“Being part of a community requires you to be involved.”
When Welland resident Deborah awoke one morning, it felt like the room was swimming and she couldn’t find her place in it. “It is hard to explain but it was like there was a disconnect between my senses and what I was trying to do,” Deborah remembers. “It was a strange, disorienting feeling and disconcerting because I didn’t know what was happening,” Deborah called 911 and was rushed to the Welland hospital. “I went in at around 7:30 in the morning, and within 20 minutes, I was given my first blood test. They were looking for markers in my blood to rule out a heart event.”
Under the guidance of Dr. James, one of Niagara Health’s emergency physicians, she was looked after by a McMaster medical student. “He will go on to be a very good doctor,” says Deborah, who was relieved to learn that her blood tests were negative. While the doctors suspected that she had a vertigo attack, they ordered a CAT scan to be certain and to rule out the possibility of a stroke.
While Deborah was waiting for the scan, the young intern performed the Epley maneuver to treat her suspected vertigo, which relieved her dizziness for the remainder of her wait time at the emergency room.
The way I look at it – if you’ve invested time to find out what’s wrong with you that day, it takes what it takes.
“I was hooked up to an IV,” Deborah remembers, “they put in a line, they gave me fluids.” Although Deborah had to wait several hours for her CAT scan due to repairs of the machine, she is grateful for the care she received that day at the emergency room. “The way I look at it – if you’ve invested time to find out what’s wrong with you that day, it takes what it takes. You have to understand that you’re not the only person there.”
Later that afternoon, Deborah had her CAT scan. “When it was my turn, it was very efficiently done. Everyone was very upbeat and nice. When it was done, I just waited a few minutes for the results.” Thankfully, the scan confirmed that it was a vertigo attack and not a stroke.
“I think that we have great care here. Yes, it could be better, but you can’t win it unless you’re in it, as they say. The same holds true for socialized medicine,” she says. After living in the United States for 30 years, Deborah has a profound appreciation for the Ontario healthcare system. “If you want it to do well, if you want the sort of medicine that we have in Ontario, then you need to be involved somehow.”
Following a long day spent at the Welland hospital, Deborah went home thankful for the care, answers and reassurance she received. To express her gratitude, she decided to donate to the Niagara Health Foundation. “Involvement comes in many different forms. For me, it is donating; for others, it may be volunteering their time. I think you need to understand that being part of a community requires you to be involved. I truly believe that.”
Thank you for sharing you experience, Deborah, and for your support of the Niagara Health Foundation!
“Being part of a community requires you to be involved.”
When Welland resident Deborah awoke one morning, it felt like the room was swimming and she couldn’t find her place in it. “It is hard to explain but it was like there was a disconnect between my senses and what I was trying to do,” Deborah remembers. “It was a strange, disorienting feeling and disconcerting because I didn’t know what was happening,” Deborah called 911 and was rushed to the Welland hospital. “I went in at around 7:30 in the morning, and within 20 minutes, I was given my first blood test. They were looking for markers in my blood to rule out a heart event.”
Under the guidance of Dr. James, one of Niagara Health’s emergency physicians, she was looked after by a McMaster medical student. “He will go on to be a very good doctor,” says Deborah, who was relieved to learn that her blood tests were negative. While the doctors suspected that she had a vertigo attack, they ordered a CAT scan to be certain and to rule out the possibility of a stroke.
While Deborah was waiting for the scan, the young intern performed the Epley maneuver to treat her suspected vertigo, which relieved her dizziness for the remainder of her wait time at the emergency room.
The way I look at it – if you’ve invested time to find out what’s wrong with you that day, it takes what it takes.
“I was hooked up to an IV,” Deborah remembers, “they put in a line, they gave me fluids.” Although Deborah had to wait several hours for her CAT scan due to repairs of the machine, she is grateful for the care she received that day at the emergency room. “The way I look at it – if you’ve invested time to find out what’s wrong with you that day, it takes what it takes. You have to understand that you’re not the only person there.”
Later that afternoon, Deborah had her CAT scan. “When it was my turn, it was very efficiently done. Everyone was very upbeat and nice. When it was done, I just waited a few minutes for the results.” Thankfully, the scan confirmed that it was a vertigo attack and not a stroke.
“I think that we have great care here. Yes, it could be better, but you can’t win it unless you’re in it, as they say. The same holds true for socialized medicine,” she says. After living in the United States for 30 years, Deborah has a profound appreciation for the Ontario healthcare system. “If you want it to do well, if you want the sort of medicine that we have in Ontario, then you need to be involved somehow.”
Following a long day spent at the Welland hospital, Deborah went home thankful for the care, answers and reassurance she received. To express her gratitude, she decided to donate to the Niagara Health Foundation. “Involvement comes in many different forms. For me, it is donating; for others, it may be volunteering their time. I think you need to understand that being part of a community requires you to be involved. I truly believe that.”
Thank you for sharing you experience, Deborah, and for your support of the Niagara Health Foundation!
