Author: LT

Mum is once again comfortably ensconced in SDAAC room 206 – almost a full month after she was originally transferred from Townsville. She’s kidney-stone-free, wheeze-free and about to be stent-free after day surgery on Friday. Once again. Mum would benefit from visitors as she’s trying to settle in so I’d encourage everybody who can spare…

Mum’s operation went ahead as scheduled yesterday and she’s now kidney stone free. The doctors left her stent in but she will have that out in day surgery in a few weeks. With the kidney stone gone, we’re hoping the urinary track infections will finally clear up and she can regain some strength after her…

Mum and Dad’s old neighbours, Tom and Sonia, came to visit her yesterday bearing her favourite yellow roses and reminding her of good times. Her friend Sally also dropped by today and Mum had a long chat that did her a world of good. Mum has had a rough week but she’s feeling much better…

Mum’s kidney stone operation has been postponed this morning as the doctors are concerned about her breathing. They think she may have pulmonary hypertension and are keeping her under observation until Monday. She’s still in Greenslopes Hospital and is much happier with the care there. Although she’s still very tired and short of breath, she’s…

It’s that time again! Let’s play musical hospitals. Mum was headed to Greenslopes Hospital on Wednesday to have her final massive 2cm kidney stone removed. Because of the problems she’s had this last week, the hospital requested she be transferred there today so she can be monitored in the lead up to the surgery. Mum’s…

As of this morning, Mum is once again in the emergency room of the Redlands Hospital. Mum was taken to emergency on Thursday because her almost-perpetual wheeze had resurfaced and she was having trouble breathing. She was taken back to SDAAC on Friday and then came to Bunker Road yesterday to spend the weekend at…

After a lot of false starts and some confusion, Mum has finally been transferred into what I hope will be her final home. The Adventist Aged Care facility at Victoria Point is only a kilometre from the house at Victoria Point so it’s nice and convenient. Mum would benefit from visitors as she’s trying to…

I wanted to do a blog post on ACATs. Because they are a thing that you have to navigate in this whole aged-care environment thing we’re trying to work our way through. The problem is that Aged Care Assessments (ACAT) aren’t very interesting. And like most of our aged-care system, they’re also impenetrable for anybody…

Bags packed, farewells made, bed ready, RFDS flight scheduled. Dad rang me yesterday afternoon to say he was expecting Mum to be picked up very soon and needed me to come and pick him up from the Redlands hospital when he called. Not half an hour later, Redlands hospital rang to say the the bed…

The plan was for Mum to have her final kidney stone operation last week. By coincidence, it coincided with my trip to Townsville to drive Mum’s car to Brisbane in preparation for her move. So I flew up on Thursday night, was there to see her before she went under the knife on Friday and…