Say what...?

Just last week I was a guest at one of Toronto's largest hospitals, Toronto General Hospital.

Located on the eastern edge of Chinatown, this world class facility is a part of the University Health Network.

Now before we go too much further, let's not misunderstand anything here; this entry is only intended to have you scratch your heads and 'say what?'

So, while 'checking in' at 6.25am on the morning of November 12, I was to be admitted to the 6th floor, East Wing in the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre until approximately 10.00am the following day.

Thanks to an exhaustive pre-op conference the week before just about anything and everything I had experienced health-wise was on file.

That morning, I was, once again asked if I had any allergies. Affirmative; morphine. Hold on, what about cats? What about sulfites? What about MSG? Morphine is, for me, a deal breaker. It's serious. I neglected to mention the other three since I was in a hospital and did not think that I would be served Asian food with a glass of bad red wine while stoking a purring feline. But ever cautious as hospital staff are, a special allergy wrist band was prepared. Fair enough.

After a successful procedure and some time spent in recovery, I was shuttled back to my semi-private room (could have had private but I could not remember if my insurance (for which TLATO and I pay a healthy monthly premium covered me.). No matter

Lying relatively still for the next four hours or so, my nurse at that time, Danielle, inquired if I would like some dinner. Now remember; no food had passed my lips since about 7.00pm the evening previous. I was famished. A request was made that come suppertime, Mr. Taylor would like a hot meal, please and thank you.

A couple of hours later, a sheepish individual from the hospital kitchen left me a tray and said that there was no hot meal for me this evening. A plain cheese sandwich would be it. Did my 'request' come down too late? Au contraire. The hot meals being 'served' that evening, all apparently contained MSG.

This became the talking point at the nurses’ station.

Go figure. A world class health facility, preparing food with a major preservative which many people react to.

I may have been better ‘served’ ordering broccoli with beef from a nearby Asian restaurant.