The spectacular sight of Uluru is a memorable experience. But for Amanda Freeman, her trip was unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
Leaving her home state of NSW for the first time, Amanda decided a family road trip to explore the outback was in order.
“I wanted to create memories for my kids,” Amanda said.
“We hadn’t been to the NT before, so we decided to go out to Uluru.”
After experiencing the Rock’s jaw-dropping beauty, Amanda and her family settled in at the nearby campground, smack bang in the middle of Central Australia.
“I stayed up late to watch a Matildas game – I’m a big soccer fan,” Amanda said.
Just a few hours later, Amanda’s cheering became screaming in pure agony.
“I started getting this sharp pain in my chest. I’d had reflux before, but this hurt like crazy," she said.
I wasn’t sure what was happening – the pain was unbearable.
Amanda, RFDS patientWhile Amanda sought comfort from the cold floorboards of the cabin, her husband Jye quickly gathered the reflux medication that usually eases the pain in minutes.
“It didn’t do anything,” Amanda said.
“I’ve had three natural babies, but this pain was just extraordinary.”
Nearly 3,000km from her home and a five-hour drive from the nearest hospital, Amanda had never felt so isolated.
“We were all scared – we were in the middle of nowhere,” she said.
“I hadn’t seen a medical centre or even an ambulance during the day. I had no idea what to do.”
Following instructions from staff at their accommodation, Amanda’s husband bundled her into the car and headed to the nearby Yulara Clinic.
“Jye brought our kids out to see me, but I was just lying there screaming,” she said.
“It was terrifying for them to see me like that.”
The clinic nurse immediately called the Medical Retrieval & Consultation Centre (MRaCC) to arrange a Royal Flying Doctor Service response.
“I remember asking Nurse Dani if I was going to die,” Amanda said.
“She said, ‘Not on my watch.’”
In the care of an RFDS Flight Nurse and MRaCC Doctor, Amanda was airlifted to Alice Springs Hospital aboard an aeromedically equipped PC-12 aircraft.
While she doesn’t remember much of the flight, Amanda recalls the RFDS and MRaCC team helping her feel as comfortable as possible.
“The RFDS team was amazing and very friendly,” she said.
“They just took care of everything – all the medication, machines and blood work so I wasn't in pain for the flight.”
After extensive tests and treatment at Alice Springs Hospital, it was determined Amanda had gallstones – hardened deposits of digestive fluid in the gallbladder. They had blocked her bile duct, causing a 'gallstone attack' and extreme pain.
Medication was prescribed to relieve the pain before Amanda safely travelled home to NSW to have her gallbladder removed.
Spending most of her life in built-up suburbs, Amanda never imagined she’d need the Flying Doctor.
“It’s not something you usually think about while you’re travelling,” she said.
“You assume if there’s an emergency you can always just call a (road) ambulance.
“Nurse Dani at the Yulara Clinic and the RFDS team were amazing and so friendly.
“I am very thankful for the RFDS – without them, I’m not sure what I would have done.”
While she’s recovered physically, Amanda’s memory of that fateful night isn’t going away any time soon.
“Whenever I see a Flying Doctor plane in the sky it takes me back to the experience I had.”
Learn more about the Flying Doctor.
