I can honestly say that in my 30 years I have been very fortunate not to have experienced the “other side” of the Health Care system. I have been working long and hard to try to change the way the Health system does business from a management/administration side of the fence, and the only resource I have used to be aware of what needs improving has been the experience of others. I have always used someone else’s (our customers) perspective to look at the way we do business and to start the change in processes which have been in place since the dawn of time. Well that lack of first hand knowledge of the “other side” was all about to change January 1st and I had no idea...
I woke up that morning with a pain that I have never felt before, and later found myself waiting in a packed Emergency Department waiting room. After five and a half hours, six vials of blood taken, two x-rays and a CT scan, I was told I was being admitted to a larger hospital an hour away. There was a bed waiting for me and I could expect to have surgery later that night as I had an 8mm kidney stone creating a blockage. So off I went home to pack an overnight bag before returning to the Emergency Department to pick up my file and DVD of my diagnostic images. Upon arriving at the next hospital, I was welcomed by a sign that alerted me to the fact that the hospital was experiencing an overcapacity situation. I wondered if this would affect me as I made my way to the admitting desk, but I was quickly told that it didn't, and I was admitted. A cheery Porter then appeared and led me to a bed which was one of four in a shared room. He assured me that someone would be with me soon. Approximately 15 minutes later I was greeted by a very cheery nurse who conducted a quick interview and started an IV of a saline solution in order to make sure I would be hydrated for surgery. Before going any further I should mention that it was about 5:30pm by this point and "lucky" for me I hadn't eaten all day, as you must fast prior to surgery. My wife and two boys showed up approximately a half hour later to visit, and at about the same time a Lab Tech came to take some more blood from me. After a couple hours of watching my boys amuse each other, I began to wonder if this procedure was actually going to take place. When I left the other hospital I had been given the impression the urgency of my situation was quite high. Around 9:30 a nurse came in to tell me that I had been cancelled for the day and that I could eat and drink now, but nothing after midnight. So I was given half an egg salad sandwich, a little container of apple juice, and a granola bar. For a little perspective, I'm 6'2 - 245lbs and as lovely as the box lunch was, it was far from filling my hunger gap but I resolved that I would not think about it and try to get some sleep. I quickly found out that sleep with three other men in a shared room in a hospital wasn't going to be as easy as first thought; but I decided one night with not much sleep wasn’t going to be a big deal and my bed at home the following night would make up for it.
Around 11 the next morning I was greeted by a doctor who was there to give me some news. The news was that I had Mononucleosis and he would have to notify the Anaesthetist about my condition. My shock and inquisitive nature immediately kicked in and I subjected him to a barrage of questions. First, I asked him who had ordered the test for Mono, to which he responded he had no idea. Next, I asked why if I have such a virus there were no symptoms whatsoever being experienced. I was promptly told that I probably did have symptoms and that regardless of how I felt, I had Mono. At this point I decided any further questions would be futile and let him do his thing. A couple hours later my surgeon arrived to let me know the details of what was going to take place. After he had explained the kidney stone removal procedure I proceeded to ask him about the Mono diagnosis delivered to me earlier that day. He responded with he wasn’t sure who had ordered the test but it appeared that I in fact did have Mon. He assured me I did not need to worry - he was confident it wouldn’t affect anything. He also explained that I was fourth on the "list" and, fingers crossed, would get done today. Skipping ahead a few hours filled with a lot of mundane waiting, at 11:30 pm a nurse came rushing up to my bed with sandwiches and juice and told me to “eat,eat,eat!!”!! I had been cancelled for the day but should eat all I could before midnight when I would need to begin fasting again.
That night and the following day were a repeat of those previous, and I was beginning to wonder if this surgery was ever going to take place. Mid afternoon of day three, my surgeon arrived again to tell me that I was number 6 on the “list” and, fingers crossed, would be done sometime after 4 pm that day?! Well 4 pm came and went and I was preparing myself again for my 11:30 gorging and gluttony before the fast. At 9 pm I was surprised to see a nurse at my bed telling me to get ready - they were coming to get me. This was followed shortly by the same friendly porter arriving with a stretcher and off I went. In what seemed like a matter of 15 minutes, I was put under and was waking up from the anaesthetic. When I woke up, I was immediately told that I had really scared them in the OR. Apparently, my blood pressure hit the floor and they had to give me “fluid” to bring it back up. But since I was awake and feeling good, no harm no foul I thought. Apparently they felt it was a little more serious then I did and were on my vitals every 20 to 30 minutes. My blood pressure finally came back up to around normal about 3 am. I was discharged the next morning around 10:30 am and sent on my merry way. I have been informed since that blood pressure drop was a lot more serious then I ever imagined and feel lucky to be writing this!!
Throughout the whole ordeal, I can say that my interactions with health care workers were positive, and I never felt like any of them were not doing their job. I appreciated their smiles and humour when I felt like I had been forgotten. What caused the most stress and discomfort was the system and its lack of respect for the needs of the “customer” and the resulting disregard for what we assume is our right – timely, efficient service. In the end, I was provided with the service I had needed – my kidney stone was removed. But the disheartening fact remains that the experience caused me and those who care most about me to have doubts about the system and its ability to look after me at a time when we needed it desperately!
Needless to say, after experiencing the Health Care System from the other side of the fence I have a whole new outlook on things, and a new invigorated passion to make it the best system possible, for my generation and those to follow!
