What a Week!!

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Tuesday morning, having stayed up very late on Monday night, our second day in Sydney, at about the same time as the earthquake was hitting Christchurch where we had spent such a wonderful day 10 days earlier, I got out of bed, bent down to pick up the daily programme, the ship took a bit of a roll with the swell and bang!! My leg blew across the room!!!! (Well that was what it felt like, in reality, my hip had dislocated) Whilst I was screaming in agony, Richard called the ships emergency Doc, and she came running. Yes, I was right, my hip had clicked out, they would have to move me to the medical centre. Not a chance, I am going nowhere!!! Well after about an hour, and very gentle moving along with a lot of sedation, they managed to get me to the medical centre, and take an X-ray. The Doc, confirmed the verdict and said she would have to try to manipulate it back into place, so off she went to read up on the procedure. With this they knocked me out completely, and aparently worked on it for 2 hours, the Doc herself is big and strong, and she bought in the “heavies” including the 1st officer from the Engine Room, another big Guy who obviously (judging by the bruises and aches) sat on me, stretched me, twisted me, everything possible to replace the joint with no avail. The only solution was to out me back to bed, keep me quiet and sedated until we could have a medi-vac 2 days later in Cairns.

So I now lie in bed for 2 days, without moving at all, uncomfortable, sore, leg in traction to stop muscles from spasm, hot, bad tempered, angry and so it goes on.

Meanwhile, Richard has to get his “arse into gear”. Arrange to disembark the ship, pack all our bags, sort out customs, immigration and whatever else is required, as well as wondering where we go to from here, all with no help whatsoever from me.

To make things even worse, this is all happening whilst we have the CEO and all the top noise from HAL on board to celebrate the World Cruise and 2 days of non stop partying.

Eventually, Richard is told that he has to meet immigration at 05.30 with all paperwork and luggage and the ambulance team will be there to meet me. Richard was there, immigration were not!

Eventually, ambulance team arrived, and now we have the almost impossible task of getting me from a small stateroom into the ambulance, scary or what, about a dozen filipino stewards strapped me into a cradle managed to manouver me out of the room onto a trolly, we then managed to get to the gangway where the ambulance team took over and transferred me to their stretcher and the only issue left was to negotiate the gangplank. The weather??? A monsoon, the wind was blowing a gale and the gangplank was swaying around big time, however this all happened, me covered in beach towels to try to keep the rain out! At last in the ambulance, absolutely drenched, and then the immigration officer banged on the door, and insisted that the sniffer dog needed to see my handbag.

Next stop, Cairns Base Hospital, where the builders had moved in. More bedlam, the staff were brilliant, and completely on the ball, the noise of drilling, banging and workmen unbearable, but hey ho, after more Xrays, Registrars, Orthopaedic Surgeons, they decide a general anaesthetic and hopefully the hip will be back in place. This all took place and now after 2 days in Hospital, hip is back together, rather sore, and needs plenty of TLC for a couple of months, walking rather gingerly but will get better soon, more X-rays, a shower and cleaned my teeth first time in 5 days, several cups of tea, and some wonderful care and company in Queensland I am now in a lovely hotel room in the Holiday Inn, whilst outside the monsoon continues, and Richard is still trying to work out what next. I am now updating on the horrific events in Christchurch and so hard to believe that 2 weeks ago could have been us!!




Whilst my drama was all going on, Richard with nothing better to do while sitting in the Hospital took himself off to the Triage Nurse and told her he wanted a CT scan!! For the last 2 weeks, he has been suffering severe dizzy spells whenever he moved suddenly or lay down and the Doc had already advised him he should get checked out. So he at the same time is put in another bed, and has a 3 hour full check up with the Brain Surgeon (or similar) with very extensive tests and the CT scan to find all is good, and it is probably a reaction to the severe bronchial infection that he had had. So now out of bed and discharged, Richard was happy and set off to find a Hotel. Still monsoon, his panama hat blew off into a raging torrent into a storm drain, as he rushed after it, fell off the pavement and eventually arrived back at the Hospital with the skin hanging off his leg and blood everywhere!! What next? You guessed, he is now in my room, having his leg cleaned and dressed by the Nurse, who then even went out of her way and took him back to his hotel on her way home!!




Well after all that drama, all is now good, I must take it carefully, but have medical records to say I am fit to fly or rejoin the Cruise, so we are waiting for approval from the Medical Officer on board that she will accept me back, only problem then will be where? The ship is now heading for Papua New Guinea, where we could rejoin on Sunday afternoon, problem is at this moment in time flights are all full!! So Richard is back at the Air Niugini Office looking for a cancellation, if not, it will be next weekend in Manilla Philipines! So we could be spending a week in Cairns in the Monsoon season, we will just have to wait and see.

Well a quick update to all this, cannot get a flight to PNG tomorrow, just as well really as I am still not very confident, and would prefer to stay within reach of the hospital for a few more days, so it looks like we are going to Manilla via Hong Kong next friday!!

So in the meantime, we are going to enjoy sightseeing here in Queensland, the fish is fantastic, the weather is continual monsoon, but I am sure we will be able to see through the rain with the camera lens, and hopefully with just a small break in the rains, we will have some good stories to tell in the next few days!!

That's it for now, don't bother with cards, flowers and grapes, it is all too late for that, but would love to receive messages from all our friends!!
We are now both well, and enjoying our "different Overland Trip"!!

More soon
Love Elaine & Richard
XXX

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