July 23
In a few hours, I will undergo vascular surgery at Vancouver General Hospital. The prospect is a bit scary but the prognosis is good. I hope to resume work at In-Sights without much delay.
In the coming BC election, there will be talk about a failing healthcare system voiced by those who want privatization. Given appropriate resources, public healthcare is far better for the vast majority of those needing care. My own experience has already involved numerous specialists, nurses, technicians operating sophisticated equipment, and uncounted support personnel. It’s expensive but life preserving work.
Good thing I don’t live where my father was born. I don’t have a Nobel Prize medal to sell.
July 25 update
All is going as hoped here at VGH. Thirteen days from initial diagnosis to apparent resolution is impressive. No medical bill presented, not even for a single dollar. Parking the car that took me to the hospital on July 21 was our major expense: about $6 dollars.
More evidence that talk of the public healthcare system being broken is as accurate as when tobacco companies told us that smoking was good for us. Privatization of healthcare is designed to make rich people richer and poor people poorer.
The highly trained vascular surgeons at VGH are an amazing lot. Work that used to be high risk is now routine. Getting ready started about 5:30 am, surgery was completed and I was out of the recovery room and moved to a step-down unit by mid-afternoon.
July 26 update
The unit was so busy that a new patient needed the intermediate care provided in the area where I was. The offer was for me to move to a hallway bed. I countered with an offer to go home. After being rechecked by several medical personnel and receiving aftercare instructions, off I went.
I left amazed at how an anxiety inducing ailment could be examined, diagnosed and fixed in such a short time. And every healthcare worker I encountered did their work with competence and compassion. Not everyone will be as lucky, but a great many will have their lives improved and not be bankrupted by the process.
July 30 update
To assist others who might have undiagnosed carotid artery blockage, perhaps I should mention that my first noticeable symptom of reduced blood flow to the brain was complete blindness that lasted five to fifteen minutes. At first, we assumed it was a new presentation of migraine, which is something that has affected me periodically since teen years.
But a cautious family doctor asked me to go to emergency if it happened again. Twenty minutes after I spoke with the doctor, a reoccurrence had me headed for Lions Gate Hospital. They did extensive testing and called in a specialist. With a firm diagnosis, I was soon admitted to Vancouver General for surgery.
On the weekend, I was well enough to make it to a grandson’s Little League baseball tournament game and I am back reading and writing. Thanks for all the kind messages from readers, especially the one from fellow blogger RossK at The Gazetteer.
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in-sights.ca 
All the best Norm. We all look forward to you back at the controls and sharing your research and wisdom with us.
Speedy recovery,
Pat
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Best wishes for a restful recovery, Norm.
Nice to not have $$ worries to add to pre-op worries, with public health care.
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All the best Norm for a good recovery. A properly funded and operated public healthcare system is priceless for all of society.
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All the best wishes from an old Alpha-Ciné guy.
I’ll enjoy your many future comments, Norm.
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And an old Alpha-Ciné customer 1970’s Ski movies, Bill in Kamloops
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Had some spare parts inserted last October and what could have been frightening was not because of all the personnel at the local hospital, the ambulance folks and at Jubilee. All done professionally, in a timely fashion, and with a dash of empathy at every corner, even though the load was heavy all around. No quibbles about health care, just don’t want to pay for corporate profit on what is clearly a necessity. I will be sending good vibes and hoping for a painless procedure and a speedy and comfortable recovery!
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All the best! From recent experience, you will be well cared for.
Just four weeks ago I suffered what could be termed a heart attack.
The following is a letter printed in our local rag, which I took issue with an editorial that out medical system was in crisis.
“From recent experience, our medical system is not in crisis, as editor Ian Jacques stated in his op-ed in the July 4 edition, rather it needs a good tune up.
On Friday, June 21, I suffered what can be best described as a heart attack.
At around 11:30 in the morning I phoned 911, suffering pains in my arms, jaw and chest, and in short order the fire department arrived as well as the paramedics. A quick assessment was made, and the ‘Advanced Life Support’ crew were summoned, and I was whisked away to Delta Hospital.
The doctors at Delta Hospital, in communication with cardiologists at Royal Colombian Hospital determined that I should be moved there, post haste.
Seventeen minutes later, around 3:30 p.m., I was at RCH and taken directly to the cardiac ward and by 5 p.m. and four stents later, I found myself recovering in my hospital room.
The system worked and thanks to the Delta Fire Department, the doctors and nurses at both Delta Hospital and RCH, who were all wonderful, I can tell my story. The alternative, well I do not want to think about that, as I do not have a good photo for the obits page!
Again, the system works and like me, it just needs a tune up.”
As we are now passing our “best before dates”, our medical system does have issues, but in crisis, no.
If asked, I could offer several solutions to help mitigate issues with the Emergency department and hiring more “paper pushers” is definitely not the answer.
Looking forward for your next post!
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Though I don’t comment much any more, I still read you and speak of you often to my peers. Here is to a successful procedure and speedy recovery Norm.
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That welcome update is cause for a collective sigh of relief I’m sure. Great news!
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Great to hear that you are back home. I absolutely concur with you about our health system not being “in crisis”. My personal experience with the amazing health care professionals and care- givers who helped me win my battle with head and neck cancer are proof positive that our system works.
We need to analyze why basic health services in other countries like South Korea and Mexico are so readily available and delivered so efficiently and inexpensively. I have family, friends and relations who have personal experiences with the services that are available in those countries. Surely there is a way were we can define when enough is enough regarding the potential profit made from the delivery of basic and necessary health care services. The wait time for CT scans in British Columbia for instance is probably causing more severe health issues to develop because of the lack of early diagnosis that could lead to more effective early treatment.
There is nothing wrong with people getting a return on investment, what is wrong is people expecting huge returns on investment at the expense of the health and well being of our fellow human beings.
Would it not be possible and beneficial to set up a “blue ribbon” panel of experts to focus on how to deliver preventative health care so that the highly effective diagnostic tools can be purchased and operated more ubiquitously in our province for a reasonable and pre-determined return on investment?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Gary G
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I hope all this went well Norm.
We’ve been away sailing up in the Broughtons. No cell coverage. No internet. A real holiday!
cheers
Rob
Rob Southcott
604 414 8910
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Lucky you! Gwen and I are waiting for the Earls Cove – Saltery Bay ferry, heading for Lang Bay. Family already there were reporting Humpback whales yesterday visible from the beach. Today they were looking at sea lions on what we called Seagull Rock.
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Great news! Sounds like you are thriving. We were dodging browsing humpbacks in the south end of Queen Charlotte Strait. And so much more wildlife there too. Beautiful place, as is our home – backyard full of birds when we came home – they love the weed seeds. ; )
Rob Southcott 604 414 8910 ________________________________
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