Each aspiration pneumonia attack destroys a bit more of Pam's poor lungs.
On recent hospital Pam-repair visits, I have become aware of Ondansetron tablets, These tablets are amazing insofar as how quickly they eliminate the feeling of nausea. The poor folk who receive chemotherapy as a result of cancer treatment can get these tablets on the PBS. Sadly, I somehow think that that attitude is an example of tunnel-vision. I cannot deny that they should indeed be freely available (to Safety Net card holders) for easing the horrors of chemotherapy side-effects - but I would also tend to think that they should also be PBS items for people such as Pam, for whom nausea relief is potentially life-saving.
Anyway, notwithstanding this lacking ideal, today I used a non-PBS prescription from my GP and purchased 4 tablets of Ondansetron for $16 from a particular pharmacist. Another pharmacist in town charges $30 for the same thing. Please don't misunderstand me - any tablet worthy of saving my dear Pammy's life is worth its weight in gold! It's just that the rule-makers seem reluctant to include another worthy category.
I sent a letter to Mr Andrew Broad MP to see if he could do anything - it just irks me that the life-saving potential for a tablet counts less than does it's 'life-tolerating' aspect.
I must say that it amused me to see how they packaged the 4 tablets. I have a photograph thereof, but when I look at it, I wonder how else they might have done so - maybe not quite so big and wasteful of plastic. Ah, but $16 has to pay for something, I suppose...
I'll say it again though - the tablets are well worth their weight in pure gold because of their speed of anti-nausea effect, and their potential life-saving effect in Pam's case.
