Celebrating Little Things

Month: April 2021

Nova Scotia Health Authority – Part 2 – Strait Richmond Hospital

My second experience with the Nova Scotia Health Authority, and in general my local hospital, occurred over the past week.  This is not a post looking for sympathy but to acknowledge how grateful we all should be to have the Strait Richmond hospital in our local area.  


On Thursday, March 25th I woke with an extremely sore neck that got progressively worse over the next 24 hours.  It was so bad that I was not able to lie down to sleep on Thursday night.  I sat up in a chair dosing only for a few minutes at a time.  I went to work but by 9:30 I knew I’d have to leave.  I called my GP’s office only to be told I couldn’t get an appointment for about 2 weeks.  I decided just before 10am to go to the hospital.  Now, understand I do not go to the hospital unless it is something very severe.  Other than routine bloodwork, I can count on one hand the number of times I have gone to emergency.  As I walked through the door of the Strait Richmond Hospital I arrived at the Covid desk, where I was asked all the usual Covid questions.  From there I went to the registration window where I was processed quickly and told to have a seat and someone would be with me shortly.  I no sooner sat down when I was called by a nurse (Pauline) who guided me to a room and took all my information about my neck and did the usual blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, etc. tests.  She was a lovely person and said “on paper you are perfect”.  It was 10:20 when I emerged from seeing her.  That is amazing service.  I was soon being called by Pauline and ushered to one of the emergency rooms to wait to see a doctor.  

A little background information is needed.  The Strait Richmond Hospital is undergoing some major renovations in the emergency area.  I was being escorted through a tunnel-like hallway, made by temporary walls, to the emergency department.  I could hear hammering, sawing, talking, and general construction noises throughout.  They are down 4 beds in the emergency department, which makes it even more difficult for the staff.  I was taken to a room that had 2 or 3 beds in it, with only a curtain separating the beds form one another.  Not much privacy but that wasn’t an issue for me.  There are other rooms that provide more privacy.  I waited for about an hour, or a little more, for the doctor.  Again, I didn’t think this was a very long wait, as I could see that the rooms were full and they were quite busy. He ordered x-rays.  As I was waiting for the next instructions, I was moved from the room I was in, to another room, as someone had come in by ambulance and the room I was in was more convenient.  Pauline arrived with a wheelchair and a johnny shirt.  I didn’t want to go by wheelchair and asked if I could walk.  Pauline said ‘it’s a long walk and it’s best to use the chair’.  BTW the johnny shirt was beautiful.  It was light blue with dark blue snowflakes.  I loved it.  

It was indeed a long journey to x-ray.  We went back through the tunnel, past the waiting area, past the front entrance, past where the gift shop used to be located, past the first nurses station for inpatients and all the way down a hallway to x-ray.  The x-rays were done very quickly with no delay.  Then the long journey back to emergency.  As we were going through emergency, one of the construction crew that was up on a step ladder started to come down.  Pauline reached out and said “don’t come down”.  The poor guy was just about to land in my lap.  The congestion in the emergency department was chaotic when I arrived back.  A stretcher was in the middle of the hallway, other apparatus against a wall, all blocking our way through, but between Pauline and the construction guy, the path was cleared.  I want to reiterate that through all the abnormalities of an emergency area; construction workers, lack of beds and lack of easily maneuvering patients, the staff ware caring, concerned, comforting and smiling which goes a long way to those in discomfort.  The doctor soon arrived telling me I had a sprained neck, more than likely caused by a biking incident a couple of days before.  He had already given me a pill to help calm the pain, which hadn’t yet kicked in, and prescribed some anti-inflammatory’s.  When I got home the pain had somewhat lessened and I was able to lie down for about 3 hours.  This was the last actual lie down/sleep I’d have for several days.  

Friday night came around and I was once again unable to lie down.  I sat up, on a chaise, trying to prop my head up with a pillow, dosing for only minutes at a time.  The muscle spasms were like nothing I’d ever experienced before.  On Saturday I tried ice to help relieve the pain but that made the spasm worse, although it probably helped the inflammation.  I tried heat, to help with the spasms, but that made the inflammation flare.  There was no relief no matter what I did.  When the spasms were at their worst, I’d pace, hoping to get some relief, which at times did help.  I knew it would be another night of sitting up.  And I was right.  

Chaise where I spent my days and nights for 5 days.
My view wasn’t so bad. A bit foggy when I took this.

I spent Saturday night propped up on the chaise again.  We had a thunder and lightning storm, which I never like, but I watched as the sky lit up and the trees became silhouettes.  I prayed the lightning would come in and hit me, to put me out of my misery.  The pain was radiating up into the back of my head.  My Dad had a brain tumour, and my mind started playing games on me.  Did I have a brain tumour?  Was I misdiagnosed?  If so, I hoped it wouldn’t last too long.  I knew I was becoming depressed.  I thought about my bicycle and my kayak, and that I would list them for sale the next day, as I would never be using them again.  I wondered who would look after the yard for Mom this summer and plant the garden.  One’s mind can really take over and cause chaos during difficult times.  In my mind I wrote a goodbye letter to my brother (Sandy) and his partner (Greg) and to my Mom.  I know what some of you are thinking; you have a sprained neck.  It’s not like you are going to die.  Honestly, this is the worst pain I have ever experienced.  

