Positive Alberta Heath Care Experiences

[AxeMan]

Here is a thread to express the positive Heath Care interactions you have had in Alberta as opposed to all the gloom and doom we hear too often. I realize my experiences may be just anecdotal, but never the less, all my interactions have been beyond positive.

Please share if you have had positive experiences.

Over the last couple of years, I experienced some painful stomach issues that finally resulted in a couple of gall bladder attacks (cholecystitis). Both of the attacks several months apart sent me to emergency in the middle of the night, but the symptoms resolved on their own after some time and intravenous pain medication. The pain was the most I have ever felt. I was treated amazingly well in emerge and the doctors did find gallstones with the ultrasound tests. I was sent to a specialist surgeon for consultation and got an appointment within several weeks after the first attack.

The surgeon specialist (she) was extremely professional and recommended surgery to remove my gall bladder. I believe she is one of the best surgeons in Edmonton and has a very good reputation. My appointment for the laparoscopic cholecystectomy was scheduled for a few months later, mostly open to my choice. I didn't want to have it done over the summer. I did have the second attack, but it is better not to have surgery when the gall bladder is inflamed. As with the first attack the stone blockage cleared itself just like the first time. The doctors were able to confirm that with ultrasound.

I had the laparoscopic cholecystectomy in early October. I went into the hospital at 7:30 am and was released by 3:30 pm. I had 4 small incisions that really were not painful at all. The worst part of the recovery was a bit of sickness from the anesthetic the first night. I was healed up and hunting 4 weeks later.

Over the entire process of this ailment I was treated fantastic. My family doctor supported the process with great consultation, the surgeon was fantastic and communicated very well. She even called me at home the next day to check on how I was doing. The nurses were all great and made extra sure I was comfortable. One nurse even told me this place is better than the Hilton, and offered another blanket and a better pillow....lol. The process ended with a follow up appointment with the surgeon doctor 4 weeks after the surgery. She checked me out and presented the pathology report on the gall bladder which confirmed the acute cholecystitis.

Since the surgery, I have been feeling great. All the indigestion and abdominal pain issues that I had in the past are gone. I have had zero issues with my diet after the surgery and can eat anything, lucky I guess that way.

[BuckCuller]

The only good experience I’ve had with our healthcare system is when I got a vasectomy. The Surgeon had some good nut jokes and did a good job.
But I have to say that is the only good experience I’ve had in all of my years.

I could fill up this thread with poor health care service stories.

[Glas Ó Cairealláin]

My husband had a cardiac event while doing Bear control up in Ft.McMurray oilsands. Everyone tried to save him but he was declared dead on the way to Northern Lights. They dropped him off at the morgue where he woke up two hours later and scared the daylights out of the morgue attendant. He was then rushed up to ICU where the team saved his life, and we had him flown down to Red Deer Hospital 8 days later where the excellent care continued. He made it thru the darkness and survived, and after having an ICD inserted in his chest, he returned to work less than a year later. He suffered no brain damage at all. I have to say that EVERYONE was excellent, and they all had a hand in things, from the cleaners right up to the heart doctors.

Look up "Lazarus Syndrome". Incredibly rare, and even more for my hubs because he survived with no damage.

[Sundancefisher]

Three major surgeries and excellent care. Nurses were awesome. Blood vampire was fast and painless at 1:30 am. Food was better since it wasn’t dairy free anymore. I was able to program the bed myself so it didn’t constantly move at night.

[Outbound]

My wife and daughter are alive and healthy today depsite a traumatic birth experience involving an air lift from GP to Stollery and active cooling for my daughter plus blood transfusions and emergency post-child birth surgery for my wife.

The follow up care both did and are recieving is outstanding, and I have nothing but good to say aboutball the staff we've dealt with from doctors, to nurses, to therapists and psychologists. Just under 2 years later, my wife is fully recovered and our little girl is advancing and crushing milestones well ahead of her age.

[CritterCommander]

you working for Danielle?

[Penner]

Originally Posted by Glas Ó Cairealláin

My husband had a cardiac event while doing Bear control up in Ft.McMurray oilsands. Everyone tried to save him but he was declared dead on the way to Northern Lights. They dropped him off at the morgue where he woke up two hours later and scared the daylights out of the morgue attendant. He was then rushed up to ICU where the team saved his life, and we had him flown down to Red Deer Hospital 8 days later where the excellent care continued. He made it thru the darkness and survived, and after having an ICD inserted in his chest, he returned to work less than a year later. He suffered no brain damage at all. I have to say that EVERYONE was excellent, and they all had a hand in things, from the cleaners right up to the heart doctors.

Look up "Lazarus Syndrome". Incredibly rare, and even more for my hubs because he survived with no damage.

That’s a crazy story right there, wow!

[AxeMan]

Originally Posted by CritterCommander

you working for Danielle?

I felt like posting this because after a person goes through a serious medical problem and you get fixed up by some competent people, you feel a debt of gratitude, especially when you feel better than you have for years. It feels good to express some thanks to the medical community. I bitch enough negativity towards politicians, but this time some positivity to some people who deserve it.

