Derek Fewer

Jim Lankin

In September, 1990, I was urged by a Winnipeg physician to go to St. Boniface Hospital for a suspected shunt blockage. The resident/intern took a skull s-ray, said my ventricles were enlarged, and booked me for a shunt revision. The next morning, Dr. Fewer came into my room with the resident/intern and said politely that there was nothing wrong. When I mentioned the resident/intern's diagnosis, Dr. Fewer became belligerent and left the room. I had a visitor with me at the time; she unsuccessfully tried to reason with him as he left. I filed a complaint with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba. At the hearing, Dr. Fewer said that I had been delirious, he had been with me for fifteen minutes, he had been professional, and he had patiently tried to explain my situation to me. All his statements to the College were false. I decidedly was not delirious, he had been with me for two minutes at most, he had been very unprofessional, and he had not tried patiently to explain my situation to me. I continued to have similar problems with the shunt until September, 1994 when the shunt was revised successfully by Dr. Hugh Barr in London, Ontario. The next seven years with the shunt were the best years of my life. So Dr. Fewer's diagnosis was in fact incorrect. I understand neurosurgeons' reluctance to revise shunts; it means risky surgery and uncertain recovery. However, they need to be honest about the risk and respectful of patients. Patients have the right to ask reasonable questions, and they are entitled to professional, courteous responses.

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