When we started on this adventure we hoped to be able to experience as much of Ireland as possible. However, we never intended to be part of their medical system. But alas, we were. For 5 days Tom and I found ourselves as patients in the Portiuncula Hospital with pneumonia.
In the beginning we thought we had colds, something we’d be able to get over. (like we always have in the past) Honestly, knowing that in Ireland the air is wetter and colder we both figured we’d come down with a cold now & again. BUT, the air is much colder and wetter than either of us had imagined. In our second week of coughing, chills and lack of sleep, no help from over-the-counter meds, it was time to contact a doctor. We contacted the Primary Care office and they recommended the doctor on-call that day – Dr. Rosemarie O’Leary. Called her office and they were closed for lunch (really?!?) ‘leave a message and we’ll call you back after 2pm’. When her office called back she suggested we come in right away otherwise we’d have to wait till later in the day to be seen. We both struggled to get dressed, called a cab and headed out. Buy 3pm we were sitting in her office to discover -cash only-. Tom had to drag himself up the street to the ATM for cash, as I attempted to sit up straight in the lobby. After seeing us both and listening to our lungs she shipped us off to the hospital in Ballinasloe (closest one, about 30 minutes away).
Portiuncula Hospital was built in 1943 as a nursing home by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood. Became a hospital in 1945. The name comes from the place where the Franciscan’s began in Italy, Portiuncula. There have been some improvements and additions made over the years, but you can still see it’s age throughout the hospital.
When we arrived, with nothing but the clothes on our backs we were asked our name, local address & phone number. No passports, no ID, no insurance information – nothing else was asked. After about 10 minutes I was called in first, Tom attended me. They took both our vitals and escorted us into the ER. This is very much like any you’d see in the US, but it’s smaller, more crowded and many more people wondering, or just lingering about. (not sure what they were all doing) I believe the gal in the cubicle next to us had a multiple personality disorder. One minute she’s talking like an old lady but when threatened by anything (flip a switch) she became a little girl, scared and screaming to everyone to leave her alone and go away. This just the first of many entertaining people we would come across during our stay.
After blood work and an X-ray, I was admitted at 1am with pneumonia. Tom had yet to be worked on which really pissed me off. They told me he was in the que, but not as critical as me. I was wheeled off not knowing what was going to happen with him. I did not appreciate that at all! I was admitted into the St. Joseph wing in a two-person room with a private bathroom. My first room-mate was Agnes, about 80 years old and she smoked in the bathroom. (Really?!!!) The night nurses were wonderful offered me a cup of tea and toast, got me all set up and left me to breath the second-hand smoke from Agnes. When morning rolled around I complained profusely to the morning nurse, Ruth about the smoking in the bathroom all night and the difficulty I was having breathing it in. (you know me, I REALY detest Cig smoke) She was aghast and yelled at Agnes, reminded her she was not allowed to smoke in the hospital – she must take it outside. Well, she took it across the hall to the public toilets. By now our bathroom reeks and there is no way I’m using it. Ruth did tell me that Tom had also been admitted, just down the hall in the St. Francis ward, also pneumonia. Most patients arrive with their own PJ’s, bathrobes and slippers, toiletries, etc. Unlike Tom and I who came with nothing. I was given a hospital gown.
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| Dr. Castillo |
We both had the same doctor. Dr. Arolqui “Aro” Gonzalez Castillo, a respiratory specialist from Cuba. Super nice guy. He came around each morning with his crew (newbies). He liked the sounds my lungs made – apparently each side made a different wheeze they all had to listen to. I was glad to be such a good learning tool for them. Turns out Tom’s treatment was a wee bit more aggressive than mine and when we were released he was diagnosed with COPD.
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| Tina & Me |
Interesting about their medical system, if you are going to have a procedure done you really should be a patient in the hospital. If you’re not, you can get in line for the same procedure, but it may take up to 18 months, so most folks become patients. So, on the ward you’ve got non-sick folks waiting for a procedure, dementia patients, comatose patients, and sick patients (like me). Agnes was one of those non-sick folks waiting for a procedure – they shipped her out to RESPITE (temporary care) and moved in Tina, another non-sick patient waiting for her procedure Tuesday. I really liked Tina - she was a great hoot of the Irish kind. After hearing my sad tale of how we came to be, both of us in the hospital – with nothing (not even a phone charger) she took pity and gave me a new pair of undies, and her kids went out and bought Tom new socks. Let me tell you, having to put on your boots each time you use the bathroom gets old, but we had no alternatives but stocking feet & that was not an option!