[justsomeguy]

I'm going to generalize and say most real emergency situations usually have excellent experiences. I've rolled into the ER at midnight with a bad hernia and was under the knife within hours and out in no time.....last spring I had a chunk of something jam in my knee, Thur 2pm Dr says you can wait months or show up tomorrow morning and go on emergency break in list....by midnight Fri I was home after a rush procedure by the on call surgeon that evening.

Now, follow up care in both cases was a mess of delays and long waits, and I've been told if I want my other knee done to either start now knowing it will take 2-3 years or wait for it to fail and do another emergency procedure.

in general our medical system is very good for acute emergency situations, anything related to chronic disease or pain is a whole other story. Also have gone a year without a family doctor after having 2 of them leave in 2 years.

[cowmanbob]

Had a carpal tunnel surgery once and the guy let me watch. Thought that was cool.

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Originally Posted by CritterCommander

you working for Danielle?

You get paid by the NDP/lieberal commies? Our healthcare is top notch compared to other provinces.

[obsessed1]

Originally Posted by cowmanbob

Had a carpal tunnel surgery once and the guy let me watch. Thought that was cool.

Same here both hands.. trigger finger as well..

[Bushmaster]

In 2013 I spent 2 months at the Cross Cancer Clinic taking daily radiation treatment for prostate cancer....
In 2015 I had open heart surgery at the Mazankowski clinic for an aortic valve replacement....
In 2018 I had 3 stents put just leaving my aortic valve....
And thru all that I have absolutely nothing but good to say about the treatment I recieved.

[Jack fish hunter]

Positive experience. Is that a thing?

[yoteblaster]

Oldest son was born at 28 weeks, very premature. 1 lb 11ozs. AMAZING care at the Royal Alec. Nothing but good to say of the amazing, caring,compassionate nurses. Many other experiences over the years and am very thankful for the health care system we have. Could it be better in some cases, probably but overall it is hands down far superior to the care my family in Ontario receives

[big zeke]

Several family members have had many touchpoints with AHS. I have come to the conclusion that once you are inside their care you will be well looked after...unfortunately getting inside can be a test of patience and dedication. The caregivers are dedicated and professional...the system is designed to run at capacity (or more) and that is just the way it currently is.

One notion for folks that feel the system is broken...you need to be the first advocate for your health. Don't wait for crisis to seek help, don't ignore early signals to seek care. They will not break your door down to see how you are doing, you need to be your first advocate, this isn't the job of a care provider.

Look after yourself, accept your role in the system and I think you will find the system (while not perfect) is functional.

[cresp]

Originally Posted by Glas Ó Cairealláin

My husband had a cardiac event while doing Bear control up in Ft.McMurray oilsands. Everyone tried to save him but he was declared dead on the way to Northern Lights. They dropped him off at the morgue where he woke up two hours later and scared the daylights out of the morgue attendant. He was then rushed up to ICU where the team saved his life, and we had him flown down to Red Deer Hospital 8 days later where the excellent care continued. He made it thru the darkness and survived, and after having an ICD inserted in his chest, he returned to work less than a year later. He suffered no brain damage at all. I have to say that EVERYONE was excellent, and they all had a hand in things, from the cleaners right up to the heart doctors.

Look up "Lazarus Syndrome". Incredibly rare, and even more for my hubs because he survived with no damage.

I can't stop Imagining how the morgue attendant would feel... lol

[Albertadiver]

I don't want to get into details, but in the last two years I've been in hospital 3 times. First was for about 3 weeks on an emergency basis, including nearly a week in intensive care after an emergency life saving surgery. The surgeon didn't tell me how perilous my situation was until after the surgery was successful.

The other two events involved ambulance trips. Fire and EMS responded within minutes, had me assessed and on my way. Once into emergency care I had nearly immediate tests, bloodwork, doctor attention, etc. This was at two different hospitals.

The care from front line staff and hospital staff has been absolutely outstanding. Being in hospital is not a fun time, and I couldn't believe how rude and uncooperative many patients are. I tried to be as polite and thankful as I could given my circumstances and it went a LONG ways with the staff I encountered.

I am still getting care from various specialty doctors outside of the hospital and again, the care has been exceptional. I'm alive today due to prompt, thorough, and diligent care.

Now on the flipside, with my secular work I've had lots of encounters with the management side of AHS. I could go on for a long time about the bloated, inefficient, wasteful, sometimes intentionally obstructionist, bureaucratic mess that wastes our taxpayers money.

But this thread is about positive experiences. I can't say enough about the nurses and doctors that do genuinely care about their patients. At my lowest point, where I was in a fair amount of despair, I had the sweetest nurse just hold my hand for a few minutes and gave me comfort when I was broken. I'm a big tough man's man that doesn't show feelings, but when you're facing your own mortality and you're on your own because your wife has COVID and can't come see you, this nurse was there for me. A small gesture on her part gave me the backing to keep fighting for another day. She didn't have to do that, but it meant a ton to me and although my memory is really fuzzy from that stint in the hospital, that is one event that I will always remember.

I now always make a point of thanking front line staff and first responders whenever I have the opportunity.

