My trip to Lightning Ridge hospital

My local hospital in Sydney is the Prince of Wales hospital. It's I think the biggest hospital in Australia. Yesterday I went to, I'd say, one of the smallest. The Lightning Ridge hospital:

It lost it's only permanent doctor in 2006, and since then has relied on visiting doctors/"locums". 

So I turned up there at a bit after midday yesterday, filled out the life history form as I'd never been there before, and was seen promptly by a nurse. My blood pressure was a bit up, understandable. Have been pretty stressed out last couple of days with this flu. My ear was aching badly, and throat felt raw. All I wanted was some antibiotics, and hoped I'd not have problems getting them.

The staff there were extremely friendly. When I told the nurse I had HIV I was half expecting some kind of reaction, but she didn't bat an eyelid. It turned out a doctor was going to be there at 1pm so she'd get him to see me too. Only about 20 minutes away. Long story short, I got the strong antibiotic Amoxycillin , with another one in it as well. All up I was only there for an hour and a half.

They seemed to have made a difference already. Still coughing badly and can feel the crap on my lungs, but the terrible raw pain is going. This just after the first night taking the pills. Actually slept last night without getting up constantly to gargle the Difflam C and anaesthetise my throat. In fact I had the last flu pill when I went to be and not even any Panadol. So appreciated the pain subsiding like that, even though it was still there.

The nurse was saying that an infection in the ear canal inside can be very painful. I said it was like there was someone with a needle sticking it inside my head. I likely had something to do with the headache on the right side of my head and neck as well, as this morning that's largely gone.

But yes the health services, despite being stripped to the bones, still was able to help me and provide the medication I needed. It did however require me to turn up at the hospital with the flu (something I'd rarely do in Sydney, if ever, as I'd see a doctor first and leave the decision to them if I needed to visit hospital) and a certain amount of luck, with a doctor being there shortly after I arrived.

What I didn't enjoy though was the assurance and peace that I have in Sydney that seeing a doctor in a hurry/same day isn't going to be a problem. I've constantly pointed out on this blog that HIV and stress just don't mix. To be worrying about a basic service that's taken entirely for granted in Sydney is extremely unhelpful. Unimaginable really when you're used to the services in the city.

I dunno what the gov can do but there must be something. They need much more incentives for doctors to actually come out here I guess. Often doctors, who've spent much in HECS university fees to train themselves, need to stay in the city where the money is, even if they did want to come out here. It does seem to me that having a hospital with not one permanent doctor in it is an unworkable situation.

Simon's got it now, just as I'm starting to improve :( Spent half the night sneezing and coughing, and he looks terrible this morning, poor dear.