How surgical care changed Shea’s life Allergies have always played a central role in Shea’s life. The 31-year-old computer engineer has experienced bad allergies and sinus pain for as long as he can remember. In recent years, Shea has been trying to lead a more active lifestyle. He and his wife began jogging two years ago, and last year he began swimming, as well. Over time, Shea began to feel as though his allergies were holding him back. “I have an amazing allergy doctor, and we tried multiple different things to get it under control. But there was still always this restriction, especially when I was swimming.” Shea’s allergy doctor helped him breathe through his nose while he was active, but he struggled to exhale through his nose. This breathing difficulty led to dental issues caused by dry mouth. Both his allergy doctor and dentist encouraged him to pursue surgery to improve his breathing. Last October, Shea came to Victoria Hospital for nasal surgery known as septoplasty and bilateral turbinate reduction. This procedure is designed to correct a deviated septum and improve airflow. “It was my first surgery, so I was a little nervous about that. Being a computer engineer, I like to be a pretty organized person, and seeing everyone else organized instills a lot of confidence in me.” Shea, who also works in a healthcare setting, was immediately impressed by the staff’s friendliness, professionalism, and calm presence. “I think the biggest thing I noticed on top of being very organized and friendly, was that they were also really excited for me to be getting the surgery. They had only seen my chart that morning, but they could see I had been dealing with breathing issues for a while. They were like, ‘This is so exciting, you’re finally going to be able to breathe!’ That’s what really set it apart.” Shea had never had general anesthesia or been intubated before, but his anesthesiologist was confident she could time the medicine so that his discomfort would be minimal. “She nailed it. I don’t remember the tube coming out, but I was also not groggy. I was actually up and walking around within 10 minutes with no sore throat.” He was equally impressed by the staff in the recovery area. “They anticipated my needs before I did. They knew when I was ready to switch from water to juice, and when I was ready to eat physical food. They knew it 30 seconds before I did.” Shea enjoyed a quick return to jogging and swimming and describes being able to breathe through his nose as ‘freeing’. There are over 7,000 surgery patients at Winnipeg’s Victoria Hospital each year. Thanks to your generosity, technology upgrades to a minimally invasive surgical suite are scheduled for this summer. These upgrades are designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce wait times. For Shea, this investment in day surgery is significant. “Anytime we can be reducing wait lists for anything, including minimally invasive surgery, is super important. If you can shorten the wait time for these surgeries, then maybe that leads to a better outcome for more invasive surgeries. It’s stepping stones – if we can make improvements here, that propagates through the entire healthcare system. And anytime we can improve client comfort, those renovations can go a long way for patients.” Victoria Hospital Foundation is raising an additional $2 million to upgrade additional minimally invasive surgical suites. To support the future of surgery at Victoria Hospital, please donate now. “ Anytime we can be reducing wait lists for anything, including minimally invasive surgery, is super important. Donate Post navigation < BACK NEXT >
