Text 10025, 119 rader
Skriven 2011-04-28 20:47:00 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Dave Drum
Ärende: NEW WHEELS  10428
=========================
 -=> Quoting Dave Drum to Glen Jamieson <=-

 GJ> I am getting up to speed.  I can now even walk a few steps without my
 GJ> stick, without limping.

 DD> If your hip repple-depple is anything like the knee replacements I
 DD> have witnessed expect about 8 weeks from date of surgery to be pretty
 DD> much up to speed. And don't attempt next year's Boston Marathon under
 DD> any circumstances - no matter how cute the trophy toots.

Now that I can walk with much less pain than before the operation, I
am much happier.  Although many of the Echo people have had hospital
experience, it has been a first time for me, so I am impelled to
record my impressions.  They might even be useful to any of you folk
who are anticipating going through the hip replacement operation.
Anyone with particularly sensitive feelings need not read further.

Hip Hop-eration

It all started six months ago, when my arthritic left hip started to
become more painful, in spite of the glucosamine which I had been
taking to feed the collagen for the last 2 or 3 years.  My GP sent me
off to get an X-ray, which showed the collagen had disappeared, and I
had bone grating on bone.  In spite of assistance from a walking
stick, during my last two overseas trips walking became increasingly
painful, so I had to make the decision to go under the knife and get
fitted with a bionic hip joint, preferably at no cost, under Medicare.
Dr Koe referred me to Orthopedic Prof Jegan Krishnan, who looked at
the X-ray and referred me to the Repat hospital on Daws Road.

After talking on one of the girls at the clinic, I learned that this
process was likely to take over a year, and at the rate my joint was
deteriorating, I would be likely to be in a wheelchair or similar by
then, so I bit the bullet and decided to spend $20,000+ (US$22,000) of
my children's inheritance on myself.  I contacted all the children to
get their feelings on the matter, and every one told me to go for it,
so I returned to Prof Krishnan, as a privately paying patient.
Suddenly I was overwhelmed with solicitous attention, and told he
could he could operate on me in only two weeks, in Ashford Hospital.

An appointment was made, for 6th April, and I was told to front up
at Ashford Hospital at 11am, with my personal possessions, and
suitably starved since the previous evening.  There had been a small
problem with my bank being hit with a large withdrawal, but I took a
bank cheque for about what I remembered as being the hospital's fee,
and although this was actually $5.80 short of the correct amount, it
was accepted, and I was allowed to proceed to the next stage, a
waiting room with a dozen or so men and women.

At 11.40 I was taken to the rooms of Dr Stanley, the physician who
would be responsible for my post-op medical welfare, and he
interviewed me to make sure I was healthy enough for the operation.
As I was not taking any prescription medication, and was free of any
diseases or bodily weaknesses, he passed me as being capable of being
anaesthetised, and sent me to another room, where 2 women gave me an
ECG test, with electrodes on my chest and ankles.  The pretty graphs
appeared to satisfy the observers.   By then it was 1.00pm, and I was
taken back to the original waiting room and its inhabitants for a
while before being moved to another room, where yet another nurse left
me to undress and put on a hospital gown, before checking my blood
pressure, at 168/98.  She asked me if I was nervous, and said that
that was quite common, and it tended to raise blood pressure.
(Surprise!). She shaved the outside of my thigh, and wiped it with
Betadrine, and put a stocking on my right leg, only, and sent me to
yet another waiting room, this time for men only, wearing gowns and
white stockings.

By this time it was 2.45 pm. This was the last time I saw this group
of now-gowned, nervous, and as we hadn't eaten since the previous day,
increasingly hungry, mainly elderly gentlemen.  After some light male
chit-chat about cars and motorbikes, we were taken away, one at a
time, with us each wondering who would be the next sacrificial victim.
At about 4 pm my turn came, and I was taken in a wheelchair along
interminable corridors to a small parking bay, where I was left, in
company with a rather sick looking old man, who was interviewed by his
surgeon, who said he "hoped to get most of it, but I may have to come
back later to finish the job" - whatever that implied.

He was taken away, then my Indian anaesthetist came to interview me.
He asked about my previous operations and so I told him I had been
terrified when chloroformed at the age of 5.  He said things were
different now, and I would be given an initial intravenous knock-out
before the main anaesthetic.  At about 5.30 pm I was taken to the
theatre and climbed onto the bed, and duly given the needle.  That was
the last I knew for an unknown time.

(To be continued...)

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Cutting Chicken Chinese-Style
 Categories: Info, Chicken, Chinese, Asian
      Yield: 1 Servings
 
           ;
 
  To chop chicken Chinese-style, place on a chopping board, breast-side
  up, with the legs facing away from you, With a cleaver, cut the
  chicken in half lengthways.
  
  Lay one half of the chicken on the board. Cut off the leg, then cut
  off the wing where it joins the breast. Cut the wing lengthways, then
  cut the leg into 6 pieces, Slice the breast into 6 pieces, then
  repeat these steps with the other half of the chicken.
  
  This method can also be used for other types of poultry, such as duck
  or pigeon.
  
  From: KYLIE KWONG - RECIPES AND STORIES By: KYLIE KWONG ISBN: 0 670
  91118 6 http://www.penquin.com.au Typed by: KEVIN JCJD SYMONS, 14
  DECEMBER 2008 From: Glen Jamieson                   Date: 09-16-09
 
MMMMM
 
On this day in 1789, Fletcher Christian led the mutiny on the Bounty.
___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]

--- FLAME v2.0/b
 * Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)