Every Aussie is immensely proud of this service where medical help is delivered to people in the outback. In addition to this role, the Service is also used to transport patients to major hospitals for treatment not available in smaller hospitals.
About a month ago, I was climbing the 35 steps to our unit when I felt some chest pain. Since my triple bypass in 2015, I know you don't try to tough it out and I asked Marianne to call the ambulance. Soon after I arrived at the local hospital. After some blood tests, it was determined that I had suffered a mild heart attack and would need to be transferred to Brisbane for an angiogram.
I spent a few days in Hervey Bay hospital waiting to be transferred to Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane. As usual, I enjoyed teasing the nurses because the rest of the time you sit on your bed like a bump on a log.
The plane. They shove you in on a stretcher at the back door. There are two pilots, a doctor and a nurse. In addition there was another patient.
The menu at Prince Charles.
The food choices at Hervey Bay were very limited. At Prince Charles, you picked up the phone and ordered what you wanted.
The fruit cake was just a pale imitation of my Mother's recipe.
Not bad, particularly since I could wash it down with a relatively decent cappuccino.
The angiogram resulted in a stent and two balloons. After almost nine years, it was time for the Rotor Rooter.
The next day, I took a Uber into the city and then a bus back up to Hervey Bay. By chance, the bus took a route that crossed a bridge at a spot where I rowed a dingy in Maroochydore when I was about 10 years old.
So I was fortunate in that I found out what was wrong with me and hopefully I will be good for several more years.
By the way, it was all free except for the Uber ride from the hospital to downtown Brisbane.
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