Hospital nightmare

It was a trip to the hospital that became a nightmare that Gwen Thomas won’t soon forget.

In the fall of 2011, her husband Richard was rushed by ambulance from their home in Taber to Chinook Regional in Lethbridge. Suffering from stage 4 colon cancer, he was in extreme pain and vomiting profusely.

After being admitted, he waited up to three days to see a doctor with no food or consistent treatment for his pain.

“They told me there was nothing they could do. It was the system. He had to stay where he was admitted,” said Thomas.

Once Richard saw the doctor, he was sent for chemo on the fourth day. He was then moved to a private room for recovery.

However, the worst was not over. The day after Richard’s chemo Thomas was told they were moving him to a semi-private room.

“I said no you’re not, over my dead body,” she added. “You’re not even supposed to be around other people for the first few days of chemo because your immune system is so bad.”

Thomas was able to keep Richard from switching rooms, but the following day, just after being promised he would not be moved, she struggled all over again to keep him where he was

“I just call it my trip through hell,” she said. “I just wanted to be spending the time with him and not be fighting the system.”

Sean Chilton, chief south zone officer with Alberta Health Services, explained there are initiatives in place to help improve system flow and patient care.

“What’s important is that when patients take the time to come forward, or families take the time to come forward, we spend the time to listen, to hear what it is they have to say,” he said. “To see if there are any improvements we can make to the system.”

Richard passed away in the spring of 2012 at the age of 56. Thomas says she wants to share their experience, to prevent others from going through the same thing.