A Medical Rant

A lot has been written about the state of medical care here in Canada, and by and large, I have not had too many complaints, admittedly because I'm fairly healthy. However, recent events in my life have changed that!

For the past 2 months I have had a running injury, where some tendons in my shin (that wrap down into my foot, to provide stability) have been quite inflamed. For 5 weeks I dutifully went to physiotherapy, paying the $45 up front, with the understanding that I would be able to recoup the money through my benefits. When I did submit, (5 weeks and several hundred dollars later!!) I was informed (3 weeks later) that because I did not have a doctors note, they would not cover the expenses. The thing is that you don't require a doctor's note to go to a physio and the physio office told me that they would provide me with a 'determination of need' form which would satisfy my benefits provider. But NOOOOO, that wasn't good enough!!! :(

To add to it all, it's been nearly 2 months now, and while I am back to some running, the tendons have not totally healed up. (so why am I running again you ask? well, I'm in a running clinic, training for a half marathon at the beginning of March, plus I'm going slightly iNsAne from not being able to run! Just ask my wife!) So I decided that I wanted to go to a real sports injury doctor and get the solid goods on what's going on in my tendons. Simple right? NOOOOOOO.

I'd heard that getting into the Glen Sather clinic required a doctor's note, but just to make sure I went to the clinic to ask; yes, indeed, you need a reference. So off I go to the local medi-clinic by my house to get a note from doctor A in order to see doctor B! I get to the clinic and find that it's a 2 HOUR wait, which is more time than I can spare, so I climb back into my car, left wondering what my next move is.

Then I get smart: I talk to my friend, Dr. Eddie Chang and explain what's happening and ask him if he could write me doctor's note, which, Eddie graciously does. So you'd expect that this will work out, right? NOOOOOOO.

Today I went to the Glen Sather clinic, gave them the note and was promptly told that the note was good enough to get me in to see their physiotherapist, but NOT to see one of the doctors. (despite Eddie specifically saying that he recommended that I see a sports medical doc!) What do they need you might be asking. Me TOO! They require a reference LETTER. Who knew!

So, off I go to my dentist appointment today, and on my way back, still steaming over the Sather clinic episode, I stop in to the regular medical clinic, just in case they might be able to take me in, seeing how I had 45 min. before my next appointment at work. However, as I suspected, the wait was nearly 1.5 hours long. I left, got into my car, still steaming.

I knew that the medical clinic is open until 10 p.m. at night, so I thought to myself: 'okay, I'll put the kids to bed and then shoot over to the clinic'....surely I'll be able to get in at 9:30 at night, so close to closing. Right? NOOOOOOO.

My heart sank as I entered the clinic to see 7-8 people languishing in the seats of the waiting room, disease and sickness surely lingering in the air. I approached the desk to inquire (again!) and was told that the wait was still about 1.5 hours!

All I want is to see a sports injury doctor about my tendons! That's all! Is it really so much to ask? (gasp!)
Tune in again for the next chapter in the continuing saga!