To the editor:
Please consider my experience as representative of many other patients. I’m struggling while typing this message with one hand, especially after having two good hands and 10 fingers over the past 66 years.
In a stupid accident on Oct. 14, 2013, I removed two fingers from my left hand with a saw while working outside.
Under the severe conditions of a sudden amputation and shock, I was fortunate that I had the where-with-all to search for my fingers which were somewhere in the grass and to get myself to the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital as fast as possible from Kaministiquia, a drive of about 45 minutes.
I arrived at the emergency department with a blood soaked towel wrapped over my hand and carrying one finger in a plastic bag. I could not find the other digit.
The nurses didn’t waste any time getting me in a wheelchair and hustling me upstairs despite not having my health card. I was provided with some pain relief by a couple of attentive surgeons which relaxed me somewhat.
X-rays were taken and a call to Winnipeg was made to a plastic surgeon and it was determined that I should be flown immediately to the Winnipeg Health Science Centre because they thought they could re-attach the one finger.
In a matter of hours after the initial accident in Kaministiquia, I was being looked at by a pair of surgeons in Winnipeg.
As it turned out after an hour and half of reconstructive surgery, they could not re-attach my finger. The next day became puzzling and frustrating when the nurse in attendance asked me how I was getting back home to Thunder Bay.
At first I thought she was prodding a smile to take my mind off the pain, but I quickly realized that she was serious.
Not having flown to another province for emergency surgery before, my natural assumption was that my province and my health coverage would take care of everything.
I found out, that was not to be. While convalescing, my mind was focused on licking my wounds and considering what I was going to do with the rest of my life and how I was going to cope with missing digits since I am a custom woodworker.
At the time of the accident, I had typical work pants on with nothing in my pockets – no credit card, no ID, no health card and absolutely no money.
Now I was in a Winnipeg hospital being asked go home, but, I had no way of doing that other than hitchhiking.
Even though Thunder Bay Regional Health Scences Centre looked after me quickly (which was appreciated), there was a grave error in shipping me out of town and essentially dumping me in another province and leaving me there without first spelling out the ramifications of what I was in for.
I agree most people who end up in emergency wards probably have ID and/or money with them, but how many people carry their driver’s license and credit card while working in their yard picking potatoes or cutting wood?
I had no idea whatsoever that I was going to be sent to Manitoba and that I should race back into the house while hemorrhaging to look for ID and to wiggle my credit card out of my other pants with my one good hand.
Nurses and doctors at both hospitals worked with stunning care and compassion and for that, I am grateful. This grievance is directly focused on the system.
The mental anguish I suffered and still suffer, the physical pain and trauma I endured after surgery, being stranded in another province without money and being asked to leave by my own resources has left me wondering about how many others before me and how many more will endure what I did.
I managed to convince my card company to allow the bus fare to be charged and the Winnipeg hospital paid the taxi to get me to the bus terminal.
A kind person in the hospital gave me $20 to buy some food for the 10.5-hour bus ride home.
Without the generosity of a number of kind people things would have been even worse. In hind site I don’t believe the bus was the best option in my condition but you can only imagine the horror story if I had purchased a plane ticket online and shown up at the airport with no ID.
When people are dealing with serious injury and trauma they need direction and clearly stated options. It would be of great benefit to patients in similar circumstances to be adequately informed when being dumped in another province, to have ID and a pile of cash with them. Since this ordeal, I have heard a number of similar stories.
I am appalled that nothing seems to be happening to fix this glaring problem in our health care system. Nobody is going to convince me that it would cost the health care system one dollar more if paramedics, or nurses, or the surgeons, or office staff would inform the patient to bring money with them.
What about a patient who is in severe trauma or unconscious when being shipped out?
What sort of absurdity would they wake up to?
Vic Germaniuk,
Kaministiquia