[Pekan]

Calgary Children's Hospital is amazing in my opinion. A true feeling of caring for your little one.
Shout out to all the pro's who make that place what it is.

I'm so grateful for the care our family received.

[Sooner]

Just watched my friend spend the last 2 months of his life with emerg visits, 3 hospital stays and all the care in between. From his first to his last stay in hospital with 1 ICU stop this last time, the care was great. Same when my dad went in for 6 weeks prior to going to the nursing home about 2 years ago.


There is lots that can be fixed but when your in, you are looked after by exceptional people for the most part.

[Glas Ó Cairealláin]

Originally Posted by cresp

I can't stop Imagining how the morgue attendant would feel... lol

From what I understand, they went in to process him and seen that he was alive because his skin colour was normal, not white like a dead person. Only thing my hubs remembers of that was waking up and crying, then there was a doctor standing over him saying he was a damn lucky man. They figure what happened was they were so aggressive with pumping air into him that it created pressure, which prevented his heart from beating. He had flatlined so he was declared dead & they ceased treatment. When they stopped pumping air in, the pressure decreased so the medications they put into him started to work and his heart started up on it's own while laying there on a metal table..
My hubs is made out of damn good material. All of them in his family were all born really strong and fit. His mom was a multiple gold and silver medal winner in the Seniors Games and his dad is built like a tank.

[britman101]

Good news stories are good to hear as the AHS higher ups will eat it up. But this province has a shortage of primary caregivers. There are thousands of people who do not have a family doctor. And this is where the problem starts as they cannot go to a family doctor to build up a case history for them. Instead some people are shuttled back and forth and in desperation have to go to the emergency department to get care. We spent 41 billion dollars on healthcare in Alberta last year. Tsxpayers of this province deserve better care.

[Bushrat]

Originally Posted by britman101

We spent 41 billion dollars on healthcare in Alberta last year. Tsxpayers of this province deserve better care.

Every ones complaining about healthcare. Do we deserve better care by spending more or less? Is the problem not enough money or simply inefficient and wasteful management. How much should we be spending? How much can we afford? Double or triple than what we spend now? There has to be a line drawn, how far is health care supposed to go. Do we do heart surgery on a terminal cancer patient with heart problems but only has two weeks to live. Instead of annual checkups should we do them every 6 or 3 months? I expect we could double or quadriple our healthcare budget and people would still complain. Just what are our expectations for our healthcare and are they realistic?

If you think healthcare is bad here, try it out in some of the other provinces and get back to us.

[ScottFitter]

I have had some very bad and some very good.

The hospital lost my sister after brain surgery. They were looking after her fine but didn't communicate to the other staff as to where they had taken her for recovery. When we finally got to see her, she was in a makeshift recovery room, made from an old janitorial supply room.

No doctor would take me serious about back and hip pain for the better part of 18 years after being hit by a car. It wasn't until I went in for my appendix that they told me I had arthritis in my hips and that I was to young and that's why they wouldn't look in to it further.

My appendix trip, I was in a bed in the waiting room and hooked up to morphine before I even had my wristband or a room. That one is a big plus for me, given the situation.

The latest one is also a positive. New family doctor referral. That means new specialist doctor for my arthritis. I need two separate MRI's. Normally they would be months apart. Somehow the appointments are 30 minutes apart. Not sure how well that will work when the paperwork says they are two hour appointments each, with each scan taking an hour, but that's on them to schedule.

Back to my sister, another brain surgery, unsuccessful, which was expected to be honest. However, the transition from that to hospice care was quick and as seamless as it could be with the situation.

[sewerrat]

During COVID I ended up with Pericarditis, first I went to the Innisfail hospital where the doctors had no idea what was going on, following day got shipped to the Red Deer hospital where they did all sorts of test, stayed there for 2 weeks and I thought it was top notch.

Last summer I ended up with Melanoma, again got send to the Tom Baker, and Peter Lougheed, again it was superb.

[owlhoot]

The wife and I were out for a bike ride, she broke her ankle about a mile from the nearest road down a paved bike trail in a river park, Ambulance was there in 15 minutes, drove right down the trail using the GPS from my cell phone. Gave her a shot for pain and took her away. I was impressed at the speed,
The ambulance attendant stayed with her until the Emergency DR. took over. He told her He'd moved from BC and that Alberta's health system was Way better than BC or anywhere else He's worked.

[gevarm guy]

was admitted 2 years ago for stem cell transplant at Tom Baker, I cannot say enough about how well I was treated thru out the whole process. In the month I spent in hospital and weekly visits after I met alot of very caring and knowledgeable people (70% had moved here from BC). I owe my life to them. So if your feeling sickly and and can't appreciate what Alberta has to offer, jump in your car and head east or west. Let us know how that turns out.

[coolpete1]

never a bad experience , nurses are awesome , except at the grey nuns , wait times there suck .i'd definitely be dead if it wasn't for the alberta health system.

[cranky]

Never had much need for medical care except for medicals for class 1 until about 7 years ago around the time I turned 71 years old. Since then I’ve spent time in hospital twice including in ICU. Also spend considerable time going to specialists in a number of fields. Never once have I been disappointed with all they have done for me. No complaints here.