Premier Danielle Smith, I'm one of many still trapped in Alberta's health system. Postmedia columnist Rick Bell finds five months after his last medical experience, the health-care system remains a never-ending maze.
A Never-Ending Journey
The last time I wrote like this was back in the dead of winter. The story goes on as it does for so many others. The one consolation is I'm not alone. Misery loves company and I'm far from the only one running around in circles looking for help.
The other consolation: there were those in the health-care system who try to help, offer encouraging words, do what they can, sympathize with your situation and sometimes remind you of those souls who have it a lot worse than a world-weary scribbler finally starting to lose his patience.
Running Out of Pills
On Tuesday, I was running out of pills. I was panicking. These are pills I've been told I will likely take the rest of my life. I could get a refill of pills if I had a doctor. I could actually see someone if I was really sick if I had a doctor. I do not have a doctor. I want a doctor. I need a doctor badly. It's more than blood clots. I won't go through the reasons. I will let you enjoy your coffee.
I've sent a public SOS to get the attention of a doctor. Crickets. Is it something I did?
The Backstory
I wrote a column in January. Yes, January. It was directed to Premier Danielle Smith. I'll give you the short recap. I was hit with blood clots and blood clots can kill, so I've been told by people smarter than me. I went to my doctor for help and my doctor had left town and nobody told me. The clinic where he worked said I was simply out of luck. They were all full up. You're on your own. Any advice? No.
I went to the Sheldon Chumir Health Centre, where the staff have to deal with quite the circus. Still remember the young woman who cut herself to get attention and no one was surprised. They just mopped up the droppings of blood and soldiered on. A 42-minute wait time became several hours and eventually I got a needle in the gut, limped downtown, got an ultrasound by a shopping mall food court and came back to score a prescription for blood-thinning pills.
The doctor told me if I had waited longer to see someone … well, you get the picture. I was also given a card on how to find a doctor. That was in January.
Still Searching
I've been trying to find a doctor. I really have. I have phoned more than a few doctor offices. It goes to voicemail. They don't phone back. Are they swamped with people calling like me? I did get a call from a doctor's office I hadn't contacted. But they are not taking any new patients. I don't phone every doctor. I do look at reviews. If I read restaurant reviews before eating at a place to find out if I might get food poisoning, surely it's not out of line to look at reviews of somebody looking after your health.
