I suppose they mean well.

Our public health system is driving me mad though.

Herself is happily ensconced in the new Back Room. She has everything she needs including a television, radio, Interwebs, an en-suite and a poor sap sitting outside the door who’s at her beck and call all the time. Things are working well.

But then in comes Public Health.

We have had two visits this week from two different nurses. The first one came a couple of days ago. She wasn’t too bad but she’s quitting her job any day now. She inspected the place as if she were looking for rat droppings or something and was more concerned about Herself getting exercise than her actual health. She threatened us with another visit later in the week.

I had to call Doc in that evening. He couldn’t give a damn about the state of the place so long as Herself was healthy enough. Sure enough he diagnosed a couple of problems caused by the stay in hospital, commented on Herself catching up for lost time with the fags [her ashtray was full as usual] and wrote out a prescription to try to cure the damage.

This morning I was fast asleep having a weird dream [does anyone have dreams that aren’t weird?] when there was a hammering on the front door. Another fucking nurse who is apparently the first one’s successor. She’s loud and bossy and shot past me to see Herself. I left her to get lost amongst all the new house layout, and got dressed. Unfortunately the nurse found Herself who was of course fast asleep.

Now this nurse is one of those who tries to take control of everything by talking loudly and incessantly. For a start, she couldn’t understand why Herself was home and not in some convalescence facility. We pointed out that even with health insurance it would cost an arm and a leg [not to mention a knee] and anyway Herself was much happier here. Not good enough. I could see we dropped several points in Nurse’s estimation.

She then threatened us with more equipment. I should point out that we are already swamped with equipment most of which [supplied by the health mob] is cluttering up the kitchen and garage. The only item which they delivered that was any real use was the bed [which is fantastic]. . The piece she is threatening us with is a yoke that they brought before and I had binned because it wasn’t suitable and I can’t see how it’s going to miraculously work this time. But Nurse knows better.

I tried to explain that we are fine as we are and are coping very well. Nurse then changed tack and said that the new equipment for me. I didn’t realise I was now the patient? She explained that it was all to save me hard work and to stop me doing myself an injury. She is now talking about sending a helper of some sort to give me some respite. We tried that before and it didn’t work which apparently is my fault through some logic I fail to understand. I pointed out that I had been doing the caring for a very long time, but this also is against public health policy for some reason. I am to receive help whether I want it, need it or not.

That’s the problem with the ‘System’. It sucks you in and then tries to run you by its rules whether you like it or not. Frankly I sometimes think they are doing more harm than good.

They’re not there when you need them, but when you don’t need them they’re all over you like a rash.