BertieBear

I wouldn't worry. And I doubt a doctor would give you any sort of documentation. A homeopath perhaps, but not a doctor.

In my experience, SLC are awful at chasing payment. But if you don't organise to make appropriate payment from Aus they will rep remind you harshly. I pay £430 a month from Aus - exorbitant.

I don't think the SLC let's you pay directly from an Aussie account....

I've noticed that most planes kitted out for longhaul travel have sharps disposal bins in the toilets, presumably for insulin and other injectable medication. You should have no problems.

GP for hbA1c. Endocrinologists don't routinely get involved with straightforward diet-controlled diabetics. There ARE guidelines produced for GPs in Australia, but there is not the same monetary incentive to stick to them as there is in the UK. I'd ask around your area in Aus when you arrive and find a GP with an interest in diabetes. It's important to keep it well controlled, to prevent future complications.

Hi. The poster states her husband is diet-controlled diabetic. So is probably not on tablets. He may or may not record his blood sugar level (they are called "BSL" in Aus). There is a pharmacy subsidy programme that cheapens lancets and test strips for you. There isn't a set standard of care monitoring regimen in Aus, as in your GP doesn't urge you to come for your hba1c blood tests, podiatry or retinopathy screening. So your husband should expect to be proactive in these areas. Bertie Bstandardised

Hi if you have a car there is a bunnings in Liberty Grove. I just ordered some from eBay when I needed some! I have no car and couldn't find any in Rhodes!

I live in Rhodes. It's a lovely area and the storefront is great for a walk or run or cycle. There are more bars and restaurants opening up in the new Pinnacle building on Rider Boulevard.

Welcome to Sydney! I live near to you (Rhodes). Make sure you check out the huge IKEA at Rhodes Shopping Ctr, for all your household needs! Have you discovered 'bubble tea' yet? It is an awesome creation! BertieB

Radiology is rapidly being outsourced to overseas services that can provide cheap 24/7 reporting. I think a lot of smaller and more rural hospitals use this system now. I know it is a competitive field and PRs/citizens get preferential employment. Check out AHPRA and RANZCR for details. Bertie B

Is this still going on? Friends just moved to balmain...

Hi. Amazingly, everyone on this thread refers to taking 'mg' or 'mgs' of thyroxine!!! You would all be dead if that were the case. Thyroxine is dosed by microgram, which is 1000 times less than a milligram. Oops! BertieB

Hi. It is natural to become increasingly long sighted (i.e. to require glasses for near vision) after the age of 45/50. It is called Presbyopia. Google it. BertieB

Hi. It depends on your visa type. For mine 457 I had a panel of bloods, chest X-ray, urine, and full physical exam including height and weight. Very cursory to be honest. What is your bmi? (If you don't mind me asking?) if it is just overweight you should be fine. They might question it if your bmi is >30. My bmi was underweight and the doctor told me that have to refer on anyone whose bmi is out with normal (18.5-25), unless they can be convinced there is no negative consequence on health.

Hi. We got a cheap queen bed frame from IKEA - 140 AUD, and spent 400 AUD on a mattress. It does the job!

Depends on the medical you go through, but they may not ask about it. You only have to declare certain conditions and groups of conditions. As you will know there are huge amounts of controversy about ME/CFS - why not just neglect to mention it (if it doesn't affect you that much)?

Hi. Not sure what question you are asking. Your random glucose is elevated post-having brunch. (Usually best to have 'fasting' bloods for things like this!). Your HbA1c is a tiny bit out of the normal (non-diabetic) range. The HbA1c is a long term look at blood sugars, it's essentially a 3 moth average. The two week holiday won't have made a difference. Your numbers are good for someone with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. Assuming that is what you present yourself as in a medical, I can't see the difficulty. Good luck.

When we arrived a year ago we used to imagine 1GBP = 4 AUD. obviously that was far from the exchange rate, but that gave us a better idea of how much things 'cost'. For example we pay 430 AUD a week rent, for a 1 bedroom studio apartment that would cost 100 GBP a week rent back home. And a 100 AUD grocery shop could be picked up for around 25 GBP in Lidl back home.

It's all about managing a limited resource. The medications they make an example of have price tags that would simple cripple Medicare/NHS if they became immediately available to all. Health and illness is a lottery and comes as a price. We are so privileged in so many ways. Bertie B

For the e457 you have to apply first, then they send you am olive ehealth declaration and from there you can book a slot for the medical. Bear in mind only a few locations do them. I imagine it is similar for other visa types. If you are comfortable stating what your medical condition is, people here may have more specific advice. BertieB

Hi. Chest tightness is commonly anxiety related. It can be due to bronchoconstriction (as in asthma. It can also be due to heart disease. without knowing your medical history or examining you no one on an Internet forum can advise. You should see your GP specifically for the chest tightness. It is not fair on your GP to just mention this as part of another appointment. Your GP has a very short amount of time with you, and chest symptoms need proper assessment - please do not expect your GP to deal with more than one complaint on a single appointment. You cannot get 'asthma' attacks if you don't have asthma. But you can have similar episodes of airway inflammation and bronchoconstriction. I hope you find some answers. BerrtieB

Noone cares. As long as you can pay. Probably a positive thing to prove you are solvent enough to own property.

Interesting thread. For my first 8 months in Sydney I didn't own a TV or computer, and my only source of News was the BBC news app on my iPhone. When we recently bought a TV it was very surreal to realise that Australia has news too!! ("There is an election coming up?!") it us slightly embarrassing to say that I lived in Australia for the better part of a year without ever knowing anything that was going on. It was a simpler time. A happier time! There were no crimes or disasters within 14,000 miles of me....

16% here. Staying in one bedroom unit in Sydney's inner west by the river.

You will get all the usual ED and hospital treatment, including surgery, scans, high dependency stays and medications. Nothing changes if you have no insurance or Medicare. After you are discharged you will receive a bill and sort out a payment schedule. There are plenty of people from overseas who arrive with no insurance and are not entitled to Medicare. They get the treatment they need.