Carol’s Story
Earlier this year, I woke up in sudden and severe pain.
It was excruciating and unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
I rushed to Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s emergency department, where it didn’t take long for the healthcare team to tell me I had kidney stones.
I needed surgery.
Immediately, I was right back to the fear and anxiety of 15 years ago, when my daughter Brittany faced a similar situation.
My now 40-year-old daughter, Brittany, heard similar words from a doctor over 15 years ago. At that time, Vernon didn’t have the equipment to deal with her kidney stones, and we had to drive from our home in Vernon to Vancouver for surgery.
I remembered the pain she was in on the long drive; I remembered the stress of having to take extra time off work to make the trip; I remembered the unexpected cost of staying multiple nights in a hotel until she was physically able to travel home again.
I mentally prepared myself to do it all over again.
But I didn’t have to.
“We do 8-10 kidney stone removals per week using the Thulium laser. One of the reasons this laser is so essential is because it increases accuracy and lowers the chances of a recurrence. This is the best laser out there – we need it to do our job.”
— Dr. Troy Schultz, VJH Surgeon
What could have been a difficult ordeal ended up being relatively easy.
Vernon Jubilee Hospital now has a Thulium laser to do minimally invasive kidney surgeries. This advanced tool uses laser energy to break down kidney stones into smaller fragments, allowing them to easily pass through the body.
I was scheduled for surgery, in and out in a day, and able to comfortably recover at home with my family nearby.
I want everyone in the North Okanagan to have this experience when they need surgery.
Essential surgical tools, like the Thulium Laser, are vital for ensuring that our friends, families, and neighbours get the excellent care they need right here at VJH.
But like everything, surgical equipment ages.
The Thulium laser used for my surgery, along with two other vital surgical tools (a CO2 laser and an ENT microscope) urgently need to be replaced to ensure our hospital continues to have the advanced technology required to offer the best care locally.
Having this crucial surgical equipment means our hospital can prioritize patient outcomes by providing VJH surgeons the tools they need to perform at their best. That adds up to hundreds of people every year – 2,600 patients, in fact – benefiting from enhanced precision, faster recovery times, and improved quality and safety.
Together, we can make sure that every person in our community gets the best possible care, close to home.