Issue 7 Page 3

There is no need to let your disabilities cramp your lifestyle. With a few extra provisions and a bit of extra planning you can still do most of what you want.
Whilst my husband had several medical conditions and was on oxygen most of the time we took a trip driving from Tassie to the Daintree on the other side of Cairns and back again.
We took our time travelling only 400 or so kilometers each day and having a days rest now and then. Before our trip we discussed it with my husbands doctors and made a list of all the services he was receiving or might need to receive such as Community nursing, pathology, oxygen providers, diabetic nurses and so on. We contacted each of these to find out where we could get the same services during our trip and what differences there might be between one state and another. We also prepared lists showing the medical conditions my husband has, what medications he is on and contact details for himself, his GP and specialist. Also we got a letter from his GP explaining his condition and what were “normal” levels for him but would be abnormal for others. We obtained maps of where we were going and marked all the points where we could get oxygen and where the toilets were. http://www.toiletmap.gov.au/ We arranged to have extra oxygen cylinders, as we would not be able to use a concentrator as much as usual.
With all this planning beforehand we had very few surprises on the trip which went very well until my husbands conditioned worsened in Nagambie and he was put into Shepparton Hospital for a bit. The social worker there was able to help us reorganise the rest of our trip home and find us a place close by to stay.
We had a couple of times when the car broke down but because we knew where all the services we needed were it was not so difficult to rearrange to stay in a different place for the night and continue on when the car was fixed.
On one of these times we had telephoned my husband’s son to come and get us from Melbourne but we had a four hour wait until he arrived. As it was starting to get dark we were picked up by some locals who had seen us waiting and taken to their place for a cuppa.
We used tourist parks/ caravan parks to stay at - not only cheaper we were also assured of a ground floor room every time!! On the boat we were able to park next to the lift but we had to ask for a box to convert the boat power for the concentrator. (Edith & Ken)

Issue 7 Page 3