Thursday, January 18, 2018

Finally Heading Home

Going home day actually arrived (to our delight)........Feb 11, 2014.......and now he could recover!
We were both delighted and nervous about being on our own with this recovery process. It was a struggle of discoveries not meant to last for us as the 14th dawned on a troublesome high temperature for George and in general, feeling very unwell.
Being home was not to last...........(Happy Valentines Day)
I called the ambulance on advice of the Homecare Nurse and once again George was admitted to hospital (Surrey Memorial) with a serious staff infection, with which he had been sent home from Vancouver General. Some disheartened were we both, as a whole new series of struggles placed themselves on the table.
From emergency George was admitted and transferred to a 'holding' area of the hospital. It was the OLD emergency department of the hospital and certainly not suitable to house patients who had to spend any amount of time confined. There he would remain in this dark, dingy prison-like ward until we finally resorted to (me) very un-lady-like behavior. It was while housed in this horrible place he underwent another surgery (green laser) to relieve a blockage which would hopefully help him to be rid of the catheter still in place. Trying to return him to the same location following surgery, the hospital staff experienced my little 'tantrum' (which George supported) and he was finally transferred to a decent room........actually had a window to look out of.
After this last surgery George would receive a total of 5 units of blood over a period of 6 days. He endured countless episodes and incidents of less than adequate patient care, from seemingly unconcerned doctors to obvious inexperienced staff, who on one occasion (while inserting a catheter) inflated the balloon in the urethra.........there was so much blood it could appear he had just been shot. This episode took long to repair and very long for George to recover from. The frustration of it all is not having any avenue or recourse to 'fix' the situation at the time the incidents happen.........there is a route for complaints but it is clearly written that you can expect a response to your correspondence in 10 to 14 days..........perhaps the patient may have died by then.......what the hell ???
Our medical system truly needs reworked. It probably needs no mention but hospital food was indescribably bad........(more so for a vegetarian). Did you know that all the food served in these hospitals is prepared in Calgary, packed, frozen and shipped by truck out here to BC.???? 'Tis the truth! George's weight at one point was down to 130 lbs (he only knew this because he weighed himself).......if I had not been bringing in food from home every day I'm not sure what he would have gone down to and further, if they every would have checked what he weighed.        this saga really will end soooon 

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