In collaboration with:
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
Everytime we head down to NSW we all seem to end up really sick. Snotty noses, bronchitis and temperatures. It isn’t pretty. I think this is why we have stopped visiting so often. The last time we were down there for any length of time was back in 2011 to have Clancy. Of course I ended up so sick, coughing while pregnant isn’t much fun, but it is even less fun after you have given birth. I was so miserable. Luckily Clancy went straight onto the bottle which meant I could dose up on antibiotics to try and get better. The cough cough coughing was killing me.
I really don’t know how you town folk cope with medical centre visits. First you have to make the emergency call – first thing in the morning to try and get one of the last minute appointment. Phone in hand ready to dial as soon as the clock strikes 8:30am. Then the wait in the actual surgery, which may involve unhappy, sick kids whinging and crying for over an hour before you actually see the doctor. Then there is the few minutes spent with the doctor. Pay as you leave if need be then off to the pharmacy to get the medication required to hopefully make you well. I guess it helps if you do have a regular GP that you visit, because often they will squeeze you in. Our GP in Mt Isa is like this, his name is Dr Warren. He will always fit us in, and knows how far we have to travel just to get there.
Gosh, I am puffed just typing that. How do you all do it?
One of my favourite parts about living up here at Bum Truck Nowhere is the fact that we don’t, very often, have to sit in a medical centre and wait for hours. Nope, no siree. We just pick up that phone and dial the RFDS number in Mt Isa. We are usually put straight through to the doctor on call. We tell them our problem and hey presto they give us the number of the drugs we need to take from the RFDS Medical Kit that we have on hand. Here this is what my “Pharmacy” looks like….
It is in a locked cupboard in my laundry and has everything you could possibly need, especially antibiotics. I know how to give an injection if absolutely necessary (have only had to do that once thank goodness). If we do need to the doctor will talk us through it. I have all the dangerous drugs such as morphiene, valium etc all ready to go in zip lock bags with the draw up needle, the needle to actually give the injection and the syringe.
So in a nutshell, if all was ok, I could be on and off that phone and have the medication in my hot little hands all within 5 minutes! Can you even believe it??
Another great thing about living up here is the monthly Barkly Mobile Clinic. This is a team that fly around the stations in our area once a month. A doctor and a nurse. Tony – the nurse is based in Elliot, at the clinic there. The doctor varies each month. They fly out of Alice Springs and are usually just in Alice to do the remote clinic. So they could be from anywhere – Newcastle, Sydney, Gold Coast, Adelaide, Melbourne etc. We have had the pleasure of meeting lovely doctors from all over Australia and gee I love hearing their stories.
When they arrive we collect them from the airstrip and head back to the station to have some smoko, a cup of tea and a good old fashioned chat. We then set them up in one of our spare guest rooms where they then see anyone who may be feeling a little off or might just need a new prescription. Clancy recently had his 4 year vaccinations & I have even had a pap smear done here – how easy does that sound!!! And it was – easy that is.
We are just so lucky to have access to such wonderful doctors out here and I think we forget just how much training it takes to actually become a doctor. There is a great website that I had never heard of before. It is called the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. There is all sorts of information available over there if you are: A Patient, Becoming a GP or A GP. Check out this video, it even brought a tear to my eye.
90% of all GP’s are members of the RACGP.
We have been so lucky to meet some fantastic doctors, especially those that come out in an emergency with the RFDS. This is Dr Minh – he is one of the Senior Doctors with the Mt Isa RFDS and we are quite fond of him. Minh has been out a couple of times and I have been lucky enough to get him a few times when doing a phone consult. Minh also has a boy around the same age as Harry. Which came in handy when Harry fell while climbing the walls in the hallway last year. Minh totally understood and thought it would be best if they fly out and have a look. What a champ. I thought we would have to go to town, but no – they did a quick little consult in the plane on the airstrip. They even had an ultra sound machine that they could use to see if his wrist was broken or not. Turns out it was just a hairline fracture and only needed splinting. They put a cool little splint on him and we (and them) were good to go. How is that for service?! Here he is, such a great bloke….
Once when Tom was over visiting Mrs Savvy B at their station he literally got the wrong end of the stick – was whacked in the mouth with a moving object and had quite the gash. Thank goodness he didn’t do it here and as he said “Mum, you wouldn’t have coped” – damn right. I am terrible when it comes to blood, definitely not a very good nurse. Anyway, the RFDS yet again flew out, stitched his mouth up on Mrs Savvy B’s dining table and were off again. I of course jumped in the car and headed over (2 hours through the paddocks) but he was all sorted and happily playing (and definitely not wanting to come home) by the time I arrived. They did such a great job that you can’t even see the scar on his lip.
