Seize the day!

By Doreen Marion Gee

The pain started at 3 am. I woke up with a savage case of indigestion, the worst that I had ever experienced in my life. Some fiend had grabbed my stomach with its talons in the night and refused to let go. Relentless sickening pressure on my diaphragm worsened with every heartbeat. Searing pain travelled across my stomach to my right side and all over my back. A huge wave of nausea crushed me under its weight; I would have paid someone to shoot me. Sweating from head to toe, I took a last stab at baking soda in water for relief. Suddenly all of my guts screamed in defiance.  

What was happening to me? Every one of the major heavyweight illnesses stared me down, scythe in hand. There are still a million things on my bucket-list, I yelled silently. When it was hard to breathe, I called 911. The paramedics came and questioned why I waited so long to call. Good point, I said. But logical thought was hard when my mind was racing in panic mode. Only one thought was lucid: this ordeal was one of the most painful things that I have ever endured in my lifetime.

Those hours in emergency were hell-on-earth and I would have danced with the devil to get a painkiller. But no, I had to endure every test under the sun before I could get my fix. However, my mood improved when the ECG was normal and obviously my heart was ticking along just fine. Scrap that worry, phew. Finally, the nurse gave me something for pain. As I experienced relief from that agony, I thanked every god in the universe. And it took the edge off the shocking news that my gall bladder was host to two gall-stones, and my pain was caused by serious inflammation in that body area. Here was the kicker: I needed emergency surgery to remove my gall bladder! Everything was happening so fast; my head was spinning like the kid in “The Exorcist.” And with a pain-addled brain, I'd been acting the part anyway. Defiantly I said, “I need my gall bladder.”

“ No you don't, you will never miss it”, was the expert reply.

As the physical agony subsided in a drug-induced euphoric fog, the old Doreen returned. Even during some of the toughest hells in my life, I have never lost my 'joie de vivre.' Growing up in James Bay has a lot to do with it. The natural raw splendour of an endless blue ocean, warm beaches and pink evening skies infused wonder into my life at a young age and a profound appreciation of raw beauty. The glory of green fields, flowers moving in a sea breeze, an iconic park and tall trees – they still strengthen me inside, boosting my immunity to life's curve balls.

So, as I went through the complicated process of surgery, I began to feel very grateful for this new lease on my future health. Quite honestly, I was awe-struck by our healthcare front-line workers. Those nurses never missed a beat; every single tiny detail was covered with super-human efficiency, right down to two bottles of fragrant mouthwash in the bathroom. Hint hint eh nurses? One night in a private room at the new Royal Jubilee Hilton was a rare treat. My bed could do anything – up, down, around, spin me in the air (maybe not that). Even the terrible jokes by one of the paramedics (en route to VGH for surgery) were a welcome distraction. Did you hear about the new gang of seniors terrorizing Oak Bay? The gang leader is called Tee-Bag!

Even weeks later as I recover, our miraculous BC medical system blows my mind: After an organ was removed from my body, I was ready for discharge the same day! Is this Star Trek or what? The gall bladder surgery was largely non-invasive. First of all my stomach was pumped up with carbon dioxide (hurray for 'non-smoking' hospitals). Then a long tube with a camera was eased down into the surgery area and, with a view from the inside and a couple of tiny incisions, the offending organ removed. There will be no scars.

I want to take this opportunity to say “thank you” to all of the medical staff – nurses, aides, my female surgeon, doctors - who took tender loving care of me for two days. Your dedication went way beyond your job description. Quite honestly, I was treated like royalty and I will never forget it. At the end of this ordeal, I am left with an overwhelming feeling of profound gratitude for our BC medical system that works like a high performance race car in an emergency. It has given me the gift of health, the most precious and valuable gift of all!

When all is said and done, I am left with the words of the poet Horace taken from a poem in the “Odes”: While we speak, envious time will have {already} fled: seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the next day. I was saddened by stories of chronic health problems as I listened to the other women in my ward at VGH. Some of them were afflicted with the heavy-weights. As I reflected, it seemed to me that nobody deserves to be sick. One of my major pet peeves is people who point the finger. Whether we like it or not, the gods still throw the dice sometimes. Of course it is very important to eat healthy, exercise and take care of ourselves, and that will ward off many illnesses. But the universe is still a random place and “stuff happens.” Even with a healthy diet of good food, fruits and veggies, my gall bladder let me down. And the surgeon told me that, for most cases, they simply do not know what causes gall bladder problems. And I personally knew many health fanatics who died young.

Life is unpredictable. Those curve balls are always waiting. From my gall bladder nightmare, I have come to the conclusion that the only thing that I can control is how I live every second of my life. And I may as well totally enjoy every minute, because there is no guarantee that a second one will come along – despite all of my best efforts. Seize the day, seize the minute is my new mantra. I am determined to feel the joy, the glory of the world around me and to take happiness from every breath.