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"I got my LVAD [left ventricular assist device] two years ago now, I was 20 when I had a fall at a park and I hurt my back really bad, so I came to the hospital. It was when I went to hospital that they found out my blood pressure was really low, so I went to the Coronary Care Unit and then ICU, and we found out that the left side of my heart doesn`t work properly and I had my surgery. I can do a lot of stuff now that I wouldn`t have been able to do without the LVAD, I couldn`t walk 5 minutes away because I was always out of breath. I would say if something is wrong, then keep fighting to find an answer for yourself."

💭 Monday Mantra, Annalease, TPCH Cardiac Patient ...

If you’ve ever had that dreaded feeling that something you ate was not quite right, only to have your fears confirmed when violent illness presents hours later, you’re not alone. In fact, our Metro North Public Health Unit would investigate a food-borne illness outbreak every couple of weeks. 😮

It’s one of the investigations that relies on the full team working together, with epidemiology, communicable disease and environmental health teams each playing an important role in cracking the case.

Metro North Public Health Unit’s Dr James said food investigations pull on the full team to solve them and rely on intel from the public. 💡🔎

“Outbreaks themselves are fairly common, but we count on the public coming forward to tell us and that is where we will look at your meals for the previous five days, it’s not just your lasts meal as sometimes people think,” he said.

“Our epi team will collect all the info on those who became sick, and then our environmental health officers will undertake site visits and get samples as well as looking a food storage and preparation processes to work out what’s happened.

“Then the team will work with our helpful labs to look at those samples to confirm the exact cause of illness and link it back to the investigation.

“As a team, our goal is always to work out what’s happened and then educate the provider on what they can do better to prevent future outbreaks.” ...

Some of you may be dressing up as skeletons today for Halloween, but our radiographers are checking out the real thing! 🩻🦴

RBWH Radiographer Alice works across various hospital areas including emergency, theatre and general x-ray and wants you to stay safe if you`re trick or treating or partying today, to avoid a trip to the hospital.

"A lot of the trauma scans we see here every day are broken bones from e-scooters, so avoid the e-scooter when going trick or treating," Alice says.

"Theatre and emergency are particularly interesting areas, they are very fast paced but occasionally you might see something a little gory, however you get to be a part of that patient`s story for a short time."

A big #ShoutoutSaturday to Alice and our medical imaging teams for making our patients feel safe and reassured, and that it`s not too scary if you have to visit us. ❤️‍🩹 ...

From loving hands to little arms, these crafty donations can make the difference in a young patient`s day. 🧸🌈

Thanks to generous donations from organised community groups like @thatyarnplace as well as individual donations from local community members, TPCH Registrar Dr Nick and Clinical Nurse Christine cheer up sick kids in the ED and paediatric ward with hand knitted teddies.

"It brings a smile to their faces and definitely calms them in situations where they might be headed into a procedure and they are worried about being in hospital," Christine says.

"We want to rewrite the narrative that hospitals are scary places, by them getting something to take home it makes it a positive experience for them," Dr Nick adds.

If you have some crafting skills you want to share with our local Paediatric Emergency Departments, donations are always welcome. 🧶❤️‍🩹 ...