I'm a Civil Engineer for a local council.
I deal with roadworks & idiot ratepayers.
ie I get to sit in an AC car parked at the side of the road while telling others how to lean on shovels.

Got to spend $300k of someone else's money last week. Pity it wasn't on something I wanted.

BTW if you happen to see roadworks with workers there, please slow down a bit. Its not nice being buzzed by someone in a 1.5 tonne missile.
Plus you never know when they're holding a weapon (like a can of spray paint)

[Updated on: Mon, 10 November 2003 03:11]

look dude

I had my ACL Ruptured playing soccer in 2001. I went straight to Hornsby hospital. They told me that all I had was soft tissue damage and not to worry, and visit the physio after looking and examining my injuries.

I visited my physio, and SHE told me that everything was cool, I just needed strength and balance training.

Over the next 6 months I badly dislocated me knee about 6 times. Often rotating it about 180 degrees. This whole time the physio told me", well, I guess we haven't done enough training from your initial accident".

I FINALLY get so fed up I go and visit an expensive doctor in North Sydney. Hey takes 5 minutes and says, "surgery for you". Which I cannot have for months because I have changed health company since I was back at uni.

I have surgery March '03 and have 30% of my cartilage removed and are never allowed to do extended running as a sport of any kind (ie city to surf) again.

In Tassie 3 weeks ago, I dislocate me knee again. The ACL is ruptured somehow. Surgery now on both legs and another agonising 9 month recovery period.

So, who do I sue? The hospital, because if they had been correct, I would have had all my costs covered by sports insurance?

The phsysio, because she ignored repeated indicators of a ruptured ACL?

The surgeon, because he may not have done a proper job, and hence the rupture engaging in prescribed activities?

I mean I have lost about 10 grand here and have not had proper use of my left leg for over 2 years. (no running, careful walking)

Sometimes you just have to trust God dude. This world sux and sometimes we just have to accept that and deal with it. We can't go blaming everyone else for anything that goes wrong in society. that is no way to live. But when NSW is the most litigeous state after CA in the USA, I get worried that peoples attitudes to life is a 'who to blame' attitude.

Edit: I didn't want this to be like a pity-party, but just the whole attitude of let's sue somebody, blame somebody else I don't think is justified a lot of the time. My story above is just to say hey, I am not some ignoramus to the issue with no sympathy.

[Updated on: Mon, 10 November 2003 07:10]

[Updated on: Mon, 10 November 2003 09:07]

Quote:

what descion were you expecting to hear from a surgeon, honestly? to be frank (and its probably a shallow assumption based on the info youve given, so please dont take it the wrong way if im outta line) but 2 people advised that 'there wasnt much wrong'. but you had troubles, and noone was 'fixing' it for you. lo-and-behold, a surgeon offers the one stop solution (which evidently didnt work). does anything here make you reasses your condition?

ay Mr. Sarcasmo. What decision was I expecting? whatever he said of course! he is a surgeon, i am not. I was hoping he would at least bring closure and he sure did that.

those two people told me to be careful, etc, and I was, and then it would dislocate, so I went back, they said, 'more rehab', I said, ok, then after this hapenning a again and again, i went to the other doctor. I have to at least have a level of trust in what the experts say, especially when there are two of them saying the same thing...

Just finished my final essay.. woohoo!

Edit: whooops messed up the quotey thing

[Updated on: Mon, 10 November 2003 12:28]

gianttomato wrote on Mon, 10 November 2003 19:21

When I suggested that in fact it was more likely the 27 stab wounds were the likely culprit, I was then treated as a hostile witness......

LMAO!! That's a complete and utter joke. Sometimes you really wonder about the legal system, and whether they have any kind of idea about hard facts.... shit people can die from just one stab wound, I've looked after quite a few in my time, moreso lacerated livers as a result.
There is only so much that can be done on a patient with any given condition. And you get into the game to "try" to save lives or at the very least, improve the quality of life of a patient....... this I think is what the general public don't realise that sometimes there really isn't anything you can do but keep a person comfortable as possible as the inevitable nears.

