Dear Editor: On March 5, I had the misfortune of getting dizzy in the middle of our restaurant meal at a Metro restaurant. My wife who was having lunch with me phoned our daughter who was available at the time and came immediately to pick us up, as I was obviously in no shape to drive. She rushed me to the ER at Burnaby Hospital right away.
To make a long story short, the ER doctor found I had an extremely low level of sodium in my system and expressed serious concern that I could go into a seizure any second. They immediately went to work, giving me injections of sodium chloride besides other medications. To find the cause of my chemical imbalance, tests were performed in quick succession. I was then admitted in the evening.
A week later, I was discharged on March 14 a much healthier person and with a much clearer understanding of my own bodily functions. Now that the team of dedicated doctors and passionate nursing and support staff have solved the puzzle of my sudden decline in health, I was sent home to continue outpatient treatments.
Thinking back to the fateful day of March 5, the “misfortune” was exactly what I needed. It turned out to be one of the luckiest days of my retired life. I’m now enjoying life again. I sleep like a log every night and my energy level is gradually recovering.
We’ve sometimes heard people complaining about long waits, etc., but from my experience the operation of a big hospital is no easy task. They need more funding so they can provide all these services our friends south of the border and overseas can only dream about. I know because I came from a big family and most of my siblings/family live in the U.S. and Hong Kong.
The next time you are canvassed to donate to any hospital, please help as best you can. They cannot supply the services without the funds. Some day you might find yourself in need of hospital service. No, these things don’t just happen to others, as I have discovered.
(Albert) Chun S. Louie, Burnaby