On Sunday I thought the spasms had calmed a bit and that maybe I was getting better.  I was anxious for bedtime to come so I could try to lie down.  As evening began I felt my neck tightening and sure enough by 7-8pm the spasms were back.  Another night would be spent pacing and propping myself in a chair.  This repeated itself on Monday and Monday night as well.  

From Thursday morning until Tuesday morning I had only 3 hours of sleep in my bed.  I was unable to do anything.  I could not cook or even help Mom with meals.  I could not knit or read.  I couldn’t wash my hair in the shower, as I couldn’t get my hands up to my hair.  Although my throat was not sore, swallowing was painful.  It’s amazing what things you do that affect your neck muscles.  I won’t go into detail but let your mind wander.  I watched copious amounts of Corner Gas.  It doesn’t involve much concentration, as I could not concentrate.  I listened to friends playing live sessions online.  I walked around the house, gazing outside, and seeing the beauty in everything, and I’m thankful I could do that.  I worried endlessly about my job.  I started a new job just 5 months ago and here I was missing work.  My co-workers are my bubble, and I missed my bubble.  I’m not one to miss work.  I have never just taken a day off or called in sick for no reason.  But I could not work in my present state.  I finally had to give in and have someone take me back to the Strait Richmond Hospital.  

I’m so glad the Strait Richmond is only 15 minutes away.  Although there are lots of potholes, Donna did her best to avoid most of them.  I could not imagine having to drive any further in my condition.  I arrived at the Strait Richmond around 11:30.  The process was the same; check in at Covid desk, proceed to the registration window, have a seat and wait.  This time I didn’t even have time to sit down when a lovely young nurse (Lerue) called my name.  I met with her, had my vitals done again, and again on paper I was perfect.  Told her the story of the neck and having been there on Friday and that I could not lie down and had not had any sleep.  She led me through the tunnel-like corridor to one of the emergency rooms.  I sat down and waited.  I listened to all the sounds of the emergency area and wondered how the nurses and doctors can remain so calm and so friendly.  Again it was busy, although  this time I saw no step ladders and it didn’t appear anyone was crawling around the ventilation system.  But the hammering and sawing were going strong behind the temporary walls.  

The doctor arrived, asked me questions, got me to do some very light exercises, etc.  He had looked at my x-ray and explained what he saw and said I did indeed have a sprained neck and arthritis in my spine.  I knew I had arthritis, so that wasn’t a real surprise.  He said I needed a muscle relaxant and wrote me a prescription.  He took me to his work station, brought up my x-ray and explained what he was seeing, in great detail.  It was like I was the only person needing attention.  He let me ask questions and he answered them very patiently and thoroughly.  He said this acute injury will settle down in time, but that I mainly needed to get some rest.  I was out the door by 1pm.  I don’t consider 1.5 hours anytime to spend at a hospital, to get a diagnosis and treatment.  Both my visits were totally reasonable as far as I was concerned.   

I am happy to report that it is now a couple of days since I started the muscle relaxants and I’m coming along well.  I’m able to sleep in my own bed now.  I still have a way to go before I’m totally back to where I was before but seeing improvement daily now.  

My purpose for this post is that we need to appreciate what we have.  We have a small hospital, located in Lower River, that doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves.  How many times I’ve heard it referred to as a “Band Aid Station” or a place people go to die.  It is much more than a band aid station.  The facility has saved many lives, has stabilized many before transporting to other healthcare centres,  and provided trauma care for so many people.  They have a staff of amazing individuals, who go above and beyond their duties, to make sure you feel comfortable, and your needs are looked after.  Yes, many of our friends and family have passed away at the Strait Richmond Hospital, my Dad included, but I’d far sooner have had him at the Strait Richmond, then in Antigonish, Sydney or Halifax, which are all so much further away.  When there is nothing more that can be done for someone, it is comforting to know they can be in a first class facility and closer to home.  Anytime I have had to go to the Strait for anything, I have been treated more than adequately.  I expect there to be wait times, but never have I had to wait excessively.  Perhaps I’ve been lucky.  Also, it isn’t easy for the nurses and doctors to work in a more confined space, while the emergency department undergoes renovations, but they go about their day like there is nothing in their way.  These renovations are much needed and will bring this hospital even more opportunity to treat sick and injured people.  They will be able to bring in  more specialists, and actually have an area where they can work, separate from the emergency area.  We need to realize that we are very lucky to have this facility in our local area.  Hopefully it will be able to provide additional treatments, that we now must travel much further to access.  Having a facility like this, closer to home, when family are sick, is a godsend. 

Special thanks to Donna MacMaster, Nurses Pauline ? and L. Lerue, Dr. Tehrani and Dr. Hanspal.

Nova Scotia Health Authority – Part 1 – Vaccine Process

This blog started as one, but will be posted as two separate blogs.  


