Speaking of wasting Government money

[*crikey*mate*]

I just collected a package from the post office from the Australian Government (that's what it said on the envelope) It was addressed to my OH - it had all this informational stuff in it about bowel cancer.

Yeah, yeah, keeping people informed etc - but the postage alone must have been $3 plus the cost of whatever was in the package (it was A4 and chockers and I reckon must have only made the 20mm thick rule by a cat's whisker) and the wage of the person who had to correlate it all and pack it.

But it was specifically addressed to him, so there is a system somewhere deciding who gets these packages.

My OH has no history of cancer, so why they picked him out I have no idea.

Wonder how many other people got these and how much this drained the coffers.

Sure, keep people informed etc, but I reckon I could think of a few less expensive ways to do it.

[*crikey*mate*]

and I can only imagine what the test might involve - eeewwwwww - how do you return that hygenically???

me thinks you should have read the enclosed material and studied the pack before you started this thread.

I think people will send it back (I did) as it is easy to do, prepaid post, drop in Post Office mail box.

I just thought about this - isn't it a bit off sending these sort of samples through the mail? Imagine if one got squished in transit... surely it'd have to come under hazardous materials or similar wouldn't it? I mean it's human waste!

[freddie*rooster]

Crikey, they don't ask you to dump it in paperbag, it's a smear on a piece of cardboard type thingo which is then covered.

[the_great_she_elephant]

My mother died of bowel cancer when she was two years younger than I am now - she had no history either, and no symptoms till it was too late.     That 'waste of money' you are complaining about would probably have saved her life.

[cherry*135]

I just thought about this - isn't it a bit off sending these sort of samples through the mail? Imagine if one got squished in transit... surely it'd have to come under hazardous materials or similar wouldn't it? I mean it's human waste!

Yes, I think it has some sort of label on it. The sample is a speck, size of a rice grain or smaller. The post bags were padded from memory.

What do you think happens to samples (all types) taken in medical centres, they have to be picked up and transported to labs by courier people or taken to PO and posted to labs.

[*crikey*mate*]

pk - fair enough - I'm just still coming to terms with the whole concept I guess - but didn't meep say something about a tube back there?

a few hours ago I was thinking it was a $5 informational package and then I found out it was the whole kit and caboodle, so now I'm just pondering the logistics of it all..

mail order tests are just such a foreign concept to me atm - but I guess you learn something new all the time, eh?

[cherry*135]

My mother died of bowel cancer when she was two years younger than I am now - she had no history either, and no symptoms till it was too late.     That 'waste of money' you are complaining about would probably have saved her life.

Yes, anything to help prevent that outcome is worth every cent.

[cherry*135]

pk - fair enough - I'm just still coming to terms with the whole concept I guess - but didn't meep say something about a tube back there?

Yes, there are two thin test tubes (2 samples taken on different days), but then you would know that if you were interested enough to read/look in the package you have sitting in your house.

[*crikey*mate*]

Yes, I think it has some sort of label on it. The sample is a speck, size of a rice grain or smaller. The post bags were padded from memory.

What do you think happens to samples (all types) taken in medical centres, they have to be picked up and transported to labs by courier people or taken to PO and posted to labs.

I just thought the courier people handled those, you know people who are aware of what they are potentially collecting and drive around in their specially marked cars whose specific job is to collect human test samples - it never occurred to me that they would be posted anywhere - cos for starters I thought that those sorts of samples were supposed to be fresh and kept in the fridge until you handed them into your doctor (you know, if the kids have had to have a wee sample)

I just can't imagine popping a vial of blood or one of those wee sample containers in the mail.

[*mrgrizz*]

are they sending the prostate one too men as well?

[cherry*135]

but I guess you learn something new all the time, eh?

Not that new really, they have been sending them out over the last 3 or more years.