Running around to have my spinal injuiries reviewed

Week 15, 19 – 25 January 2012

This week was a mixed week, with successes, frustrations and celebration.

After months of hard work to retrain the dexterity of my right hand, I could clench my fist for the first time. This was a big step to full recovery.  With a tighter grip, I could now have better control of things and tools in my hand.  Being able to grip, I could also hold on to hand springs to train up muscles in my arm.  

I had been trying to fix an appointment with the Royal Hobart Hospital for the review of my brace since last November. The brace should have come off the week before, if all went well. Exhausting all my ways, I went to the Launceston General Hospital on 24 January and asked them to call Hobart. It seemed Hobart had forgotten me (despite multiple phone calls from me earlier). Anyway, the review was now fixed on next Monday in Hobart.

I would need a CT scan and an x-ray of the spine before the Hobart appointment.  Interestingly, Hobart only asked to scan the C spine (I have fractures in the T spine as well). The brace protected both sections.  Perhaps they assumed if the C spine healed well, the T spine should be fine too.

As the Launceston General Hospital Radiology had not done this for a patient with a brace like mine, there were confusions over whether the brace should be taken off or if it was safe to take it off during imaging.  I spent two full hours in the hospital going from one department to another trying to have the imaging arranged.  Eventually they booked me in for Friday.  Meanwhile one of the departments undertook to talk to Hobart about what needed to be done. Alas, hopefully this would soon be over.  If the brace would come off next Monday, I could embark on physio for the neck right away.

Because of the multiple injuries, I was under the care of different teams and not being an inpatient, I had to organise everything, negotiate and coordinate these various departments myself to achieve some outcome.  This was a very different experience from what I had in Hong Kong. I think Hong Kong offers better total care for patients.  The different parts of the health system here operate in silos.

It was fortunate that I am still sound in mind and still fairly mobile, despite being slow. I cannot imagine how someone not clear in mind or having problem moving around independently can cope with such a system.