Another Mess of the Blues!

They (whoever 'they' are!) say that things happen in threes. Well, the following has happened in my life over the past ten days...

My dialysis treatment days were changed from Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays beginning on July 3 (two days ago). This has been done to enable more patients access to the dialysis machines on what were the 'quieter' days and allow new patients to commence when the majority of staff are available.

With this change, the ambulance service which has transported me (free of charge) to/from dialysis treatments since January of this year has 'pulled the plug' as I am no longer considered to be in "need" of their services. The head nurse of the dialysis unit is of the opinion that I can travel in a wheelchair taxi to/from my appointments (at my own expense), thus freeing up an ambulance for more urgent cases... and, of course, the manager of the ambulance service has agreed to this suggestion as a means of cutting costs.

While this sounds quite reasonable, I have now been placed in a situation where I must travel to/from the hospital in my wheelchair, sitting on an ulcerated leg, whereas before I was conveyed on a stretcher (without pressure on my leg) and transferred to/from the hospital bed by the ambulance officers upon my arrival/departure.

The resultant extra work on hospital staff, I believe, outweighs the need of a wheelchair taxi. For example, the nurses must transfer me from/to my wheelchair to/from the bed and change the dressing on my leg before I go back in my chair and wait for the taxi to take me home.

The cost factor is another issue. Each visit will cost me in the vicinity of $14.00 which, at the moment, I really cannot afford - moving house has already cost much more than I anticipated, so this added expense has come at a bad time.

My support workers, doctor and ambulance officers are in disagreement with these new arrangements. They believe that I should be able to continue using the ambulance service until arrangements for my home dialysis are in place, which should be completed in about two months. The ambo's (ambulance officers) tell me there are two Code 3 ambulances set aside for non-essential transport (people like me), so they see no reason for any immediate change.

Meanwhile, my existing team of support workers (formerly known as 'carers') is being put under pressure by the fact that one (Julia) is going on extended leave next week. With this in mind, interviews have been taking place with potential candidates to be added to my team. Problems have arisen and many of those who would have been considered have dropped out due to delays in getting the essential paperwork (e.g. police checks, birth and qualification certificates, etc.) finalised by my service provider (ParaQuad) in order for them to start work with me.

I have had to call on past members of the team to come back and fill the gaps brought about by Julia's departure. Thankfully, this appears to be falling into place, although I will still need at least one new team member to come on board, so the sooner ParaQuad can get their act together the better. To be fair, ParaQuad are going through a transition of new staff who are still learning communication skills, so people like me have to be patient!

On top of all this, a close friend has been diagnosed with cancer and is about to undergo surgery.

On a brighter note, I attended the June 29 wedding of my nephew Nathan, to his lovely bride Jacquie, at the beautiful (but extremely cold) Tatra Receptions in Lilydale. It was a very happy occasion and did much to (briefly) dull the 'blues' surrounding me at the moment. My partner for the event was Barbara, a lady I met on one of the dating sites - very pleasant company and, hopefully, we will remain friends... but she has made it clear that's as far as our relationship will go!

I now look forward to July 20 when I am hosting my Housewarming Tea Party at my new residence in Strathdale. The 60+ invitations I mailed out have attracted only two responses at this stage, but RSVP date is not until July 12, so I'm hoping everyone is leaving their decision until the last minute (as they do!).

Such is (my) life!