As we all know, the vaccines are being rolled out in our province of Nova Scotia.  My Mom is 83, and with a January birthdate she was in the first grouping of 80+.  We anxiously awaited her letter from the NS Health Authority, with instructions on how to proceed with regards to obtaining a date for her first injection.  The letter arrived on a Thursday and I could register her on the following Monday, either online or by telephone.  I had heard, via media and friends, that their experience of registering their family members had been difficult, and the system that was in place for online registration had initially crashed, as it was not adequate to handle the number of people trying to register.  On Monday, March 8, I began to register Mom, online, around 7am, when the registration process opened.  I also attempted to call, in case I was able to get through quicker.  I was in the on-line queue, with a 26 minute wait time, within seconds of trying.  I thought that was great and I’d be able to get it done before going to work.  As for the phone option, I continually got a busy signal.  I had to leave for work at 7:30 and I still had a 26 minute wait time.  I took my iPad to work and once there I loaded the registration page.  I was again quickly in the queue, with about a 60 minute wait time.  I proceeded with my work duties, while keeping an eye on the iPad.  In no time at all the screen changed and the registration began. It took perhaps 5 minutes to register and secure an appointment.  I felt this was all very reasonable.  

Mom’s appointment was for March 18th, at 9:10am, at the Bloomfield Centre at St. F X University.   We arrived about 20 minutes before her appointment. As we looked for a parking space we noticed a lady standing by her car.  We asked if we were near the Bloomfield Centre and she said yes.  She pointed out the building and said ‘oh you must be here for your vaccination’.  She told us what door to go in, and to use the elevator to go to the next floor, where the clinic was set up.  She was actually one of the ladies working the clinic.  We followed her directions and upon entering the building we saw a janitor/maintenance worker. We asked him where the elevator was and he very kindly walked us to the doors.  He also said “oh you must be here for the vaccination”.  He was so upbeat and happy.  There seemed to be an overall feel of excitement in the air.  When we arrived on the floor where the clinic was, it was quiet.  Not many people had yet arrived for their appointments.  We were guided to a place to sit while they continued to prepare the clinic area.  In no time at all we were waved to proceed forward and join a line.  Others had entered from another entrance, so there were actually a few people already waiting.  Mom was number 5 in line to get her shot.  We very quickly found ourselves at the registration desk.  This process was over in minutes and we were then in the lineup.  This was the first clinic being held for 80+ in Antigonish, so there was some extra preparation to setting up.  We waited a few minutes and then we were ushered into a sitting area.  I spoke with  a lady who was looking after the lineup and she was very upbeat and so happy to know she was doing her part to help the elderly. She had been working the clinic for St. Martha’s Hospital the two previous days.  As we waited, I watched some of the elderly people and could feel a sense of excitement and relief. I noticed a few were actually emotional.  I believe for some, getting out for the vaccine was perhaps one of the few times they have been out in over a year.  One gentleman was kicking up his heels, he was so happy to be there.  

There was a slight delay, as final instructions were being given to the healthcare workers who were working the clinic.  Mom was very calm through the whole process.  Nothing really riles or excites her too much anyway.  We finally got the nod to proceed to the next available healthcare worker, to receive her vaccine.  The young lady was very professional, and went through the routine questions, which became quite humorous at one point when she asked Mom if she was ‘pregnant, planning to be pregnant or breastfeeding’.  Then the young lady said ‘well I guess we can delete some of these questions for this clinic’.  She explained she had been working the clinic at the local hospital the previous two days, so those questions were relevant there.  It was time for the injection.  I couldn’t watch, thus no pictures.  I hate needles and I hate seeing them being administered.  I turned away, only to be faced with six other booths where people were being injected.  Ick.  Mom was given a sticky note with her time of injection on it. We proceeded to the next step, where we handed the sticky note to the lady who recorded the time Mom would be released, after waiting 15 minutes to make sure there were no immediate side affects.  We took our seats and while we waited I observed the process, the atmosphere, the faces of the elderly and of the healthcare workers and all I can say is it was a very unique uplifting experience.  From the lady in the parking lot, to the janitorial and maintenance staff, to the security workers of St. F X, to the students who we passed as we entered and exited the Bloomfield Centre, to the healthcare workers, volunteers, etc. of the clinic, and especially the 80+ who were getting their first vaccines, it was an amazing experience and I was so happy to be part of it and witness the positiveness that was being exhibited by everyone.  As I closed my eyes, and just listened, I heard the hum of conversations and laughter, yes, lots of laughter.  

On the drive home Mom said, “I’m really glad to have the first shot of Pfizer done.”  This meant a lot.  She really hadn’t said much leading up to the appointment.  But I now knew she was grateful.

I spoke to a friend who had taken her parents to a clinic in Sydney and she had the same experience. She agreed the clinic was well organized, there was a sense of excitement, it was unique and we both felt a sense of elation being able to experience it with our senior parent(s).

It’s been a long year and hopefully this is the first step to getting back to some sort of normalcy.  We have so much to be thankful for, especially the guidance from Dr. Robert Strang, former Premier of Nova Scotia Stephen MacNeil and current Premier Iain Rankin.  They have done an admirable job of keeping us updated and advising us on what to do and what not to do. 

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