I've had quite a few shifts where I have come on and have been handed over that patient X is now in a single room, deteriorated condition, blah blah blah... nothing can be done. It's hard to deal with because not only do you have to look after the patient, while still caring for them and maintaining their dignity, but informing relatives that they have taken a turn for the worse and it would be a good idea to come to the hospital.

I'll be brief, there was this time, end of my late shift... finishing at 23:00, I had finished my work and ready for handover to the nightduty staff... went around asking the other nurses to see if they needed a hand, and I began helping reposition an elderly lady, who had come in with heavy and I mean heavy PR bleeding, and so to get her up the bed we sat her up a bit...... lasted 2 seconds and went down like a sac of shit, (eyes rolled back of head) quickly took a pulse, taci shortness of breath, obviously sprung another leak.... was not really responsive so I thought fuck it slammed the arrest buzzer, pulled the sheets and blankie off here and there was this massive pool of blood.. I swear it would have been at least 2 liters and was still flowing, arrest team came, another nurse rang blood bank to get a shit load of Packed cells and FFP, somehow managed to put 3 or 4 peripheral lines in and hooked up saline to one, 2 bags of packed cells to the other 2 canulas. I was there holding the 2 bags of blood up, squeezing them so they would infuse as quick as possible........ as much as we where pumping in it as pretty much just comming straight out....... then the patient started to bringing up blood from her mouth.

She had to go to theater, but it was now 00:15 and so it took ages to organise surgeons and prep a theater, at about 03:15 we get the call bring her down.... wheeled her down to theater with about another 5 nurses, still holding bags of fluid and FFP and P/Cells, I was keeping her mouth clear as she continued to bring up blood. So we pretty much kept her going, for 4 and a half hours before sending her to theater.... unfortunatly she passed away just before the procedure began. So after 6-7 bags of Packed cells, 4 bags of FFP, a few bags of saline, and 5 hours overtime, the poor chookie didn't pull through....

So this shit regaurding doctors and nurses not providing the best possible care is bollocks! And 60 minutes made me mad on Sunday cause, yes the where focusing on a particular hospital, but in true dipstick, bias journalism that 60 minutes has become so famous for over the years, they indirectly attempted to point the finger at all doctors working within australian hospitals. As a professional body of, and I use this term loosely, "respected" journalists, you would think that they would not shoot their mouths off in such a manner that incriminates doctors as being these monsters who decide who shall receive treatment and who shall not.

As far as I'm concerned, 60minute journalists should stick to going overseas and feasting on caviar and all this other exotic food stuffed into thteir esky...... you know what I'm getting at right?? Hehe Richard Carlton... the tosser!

gianttomato wrote on Mon, 10 November 2003 19:21

Speedy, I just thought these might be ways to encourage nurses back to nursing. There was no malice intended with the female dominated thing - just I didn't want the the creche thing to be taken the wrong way...

???? What you talking about man?? I didn't take anything the wrong way...... I said "Sorry for what?" which meant I beleived you did not have to appologise for what you said because it is a FACT!!
But you brough up a point....... there is a hugh shortage of nursing staff and to some extent doctors, but the government insists on charging HECS on these degrees, and still paying them peanuts (nurses) or screwing doctors of thousands of dollards over indemnity. My G/F is an RN also and has almost finshed her Midwifery post-grad studies, and just found out that she has to pay $4.5k by Jan 04, because her HECS debt crept a bit over 18k, absolute BS! Hey at least she will be getting a bit of money from 2 papers she wrote that are being published in the Aussie Midwifery Journal thingimabob. So they, kick up a stink because there are hugh shortages but they are not willing to make incentives for people to follow these professions.

Here in QLD, entry into Medicine is different though..... no direct entry from high school, must have a previous uni degree, then have to sit the exams, just to beable to have access to entry, then apply to get in. I think it is a 4 year course.

[Updated on: Mon, 10 November 2003 18:28]