GP’s do such a brilliant job.
Do you have a GP who you have been seeing for years and years?
Lets have a shout out to all the great GP’s out there – let us know where you live and how long you have been seeing your GP for.
Chards I think you’re incredibly brave for living as remotely as you do. I don’t think my nerves could stand it!
We too have a fabulous GP, but he’s only in the next town not MT ISA!
I hope that serious medical kit stays untouched for a good long while.
A xx
Ha, not that brave, you should see me freak out every time the kids cut themselves… it isn’t pretty, I basically just palm them off to the closest person because I can’t handle it, ha ha ha. Hence the reason I didn’t do nursing. So great that you have a wonderful GP. 🙂
Yes I agree you are brave to be living in the outback and I applaud you for doing so. I grew up in a small country town although we had all that we needed with a small hospital and a GP surgery everything seemed to work well. How amazing is that service you though? So good to know help is at hand. Stay healthy. V x
Did you live in Wandin Valley Vicki…. A Country Practice, ha ha ha. You stay healthy too!!!
No I lived in a small place called Walwa and then Jingellic. Near Albury/Wodonga
Oh Vicki, are you serious…. I actually had always thought you lived in Queensland for some reason! xx
Amazing! What I would give for one of those cupboards…especially when Mums know half the time what their kids need. Great post!
That cupboard is the bomb Beth. So great to have a pharmacy on site! ha ha ha. Yes, I normally know exactly which antibiotics the children need.
I just love reading your stories Miss Chardy. It puts a whole of perspective on things. I so would struggle in giving any one an injection. My GP is fairly new to me – two years – but boy, oh boy, he’s a winner. He treats my health as a partnership and wants me to feel the best I can feel. That to me is what it’s all about. Thanks for this post. x
Thanks Nikki! So glad you have found a winner on the GP scene! How good is that. Sounds like a champ.
Gosh Oliver was freaking about his shots, they are so knowing at 4 right. Such a stash of medicine there, and I agree with Amanda, being so remote from a hospital is not something I could easily do. I hope you’ve recovered after your time away, I’m still relaxed from my 5 days in Bali with hubby and no kids! xx
Oh Em, 5 days in Bali child free – how amazing. Yes – the 4 year needles aren’t great, I hate it, think I get more upset than the child, I just hold them and shut my eyes, such a sook. ha ha ha.
Great story!
Thanks Jan, glad you enjoyed it.
You are so lucky and what a great service. I looks like you have the trays from an old flying doctors kit there … familiar. I always get sick when I go down to visit Mum now, I never used to. Doc down there thinks it was the dry air more than anything as I’ve adapted to moist air. I hate going to the doctors here and have dicided if you want to det sick, head to the doctors on a Saturday. I never had a problem with it when I lived down with Mum. Small country GPs are awesome too. I hope I can find a good Doc one day.
Hi Anne, yes, it is the RFDS kit, I have just deconstructed it and set it up in the cupboard so it is easier to get to. I hope you can find a good doc one day too! Puts a real downer on the the trip when you know everyone is going to end up crook doesn’t it.
The RFDS is totally amazing, so glad our country has them for failies like yours. I loved reading your story.
Thanks Sandra, I am so glad we have them too.
I really love reading your stories miss chardy. It really goes to show how much we take for granted living in town. Your lucky your kids don’t go to a town school. Frequent head colds, chicken pox, head lice(3 times this year) , vomiting/dia, and not to mention the old foot and mouth disease that’s on the go at the moment. Anyone would think that they go to an Ag (sheep)school. Ha ha!! God it would be great to live in the country. Your first aid kit is amazing and I thought I had a great one! Yep I have a wonderful female doctor that I have been with now for 11 yrs and she is very thorough. The kids see a male doctor who is wonderful also but oh boy if you are really sick, no chance getting into either of these doctors for days. I normally have to do a ring around to other practices. How good are the RFDS. It is so great that you can ring them and receive great care over the phone. My father in law has had two trips with them now and they were wonderful.
I do feel lucky to live out here. So glad to hear you have a wonderful doctor. There is nothing worse than trying to get that last minute appointment is there when you are feeling so crook.
Very interesting Miss Chardy. We were glad when traveling we didn’t need the RFDS – the markings on the Nullabor were their runway.
We live 20mins from a large country town but many of the specialists are fly-in fly-out Drs. Unfortunately the Gp’s seem to move on frequqently here.
That is a shame isn’t it when you can’t keep GP’s in small towns.