BLOG 21
6 September 2009
A lot of happenings have occurred since my last blog. The results are in and finally (after 2 years of lobbying) for a resolution from both the Health Quality & Complaints Commission and the Queensland Medical Board, on Tuesday 25th August/09a decision was made by the board to formally caution a GP who did not care for me appropriately, during the 11 months prior to my eventual diagnosis. The formal caution will be listed in the Queensland public registry for 1 year.
My correspondence from the board states the following: It was the unanimous decision of the board that a ground for disciplinary action against the registrant had been established and that the registrant had acted in a way that constitutes unsatisfactory professional conduct as defined by the act [Health Practitioners Professional Standards- Act 1999] namely: Professional conduct that is of a lesser standard than that which might reasonably be expected of the registrant by the public or the registrants professional peers and Professional conduct that demonstrates incompetence, or lack of adequate knowledge, skill, judgment or care, in the practise of the registrants profession.
Some people would say that a caution may not seem enough, but I guess when you have been through a lot of red tape to get to that result, whilst fighting cancer, this is to me a positive outcome for the protection of my fellow Queenslanders and it also creates a general awareness within the board/commission/other practitioners, regarding the necessity of diagnosing Lymphoma earlier in as many patients as possible.
I am happy with this outcome and will have one more final letter to come from the HQCC. I feel this has validated my prior suffering when trying to find an answer to all my health problems from 2005-2006. Health-wise, we have now found the cause of my upper chest & throat infections I have a mild case of chronic sinusitis, causing problems in the throat and other symptoms (5 months of them). I am consulting with both Haematology & Infectious Diseases about this to figure out a resolution.
Possibly surgery may be required in the near future. My immune system is still weak and I continue to wear a mask and get Octogam (Plasma) every month, as a continuing therapy, until my immunoglobulins come up and my B/T cell Lymphocytes repair from the past chemo. I am visiting both departments at the hospital once per month at this stage. I take it easy, day to day is different and some days I feel pretty awful and on rare occasions I feel fantastic. I am hoping for more of these days. Greg and the girls are good. The girls are growing so fast and I am now trying to clean out all their clothes and get new ones that fit. Julia is really not in kids clothes any longer and is fitting into ladies size 10/12.
She is almost my size body wise with a shorter height and she will be 9 in November!! Both girls are proving to be extremely intelligent at both schools they attend. Even with all of Julias disabilities, she is one of the most intellectual girls in her junior level at special school. Next year she progresses onto middle special school and will be challenged more in her work. She is getting more help through Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, at the special school, in terms of her balance and low muscle tone. We are working on ways to find some activities she enjoys to help her become more active. Her school recently had a barn dance and Julia (and Anna) was right in there, dancing with some of the other disabled kids and the teachers. It was very cute.
At home, we felt we should get a friend for Bobby (the Mal-Shi doggie)we found another Mal-Shi, at our local shelter, with a lot of overgrown hair, a female friend, named at the shelter as Peggy (great name match up i.e.: Bobby Darin & Peggy Lee). The poor Peggy was found wandering the streets of Albany Creek, un-groomed so much hair she was constantly panting and could hardly walk no microchip, collar, no desexing, no ID. We think she was dumped & is probably about 7 years old. But, she knows a lot of tricks and is just a beautiful, loving dog and the two of them get on very well. The kids are over the moon and love both of them.
They are a diversional therapy for us a family, and takes our eyes off my health struggles and gives us some little animals to love and take care of. Our garden and plants are in bloom now for spring and preparing for a hot summer. We have a native Australian grass tree in the front of our property and they rarely flower, usually only after a bushfire and they live for approx. 50 years. I cut it right back and it has sprung back with three huge flowering shoots that can reach as high as 4 metres....I believe that this is fairly rare event for this plant, every 10-20 years or so. Once the shots start to flower, native birds may be attracted to them. This is all our news for now, and as always we will keep you all updated, as we journey, progress and keep fighting for better health and a better life.
Blessings to you all,
Jodster.