I recently had the misfortune to contract the dreaded Montezuma’s revenge, and was whisked away to Emergency at PRH. I would not wish that ailment on my worst enemy. If Premier Clark ever got to ride a gurney from Emerge to the south pavilion, she would have a first-hand visual of the many half-hanging ceiling tiles, stained and peeled, vertical blinds in the rooms with one-third to one-half of the fins missing, etc. It’s an eye-opener for sure.
The first thing they ask you is where are you? And my first thought was, nurse, if you can’t see me, how are you going to help me? Turns out that after a battery of probing, prodding and blood-sucking tests, I was over indulging with the golden nectar and had de-liver-ed myself from my favorite pastime. I can’t imagine going fishing without a cold one.
Apparently though, after a while a recovering alcoholic will declare that he would rather have a frontal lobotomy than a bottle in front of him. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, in Emerge, you have gunshot victims and broken bodies coming and going through the automatic doors and the ever present morphine seekers, complaining about lower back pain, and the food. And while nurses are multi-tasking with the real needy, they will shout in a stern voice, “Be patient.” And that is exactly the impression the addict is trying to portray. A desperate, hurting patient in need of pain relief because they owe their dealer money and he’s out of merchandise until he gets paid. What a revolving door that scenario is, and getting fuller by the day of lost souls in need.
The highlight of my stay at PRH was trying to score some soda crackers for my roommate in the staff room of Pediatrics and getting busted. I got my bum smacked and marched back to my room. I enjoyed that so much, I was tempted to try it again but my roommate discouraged it, reminding me I could get spanked at home without the guilt.
The bottom line is, if you are in need of recovery and repair, you will never find more dedicated, patient, caring professionals watching over you every minute of your stay.
Andy Homan
Penticton