The System

Before I tell you about my meeting with the Professor yesterday, I think I better explain some things about the Australian Health System.  Having lived in the US for 24 years, where you have to be pretty well indigent to access similar services, if at all, I am constantly amazed by the humanness of what we have here.  Of course that doesn't mean it's perfect - by no means. People fall through the cracks all the time and people die for not getting the right treatment, just like anywhere else.  BUT. I can only talk about my own experience to date and it has been amazing.

In Australia we have a right to free medical and social services, including subsidised housing, doctors and hospitals and home help after hospitalisation. (My US friends please note, that this is an 'entitlement'.) There's a complex system of who pays for what (I may get this wrong): The Federal Government pays for Medicare (doctors visits, medicines), the State for hospitals and social services. Some of the in-home services are free for a short time post-hospital, and there are many charitable and/or community organisations that can take over after this service runs out.

So, to cut to the chase (you can check the above link for more info on the system), this is how it worked for me.

A few years ago, I realised I was running out of funds as I couldn't do my freelance science writing busienss as robustly as before 2006. I supplemented my income with a temping job (doing health survey interviews for the NSW Health Department) and applied for subsidised housing. Last year, when I had to undergo radiation treatment again and couldn't work in my temping job either, I changed the application from general, to 'emergency' . You have two chances to accept an offer. If you don't, your name goes to the bottom of the list, or you may be knocked off altogether, because the State can't keep up with demand.

After knocking back one offer earlier this year, I was offered a lovely one bedroom apartment, with a garden, less than one kilometre from my cancer treatment centre at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH). On a good day, I can easily walk there. I grabbed it. Unfortunately, I was already ill with the ascites and in hospital emergency on the moving date, which was 4 February, 2013. Two weeks later, I emerged from the hospital, much weaker but, with help from friends and even the removalist, I made the move on 20 February. Unpacking the boxes was an exercise in learning to accept and ask for help from many friends. The outpouring of support was humbling, to say the least.

Since my move, I spent another another 3 weeks in hospital in April and May, the last two after we started the chemotherapy on 19th of May. It was very traumatic, because I was throwing up 8-9 times a day and couldn't sleep because my body refused to work properly. In addition to being full of heavy fluids, I was sleep deprived and sick. Not a happy combination.  The nursing staff was amazing, the medical staff somewhat uneven (too many students, registrars who didn't know how to insert a cannula , no bedside manners, etc). The social workers were amazing too and now, having returned home, they have arranged for me to have someone come in once a week, for the next six weeks, to help me with my grocery shopping and once every fortnight with cleaning the apartment (free of charge to me). They have also organised for me to be picked up by a volunteer driver when I have to go to the hospital and can't walk or take the bus. At the moment this is really helpful, as I have not been able to walk by myself very far yet. And sitting on a bus is a nauseating experience with all the fluid sloshing around in my belly.

The chemotherapy is expected to last for 12 weeks. After the six weeks, my community organisation, JewishCare will supplement any home services I may need at a very reasonable, subsidised rate. They have been absolutely fantastic too, not to mention my friends and acquaintances, who have been supplying me with home cooked meals and gifts of warm winter clothing and intelligent books to keep my mind alert. Much more of that later as we continue on this journey. For now, I just wanted to explain how the system works for me. Not bad, ey?