There was one dementia patient on my ward, Mary Francis. I know her name since the nurses yelled at her all the time. “Mary Francis, stop that”, Mary Francis, get back to your bed”, “No, Mary Francis”. She came in one-night peaking at both Tina and I, but the nurses caught her and sent her back to bed. They had to keep our main doors locked because they found her out on the pubic street one day.
Tom had much better tales to tell of the shenanigans going on in his ward. Seems each time he visited me he had another story to tell. The first would be Tony who liked to play his radio loud, all day. A little old man that, at first, did not like the ‘F**king American tourist from Athlone” but as the days wore on he came to really appreciate Tom being there and having him as a champion in his corner. In fact, when we were discharged, Tony had a tear in his eye as he said good-bye to Tom. This because of “Brian”.
The story of Brian: As Tom sat in the chair next to his bed, a grubby guy came in proceeded to sit on the corner of Tom’s bed and put his dirty coat on his pillows. Well, Tom took the coat, handed it back to the guy and said "I’d appreciate you not putting your coat on my pillows, I have to put my head there". The guy stood up and called Tom “rude”, saying this was his bed and left. Turns out he was a new patient that was set up in the perpendicular corner of the 5-man room they shared. BUT he had been there before and that was the bed he had. As Tom is down telling me these stories we joked that this guy would probably be in his bed when he returned. – guess what? Yup, he was! Stretched out, head on pillows and feet (with shoes) on the blankets. Tom immediately reported this to the nurses who reprimanded Brian, returned him to his own bed, then stripped Toms bed and gave him clean sheets and blankets. For days, Brain continued to get into everyone’s business – snooping around each table and going through everyone’s stuff. Only when he attempted to look at Tony’s stuff and was told to leave it alone by Tony did Tom swat his hand away and yell for him to “leave Tony’s stuff alone, it’s not yours”. Nurses of-course hear the yelling and come in to the remove Brian, again. One night he peed all over the floor (in a couple of places), which of-course caused the nurses to turn on the lights (3am) and clean everything. Next day, they ended up moving Tom across the room next to Tony, so they could put Brian there, so he’d stop bothering everyone. The final straw was one-night Tom is sleeping sitting up because of his breathing, and Brian moves the curtain back and starts to go through Tom’s stuff. Tom bounds up, points his finger at Brian and tells him “NO!”, “leave me alone you creep” which caused Brian to back up very startled. Brain was move out the next day, obviously not quite right in the head. But he, like Mary Francis had no business on a ward with people who are just sick and not mentally challenged.
Tom did have a couple of favorite nurses as well. One in particular brought a shirt for Tom and two tops for me from home. So thoughtful.
We found the chapel in the hospital, which turned out to be a wonderful, peaceful respite for us both.
The nurses were delightful, and very attentive, but they had their hands full with the entire spectrum of patients (and families) to deal with. It seems a lot to ask of them, but this is something they expect to be part of their training. When they train they go to school for a week, then the next week they work in the hospital (to pay for their schooling). They do this for however long it takes to learn and train. Since it’s government run it does not cost them, and they get no salary during training. But let me tell you - they work for it!
They fed us a lot of food, breakfast at 8am, lunch at 12:45 and Tea at 5pm. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day with 5 o’clock tea comes a cold plate or salad. You can have tea any time and a bun or sandwich at 9pm. Just one time Tom asked for coffee and was given coffee each and every time-thereafter. Even the kitchen staff was extremely thoughtful.
The medical care and staff was excellent. But I would not recommend getting pneumonia just for the experience of Ireland's Medical system.
Next up, and certainly more impressive is the Giants Causeway. It’s unique formation of hexagonal rocks formed by a volcano 60 million years ago was recognized in 1986 as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Or was it Finn McCool that formed the rocks into their unique shape? I love this legend and must tell it to you! 
