I'm sure you've heard of those hospital horror stories, those which involve uncaring nurses and incompetent staff. Sadly, what I am about to relate here is no urban legend, by any means. It is happening right now, to someone I care very deeply for, and I feel helpless to do anything for him.
Three weeks ago, my husband collapsed in the living room from a seizure. By the time the EMTs arrived, he was awake, and actually walked to the gurney. He was then taken to Burnaby Hospital, in Burnaby, British Columbia. I received a call from a doctor about 8pm that evening, telling me he had been discharged, and was on his way to catch a cab. About 10 minutes later, the same doctor called me back to say that my husband had suffered another seizure, and would be admitted to the hospital. For two days, he lay in emergency, in agony and losing blood, until they transferred him to a ward, still unsure of what was wrong with him. After running some tests it was finally determined that he had suffered multiple fractures to his pelvis. Personally, I don't know how that could have happened. I wasn't at the hospital when he went into his second seizure, so I have no idea if these 'new' injuries were incurred at that time or not. At least, I can't prove anything.
Since then, he has been lying in a hospital bed, unable to walk or even use the bathroom. He is in constant pain, and when he hits his call button for assistance, he is ignored. I have been in there a few times when he tried to call someone, and they simply turned it off and didn't come to see what he needed.
Earlier today, when I called to see how he was doing, he was in pain 'everywhere' as he put it. They sat him up in a wheelchair and left him. He tried to call someone to help him with the pain, and to go to the bathroom, and no one came. He was frustrated to the point of tears.
I arrived at the hospital a few hours later, and was appalled at the conditions. The whole room reeked like urine; it was obvious that it hadn't been cleaned in awhile. He had been trying to get some more cardboard urinals and towels and couldn't get anyone to help him. His dressing was held together by a thread. When I confronted the nurse about the situation, she basically shrugged it off. She said it was easier to leave it that way. Enraged, I wanted to storm out to the nurses station and say something, but he begged me not to, saying that it would just make things worse for him. He seemed afraid of them.
I tried to call to talk to him later, after I had left, but couldn't get through. I was given all kinds of excuses; the phone is in use, he is sleeping, etc. I was even left on hold indefinitely; I tried to call back, and the phone just rang. When I called using my cell phone, someone answered right away. When I tried to leave him a message, the nurse hung up on me. I am very concerned about his welfare, and I don't know what to do. As an added barrier, we have a teenage son, who is severely autistic, and who happens to be off school all this week, so my time at the hospital is limited, as I can't subject my son to sitting there for hours witnessing these horrific conditions. I thought about contacting the hospital admin tomorrow, but I fear it may impact on my husband's care, which is sub par as it is. I am beside myself with worry over my husband's care, and, as I said, I really don't know what to do.
Moreover, this is not our first negative encounter with Burnaby Hospital. When our son was born, he was unable to feed or breathe on his own. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, and when I asked the nurse in the Special Care Nursery, she insinuated that I must be a drug addict. If we had not insisted that he be transferred to Children's Hospital that day, where he was diagnosed with a heart condition, he would have died that weekend.
Furthermore, my mother worked for Burnaby Hospital for 30+ years. As she entered her sixties, instead of allowing her he work until 65 and retire with dignity, she was bullied into early retirement as supervisors and younger staff made the last couple of years a living hell for her.
Additionally, there have been numerous reports of filthy conditions at this hospital, and many patients being infected with various viruses, including Norwalk Virus. The mayor of Burnaby has expressed interest in closing Burnaby Hospital, and rebuilding it from the ground up. I hope his vision comes to fruition.
