We got a pediatrician finally!

[mandolinatou]

I was getting so frustrated being an immigrant here with our medical system in Quebec. It took 5 years for me to get a family doctor but then my mine went on a 3 year long maternity leave with no coverage. I was thinking of paying last year 3,000 for a private doctor for the year. I am so glad I didn't because honestly I didn't have the money to spare. I got my family doctor back from her extended maternity leave this year and she's been great. I think I have one of the best in the city. Everything I waited 4 years for is now done...and the specialists I needed referrals to I now have.

So I was really happy with my focus on getting myself checked out but my daughter whose asthmatic still didn't have a family doctor and today, mind you after 3 years of her being on the priority wait list...she was given a pediatrician two blocks from my house. I can not tell you how thrilled I am. She's not too sick mind you and we could get walk in service but to have her doctor be so close, and attached to a walk in clinic I am completely thrilled.

Its luck of draw here but finally I am fortunate. The other thing I should brag about medically....I have a strong family history of a type of cancer and got shuffled around at a hospital with people who all acknowledged I should be screened but who wanted me to get genetic testing done to figure out how often. As I mentioned I am an immigrant so my family medical records aren't here and this proved trying since they need to test those relatives to know what genes to test me for...and most of them are dead. I made a complaint with an hospital ombudsman not because I was treated unfairly but rather because I didn't know how to proceed and I was being blocked everywhere in the hospital until I paid 3,500 to test my closest affected relative that lives abroad. Following my complaint I got tested finally for free and I got ambiguous results because I have a rare gene, known to cause another kind of cancer but not documented to cause my family history type of cancer. If my relative has this gene given my odd and strong family history it would show that this gene causes other kinds of cancers. Furthermore it would reduce my families testing expenses...which is great since they are impoverished. A researcher in London England (and I am not european) is paying to test my one remaining relatives genes...since its likely a new cancer causing variant. This is not only good for me but also my entire family...and who knows maybe someone else's family on here. So my grandmother is being tested this holiday season and if they get the results we are expecting, by next christmas we'll make the medical journals. It's a real relief and I am so glad...not a penny out of pocket for any of this.

[terry2144]

So happy you are getting what you need!

[cath007]

Good for you.

[steph13]

This socialist medecine sucks..my son waited almost a year for ACL surgery that people inn the US have access to in a week