It Said In The Paper I Was In Hospital, So What's Up?

​November didn’t quite go as I had planned. Well, at least the first half was fairly normal with a regular load of meetings, then things went sort of sideways on me. Before I get into the details on that, I do want to mention that at one of our regular public meetings it was announced that the KVR through the town would be subject to partial opening for motorized traffic.
 
This was a long and detailed decision where staff, the Mixed-Trail KVR Select Committee, members of Town Council (including myself) and other regulatory bodies all had a say and offered suggestions. I’m quite happy with the proposed access plan that will go into effect this coming Spring. I know it’s not perfect, but it provides access to local services.
 
The Hospital Thing
 
I had attended the Monday, November 17 Regular Meeting of Town Council and felt pretty good. Late that night, around midnight, I started vomiting. At first, we thought I had food poisoning and treated it at home for a few days. At one point my wife, Brenda, contacted the HealthLink BC service (dial 8-1-1) and the nurse who answered provided some extra assistance.
 
When things were not improving very much, Bren took me to the Princeton ER. I was checked in at about 10:00 PM on Sunday, November 23. By this time I was in bad shape. I was slurring my words and was in a fog. I have little memory of my stay in the ER but know that early the next morning I was shipped to Penticton ICU aboard the Heart Transportation vehicle.
 
Dr. Black had told Bren at the time that I was very ill and the prognosis was not very good. Friends of ours from Osoyoos arrived at the Penticton hospital as I was getting wheeled in, beating Brenda by a few minutes. I was quickly assessed and immediately admitted to the Intensive Care Unit for treatment. My blood pressure was very low and my heartbeat was high.
 
Group of Doctors
 
In Penticton hospital, I was being treated by Drs. Cho, Little, Klassen, and Jackson. They determined that I had developed a bowel blockage. However, I also had several complications that accompanied that. The list included partially collapsed lungs which prevented me from getting deep breaths, kidney failure and an irregular heartbeat of 125+.
 
The goal was to stabilize the complications before taking on the blockage. The hope was to avoid surgery and at one point I had IVs running into both arms. One contained a heart medication that is new to Penticton hospital and it somehow wiggled out of my vein and leaked into my arm causing it to swell to twice normal size and leave a huge fluid sack in my skin.
 
The Aftermath
 
After three nights in ICU, I was moved to the Kampe Tower where I spent two nights and then down to pediatrics (being converted to adult rooms) for two more nights. I got released at 1:00 PM on Monday, December 2 and spent a week recovering in the home of our friends in Osoyoos. I’ve been home since Monday, December 9. My full recovery will take weeks.
 
The Takeaway
 
I cannot say enough about the medical services we have access to in both Princeton and Penticton. The ER staff, nurses and doctors here in Princeton are incredible. We are truly blessed to have such amazing professionals in our medical facility. The Heart Transportation staff and the Penticton ICU staff, nurses, doctors, lab and x-ray techs are all top-notch professionals. 
 
Each medical professional I came in contact with from Princeton to Penticton was wonderful. Each of them clearly loves what they are doing and exhibited compassion, concern, and care that raised the bar in my mind. I felt safe, comfortable and in the best of care at all times. I am also very grateful for the prayers, visits, and cards received. Thank you all and I hope to be back serving you and the community as soon as possible.