilet seat was up and whoever of the men who had used it had not brushed.  

Needless to say I left there after two terrible nights with a bad reputation  for being a "bitch" and a big red mark against my name.  I refused to use the facilities and  kept the curtains drawn round my bed at all times. I cried and cried it was awful, and they would not transfer me to the private hospital.  

However, when I went back for the second time, I was miraculously moved after only one night and specialists were found for me at the private hospital, where I ended up with a private room in ICU and then when one became available after I was transferred to the ward ward.....which is what I have been paying private insurance for all these years.  The difference in the facilities between the two hospitals was enormous.  However I must add that the dedication of the understaffed nurses in the public sector should be more appreciated by those in power.

And yes, there will be a letter going to the administration.

Sorry this is so long my friends, but now I have got all that off my chest it can only be onward and upward from now on, and yes I do promise to be good!  Off for an early  nana nap now.