Gall Bladder-less in Victoria - OUCH!

Our first day here in Victoria was perfect and we had a great time. The next 5 days were a nightmare and I am still recovering.

I woke in the night Wednesday with a pain in my chest which seemed to move around a bit but did not get better. So on Thursday morning we went to a walk-in clinic ($90). The doctor listened to me and just said I should go to the hospital in an ambulance. So we did go to Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria ($715). The Emergency Room is a bit shocking. Dozens of people waiting in chairs with various issues; no privacy at all and cleanliness not what we would expect, especially "washrooms" which are always a single uni-sex room (so one at a time). Their system is designed to maximize the numbers of people who can be seen for the least cost with no regard to these subsidiary issues. During the 4 hours I waited I heard doctors discussing many different issues with patients near me. Their only goal is to find a way to send you home.

While I was in the emergency room Al had to go back downtown to move the boat as they needed the space for their upcoming Wooden Boat Festival. Fortunately he chose to move it to a very nice spot where we could get free moorage (for 2 days) and very cheap beyond that, the Canadian Forces Sailing Association. It was a little farther away but he still managed to do all that by himself and get back to the hospital just as I was leaving.

Well, they finally did a few tests and declared my heart in fine shape and sent me away. They made no inquiry into any other potential causes for the pains. So we went back to the boat and I actually had not too bad an evening, though the pain had started to shift towards my stomach and abdomen. By Friday morning I was in extreme pain in my abdomen and suffered with it most of the day, thinking it would go away; and also thinking the last thing I wanted to do was go back to that hospital. But by 8pm I could take it no more and off we went to the hospital (another $715) by taxi. The pain was so severe that I had been throwing up and not eating, even while waiting another 4+ hours to be seen in the Emergency Room. Finally they determined that I should stay overnight for observation in the Emergency Room, on a gurney in the hallway, in my own clothes (there is no privacy). They gave me Morphine which at least helped with the pain and I could get a few winks of sleep.

In the morning they asked if I was better or did I want a CT scan. They do not have technicians on at night so it is just too bad, if you need it you wait. So I did get the CT scan finally (duh! - the morphine was barely touching the pain) which showed an issue with my gall bladder. At that point they called a surgeon and I was lucky that one of their best senior surgeons was on call. Then they sent me for an ultrasound shortly after; and from there I went into surgery prep around 2pm. Luck was on my side at that point, and good decisions by this surgeon, who delayed other surgeries to take care of mine. Their surgery area is in a brand new part of the building and actually was very modern. The doctor and surgery team were great. They said it should take 30-45 minutes. It took 90 minutes. Apparently it was REALLY bad, with a really BIG gall stone inside, the 2nd biggest he has seen in his 19 years of surgery. He was able to do it by laporoscopy with 4 cuts, the belly button one being the biggest, to remove the stone. This was all on Saturday.

I went to the recovery room which was also very modern. A nurse there sat next to me and attended only to me. Al got to come and see me there after a while, then he had to go back to the boat to take care of it and the dog. By around 7:30pm I was taken to a 4 person ward, sharing the room with 1 other person, a man. This is the old part of the hospital and it was not great. No privacy. The nurses are very nice but don't help you much. Also they let you walk around on your own, even when leaving the hospital. I'm sure the nurses are overworked. The pain during recovery can be bad, but I am getting better. I was glad he let me go home today, though he said I could stay another day if I wanted to. He gave us his email address and phone number in case I have any problems.

I slept ok on the couch last night. I thought getting up and down off our bed could be painful. Today I've done some walking and definitely feel I am making good progress. The shocking part is how far this type of thing takes you down. I feel totally out of shape and can not walk far without feeling out of breath and tired. Prior to this I could walk several miles without being too tired. I much be careful not to overdo it.