I am writing to you to give public thanks to the nurses and doctors of Penticton Regional Hospital as well as to my own doctor for their care, hard work and treatment of myself while I was in hospital for surgery. More than that, I also want to share something of my own experience within the hospital during that time as follow-up to a previous letter in which I described my personal experience with the health care system prior to this operation.
My reason for being in the hospital was to have surgery on a hernia, a medical condition I had little or no knowledge of, but something of a fear about once I suspected that I might have had the condition. It may have occurred due to bad work practices or an accident on my part and a lack of consistent enforcement of safety policy of my employer but ultimately, whatever the reason, it did occur. My first clue that I had it was not due to any pain or discomfort that I experienced, but actually the observations of two coworkers who suspected that I had a hernia. I followed up with a doctor visit and finally a specialist exam which confirmed what I had hoped wouldn’t be the case.
I was given an appointment for surgery, the date changed twice, then finally the surgery day came. Prior to the surgery had been a scan, an event which was fairly unsettling for me — of course the surgery would prove even more so. The nurses and doctors all did their best and were caring and professional which helped me somewhat. After the surgery there were a few days of hospital bed recovery but I eventually got up, walked around when possible and got back to a routine. Finally coming home brought its own challenges, but recovery has seemed to be consistent, thankfully.
I encourage everyone to become as knowledgeable as possible about their health, especially if they suspect they may have had a workplace injury or been at risk of one, that they take care of their health and be sure to work as safely as possible, whatever their occupation may be. Some injuries can occur in almost any kind of work or profession.
Patrick Longworth
Okanagan Falls