Last month

Last month, I celebrated an anniversary by myself, an anniversary that is different.  It wasn’t a wedding anniversary, or a first date anniversary or anything like that. It was 22nd anniversary of life. When I was 20 years old, I had a cerebral aneurysm, aka a stroke and nearly died. It isn’t something I really talk about to many people, not everyone knows, I tend to keep it that way.

But back to the beginning, I had been getting headaches for awhile, especially when playing soccer, one game I took about 8 extra strength Tylenol (played goalie) and nothing worked. A few days later I went to practice and the headache was so bad I threw up numerous times, went home and then mom took me to ER. I was told I had pulled a muscle, given a neck brace, Tylenol with codeine and sent home. Nothing else was done, a few days later I felt fine, took it easy and then played the last soccer game of the season. About 2 weeks later I was out one night with a friend, said to her something along the lines of I don’t feel so well and then collapsed having a seizure. She yelled out for help and was just ignored by all because I guess they thought I was drunk. A young kid helped and told her to go call 911 (cell phones weren’t around then), luckily the ambulance that arrived had EMTs that knew what had happened and took me immediately to the hospital and told the staff there. They handled it well apparently and immediately called for the neuro staff. The main neurosurgeon wasn’t there but out of town doing work in a small town. So they waited before operating for the swelling to go down. It did and I came out of the surgery alright, the surgeon was one of the best in Canada. I laugh when I heard the story later that while I was in ICU they had to strap me down because I would pull the gloves off my hands with my teeth and pull out my IV according to a nurse there (I hated needles then now they don’t phase me) when she finally saw me do it before that they had no idea how it happened. I spent around 3 weeks in the hospital in total which was a miracle in itself, but they figured it was because I was young, in good shape and lots of prayers from around the world. I had minimum recovery time as well, I had to do physiotherapy for awhile but it was speech therapy that took the longest. I knew that when it was pointed out it was a button but said bread instead. In the end it wasn’t my speech therapist that helped me it was playing word games like Boggle and Scrabble that did. I was lucky to still have a job to go back to and lots of support from family and friends.

Why am I talking about this it is I think because of what I see in the US when it comes to medical. While this happened in Canada and I do have problems I have to live with the rest of my life. Lost partial sight in my left eye, required 4 surgeries, and when I am really tired my eye lid droops  (trust me they love me for using as an example when it comes to going to opthamologists I am usually their only case, so I become the patient all the interns see so they know what to look for).  Just like I will have speech issues at times when I say the wrong word when I know the right one.  Or that I have memory issues which does come with age too but in my case it just makes me more forgetful at times. All these things are just ones that I deal with one day at a time, nothing more can be done.   I could have sued the hospital because of misdiagnosis and been set for life. I am often asked why I didn’t. My response was because I know that doctors are human. They are not perfect, they make mistakes, and sometimes it is that mistake that helps them learn. My mother was a nurse and so are several friends and even then didn’t think it was that because it showed signs of other things. My own personal doctor then was heartbroken that she didn’t see it herself. Suing the doctor and hospital wouldn’t have accomplished anything, instead what was needed was received instead, an apology. They admitted they were wrong and now could do a better diagnosis of other patients and maybe run more tests if necessary.

So you really have to look at the big picture is suing them worth it? What will be the repercussions in the end? Because often the money that they pay you could instead been used somewhere else. It could have been used to make sure that problem doesn’t happen to anyone else. It could be used to help keep the cost of medical/hospitalization down. Why do you think the costs of medical have risen so much in the US? It is because the doctors and hospitals need to recoup some of that money. They can’t run every test on you and they can’t give always you a correct diagnosis of something that could be 20 different things in the end. But they can make sure that the options are open to you, maybe give you a second or third test because it is lower in cost, and who knows what else. I am not saying that every lawsuit should be stopped, but what I am saying is that sometimes is it really necessary? Sure it might have been preventable but how much did it really damage you as a person? Our society has become so money hungry that often the true purpose is forgotten, life as it is. Is all that money really necessary to have in your pocket? Is it really going to help you get where you want to get? Or is it going to be paid out in huge lawyer fees and medical costs that weren’t there before? Having a bigger house or a fancy car? Having relatives you didn’t know you had come out of the wood work? You honestly have to look and decide what is better for you as a person, sometimes you just have to let it go and move on. Letting that be in the past and move on towards a better future not just for yourself, but for others as well.