My Randy

I just got a phone call from George Pearson Centre.  The phone was lifted to Randy's ear and I was told that upon hearing my voice, he started to cry.

All I get from the medical system is quality of life, quality of life. Randy they say has no quality of life so I should let him go.  It is Vancouver Coastal Health who is making sure Randy does not have a quality of life.

The threat of Linda Rose comes to mind when she said that I would never be allowed on Ward 2 even if Randy was on his death bed....what a bitch. And today Tanu said the same thing to me.

I went to see Randy from 1:00 to 3:00 at GPC.  I am very worried about him; he was so desponent. Towards the end of the second hour he was starting to become normal what normal is for him. We were in a family room which was boring as hell.  He has been in the hospitals for sixteen weeks straight and he looked like a man with no hope.

If Randy is as sick as GPC says then I should have access to his bedside. He is chronic and he can die any moment and I was told over a year ago that his life expectancy was two years. While crying I told Randy's social worker of this conversation with this doctor and his comment was the doctor shouldn't have told me this. Apparently, the policy of GPC is to never tell anyone the truth. How stupid am I not to make the connection as to why VCH were rationing his treatment and pushing and pushing for DNRs.  They had nothing to worry about me as after Randy is death I would be gone and who really is interested in an old woman and a non-productive patient who was draining the medical system. How could I be so stupid.

The only way I could get Randy back to GPC from VGH was to promise him that he would be able to come home every afternoon and instead he has been imprisoned.  He doesn't trust anyone.

When I called Ward 2 604.322.8370 to inquire about Randy on two different shifts the RNs who answered the phones would not give me their names although I had to give them my name.  I recognized their voices (Stephanie and Nereda) and I thought how stupid of these professional RNs who make $100,000 a year.  Both were part of the herd from Monday.  I was advised that Randy was fine and he was getting the best care available.   What a joke as I was reminded that one of the nurses not the two who make $100,000 could have infected Randy by reusing a contaminated suction catheter. Such bad use is not a one time event on Ward 2: it is deliberate: it is to save money. This is why family members should have 24/7 access and also educate themselves to some of the protocols to make sure staff is doing things according to protocol.  But according to my information there is no official protocol as to best practices to suction in VGH.  No wonder every resident it seems from GPC has pneumonia.

In the context of a coercive institutional environment how can anyone measure competency.

kip.woodward@vch.ca
604.875.4719