1 July 2013
As we’ve been travelling we regularly
read Alison Lester’s fantastic children’s book about a family travelling around
Australia called “Are we there yet?”.
When we were in Streaky Bay the kids HAD to stick their head in the jaws
of the shark because that’s what the kids do in the book. We went snorkeling at Turquoise Bay and
Isobel has been nagging us for a cowgirl hat for ages and I’m pretty sure it’s
because Gracie got one.
Well there’s a page where they see an
RFDS plane flying off and they make up stories about what happened. I think we’ve been following the book too
closely as we didn’t need to invent a story – we got to experience it for real. Not an adventure we really needed.
The Kalumburu Road down to Gibb River
is probably only 300km but it’s possibly one of the worst corrugated roads
we’ve travelled on this trip. The nurse
had said Otto needed rest and plenty of water so in my head, I was thinking he
could rest in the car – not really taking into account the road. He did sleep but I think the corrugations
were probably the reason we had to use the sat phone to call the RFDS
(thankfully HEMA map of the Kimberley had their phone number printed on it). In
hindsight, I think those bumps caused Otto’s seat belts to rub on his swollen
glands and resulted in a stiff neck. But we weren’t to know that at the time.
They rang around stations and found
that the Gibb River Station only 30-40km away could light up their runway to do
a night landing. We did our first night drive in ages to get there and were
surprised to see a really big Aboriginal community complete with their own
community nurse AND street lights. Talk
about surprising!
She was lovely, we went to her clinic,
pulled all the fleeces and warm clothes down from the roof as our t-shirt and
shorts couldn’t cope with this kind of night-time cold. Before we knew it we
were being shown to the airstrip where two community members had laid out all
the lights for the plane to land safely.
Here we were, under an enormous dark,
twinkling sky shivering in the cold waiting for a plane to land. When we heard the plane and saw its lights in
the distance it felt really surreal to think they were coming to help our little Otto – a pilot, nurse and
doctor and three lovely people on the ground all helping too.
The plane landed in quite a dramatic
way! It pulled up in less than 100 m in
a cloud of dust which we could see although it was pitch black. Thankfully the take off wasn’t that exciting
nor the landing on the tarmac at Broome.
The plane was tiny. They had
about 3 single seats, and a stretcher down the length of one whole side. I sat down on it (they brought the seat up
for me so I was semi-reclined) and strapped me in with a big sash belt. Then they put a harness thing over my belly
and then really strapped Otto into that.
Over our lap were lots of machines that went ping but thankfully we
didn’t need any of them.
The nurse sat across from us and facing
us so she could do all of Otto’s obs while we were on the flight. The doctor sat right behind us (facing
forward though) behind the pilot and there really wasn’t room for much else. We all got weighed including our backpacks
and water before we hopped on the helicopter a few days earlier so that was
helpful as I could tell the doctor on the phone before they took off exactly
how much Otto and I weighed. This is
crucial for them to know given how small the plane is and how much stuff they
already have in it.
As the plane took off I could see three
4WDs beside the runway and felt so sad to be leaving behind my rock, Simon, and
Hugo and Isobel. We haven’t been
separated much on this trip and when we have, I really feel it. The nurse and I
talked for some of the way but then I collapsed into sleep. The plane took off
at 10 pm and it was a 75 minute flight to Broome. We are usually in bed around 7pm, and 8pm is
a late one so I was exhausted.
The community nurse had offered for Simon
and the kids to stay there the night which was really generous but Simon drove
back to camp. Must’ve been a hard drive. I think he got home around the same
time we touched down in Broome.
A volunteer ambulance driver met us on
the runway with a paid paramedic.
Volunteers are so important in non-metropolitan areas – everything would
collapse without them. They did a
handover from the RFDS staff and took us to the hospital. By this time I’d
heard the flying doc on the phone to the hospital when we touched down to say
there was no need to call the pediatricians out of bed as Otto’s obs were all
good. The best indicator that he didn’t
have meningitis is that he didn’t have any light sensitivity or rashes on his
stomach, bottom or feet.
A lovely nurse and doctor looked after
us in Emergency and poor Otto got woken again for about the third or fourth
time that night for their examinations!
He then take ages to go to sleep.
Finally at about 2pm we got onto the ward and 45 minutes my bed was
made, lights went off and we could both collapse into sleep.
We had a single room, much bigger than
the room at PMH in Perth. The paediatric ward in Broome is only 12 months old
and is beautiful, functional and designed really well. I LOVED the shower the next morning and the
convenience of having it as an ensuite. What a treat!
They looked after us beautifully.
Unlike at PMH I was given a meal along with Otto which was a relief as I
discovered during the day I couldn’t buy anything at the hospital – no little
kiosk even and a bit of a walk to the nearest shops. I had taken only $50 cash and some phone
cards to make calls; but no credit card. What a mistake! I couldn’t add more credit on the phone cards
without a credit card, couldn’t book a bus ticket – nothing.
Two lovely, young female paediatricians
came into examine Otto just when Playschool began! What bad time. It’s the only show he loves to
watch, he hadn’t seen it for months and wasn’t very compliant with them because
all he wanted to do was watch tele. Poor
thing.
He was really bright by now, he hadn’t
had a temperature since I’d phoned the RFDS the night before and after a pretty
thorough physical examination they ruled out meningitis and said it was
probably a virus causing problems in the upper respiratory tract and he had
some slightly swollen glands. He had been complaining of a sore neck over the
weekend but I thought that as his language skills are still developing, he was
actually referring to a sore throat. This was similar to the symptoms Hugo had
had so I didn’t think for a minute it was a sore neck until on the Monday night
he wouldn’t turn his neck left or right and lay down in a way that didn’t
require his neck to strain at all.
Anyway, they said we could be
discharged immediately. Best outcome we
could’ve had really – except that Simon and the kids were about 700 km away
from us!
I had told Simon I’d leave him a
message at the Imintji Store that morning.
But as I had quite a lot to share, I had to resort to writing it all
down and sending a fax! How old
fashioned! We then had a few phone
conversations, always so happy to hear Simon’s voice on the phone, and we
decided the best thing for the whole family was for Simon and the kids to get
to Derby and set up there. Otto and I
would catch the Greyhound bus that night from Broome and meet them there saving
Simon an extra 200km of driving that day PLUS the stress of trying to find a
campsite in Broome in peak season.
Otto and I had a yummy lunch and I felt
so exhausted I lay down on his bed while he sat up and watched television and I
fell asleep. At some point I remember
him snuggling down and sleeping too. I
think I was asleep for more than 1 hour and when I woke felt so amazed with the
staff there. They needed our room but
didn’t want to disturb me so waited until we both woke up naturally. Amazing!
We read lots of books together and Otto
enjoyed playing in the lovely play space they had – both an inside and outside
space. The parents lounge was lovely and spacious and looked out over the
outdoor play space – so different to PMH in Perth!
The nurse even ordered an early dinner
for us both, and the Aboriginal Liaison Officer drove us from the hospital to
the bus stop. We were so well cared for at the Broome Hospital – and not just
clinically! So important.
Otto fell asleep in his bus seat with
his lap sash on before we even left the town limits of Broome. So I sat him on
my lap and cuddled him all the way to Derby – about 2.5 hours away by bus. I was never so happy to see Simon when he
boarded the bus to help me off…we all had so much to talk about even though
we’d been apart for less than 24 hours!
While the others were still talking I
climbed into bed and fell asleep. What a
journey!
And that was the rather abrupt end to us travelling down the Gibb River Road.
PS Seems Otto picks his days for major drama. On my Mum's birthday he got burnt and on my sister's birthday he got flown out by the RFDS.
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