I'm so sorry you had this problem with the BC Health Care system. It's certainly not ideal - health care across Canada needs work (but we don't seem to be as bad as friends in Ontario indicate their system is).
I have never had a doctor on the island, I have a practioner nurse who does most everything a doctor does and refers me to a specialist when required. She just retired, and a week later, I got a call from the office seting up an appointment with her replacement.
And do you know about 811? You speak to a BC nurse who refers you to a doctor who will call back (and pronto) if your situation sounds like trouble. - and they will send you to emergency. And I think you get more urgency using that method. We used this service when my husband is between doctors, it's fast, they are super responsive and they care. Good luck in your search, glad you got to keep your leg and hope your recovery continues on a smooth path.
Thanks for this. Amazing that you and your husband scored help so quickly. I am so glad. I've got a GP in Vancouver. My wife spent about five years looking for a GP on the island after hers quit in frustration and went to hospital admin because he couldn't find anyone to help run a clinic with him. The dr. at the drop in clinic who she was starting to get some rapport with quit during COVID. She's been on the registry for ages. No joy. And no nurse practitioners that we've been able to find. 811 can be helpful but their advice tends to be "go to your nearest ER" - which would have been great this time but is also likely why ERs here have 16-hour waits - so I find they're good with answering questions but hit and miss beyond that.
Thanks. And good to know you're out there. It was weird to write about this as my wife's adventures with the system have been much more challenging - and ongoing - than mine. And... can't remember if I included this in the story - I kept trying to get it down to a reasonable length - one of my closest friends died in Toronto because doctors kept blowing off testing her for a brain tumour - for years - until it was far too late to treat it because she was "too young to have a brain tumour." Except she wasn't. She was, however, far too young to die. Except she did.
Also, I don’t agree with you. That pharmacist should just be allowed to give out antibiotics because they don’t have any way of testing people. They don’t have like an examining room also to bring people in. I’ve talked to my husband at great lengths about this as he is a pharmacist.
My cousin had a lovely experience when he went to emergency in Duncan hospital. His friend dropped him off at the cowichan hospital and the nurse had a look at him and thought he was a crackhead. So the nurse put him in a wheelchair and wheel him out to the furthest part of the parking lot and left him there for three hours. By that time, my cousins friend went to check on him and they said he’s out in the parking lot somewhere in a wheelchair. so he took my cousin in his vehicle with him and drove to Victoria General Hospital and he was there for five days because he was having a stroke. Also, he’s not a crackhead. He’s a total athlete with a skinny face and he couldn’t speak very well because he was having a stroke.
I wouldn't advise ANYONE to go to an ER solo. 'though most of the horror stories like this that I've heard are related to women showing up with major medical issues and being gaslit.
Also, I think real estate agents should have to tell people interested in moving to Vancouver Island, that you will not have a doctor here. People always get so surprised that they can’t just have a doctor of their own.
I'm so sorry you had this problem with the BC Health Care system. It's certainly not ideal - health care across Canada needs work (but we don't seem to be as bad as friends in Ontario indicate their system is).
You are on the island, have you gone on the VIHA waiting list? My husband did, and got a local family doctor within a year after his old doctor retired with no replacement. https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/health-connect-registry/victoria
I have never had a doctor on the island, I have a practioner nurse who does most everything a doctor does and refers me to a specialist when required. She just retired, and a week later, I got a call from the office seting up an appointment with her replacement.
And do you know about 811? You speak to a BC nurse who refers you to a doctor who will call back (and pronto) if your situation sounds like trouble. - and they will send you to emergency. And I think you get more urgency using that method. We used this service when my husband is between doctors, it's fast, they are super responsive and they care. Good luck in your search, glad you got to keep your leg and hope your recovery continues on a smooth path.
Thanks for this. Amazing that you and your husband scored help so quickly. I am so glad. I've got a GP in Vancouver. My wife spent about five years looking for a GP on the island after hers quit in frustration and went to hospital admin because he couldn't find anyone to help run a clinic with him. The dr. at the drop in clinic who she was starting to get some rapport with quit during COVID. She's been on the registry for ages. No joy. And no nurse practitioners that we've been able to find. 811 can be helpful but their advice tends to be "go to your nearest ER" - which would have been great this time but is also likely why ERs here have 16-hour waits - so I find they're good with answering questions but hit and miss beyond that.
Thanks for sharing this harrowing account. It touches on so many touchpoints of our health system in crisis. Glad you made it through!
Thanks. And good to know you're out there. It was weird to write about this as my wife's adventures with the system have been much more challenging - and ongoing - than mine. And... can't remember if I included this in the story - I kept trying to get it down to a reasonable length - one of my closest friends died in Toronto because doctors kept blowing off testing her for a brain tumour - for years - until it was far too late to treat it because she was "too young to have a brain tumour." Except she wasn't. She was, however, far too young to die. Except she did.
Oh mark that is terrible!! Glad you are recovering but that is very scary!!!
Thanks. Leg still looks like a Rorschach test - but glad I still have a matching set :)
Terrible things to experience. Thanks for sharing and glad you're on the mebd.
Also, I don’t agree with you. That pharmacist should just be allowed to give out antibiotics because they don’t have any way of testing people. They don’t have like an examining room also to bring people in. I’ve talked to my husband at great lengths about this as he is a pharmacist.
My cousin had a lovely experience when he went to emergency in Duncan hospital. His friend dropped him off at the cowichan hospital and the nurse had a look at him and thought he was a crackhead. So the nurse put him in a wheelchair and wheel him out to the furthest part of the parking lot and left him there for three hours. By that time, my cousins friend went to check on him and they said he’s out in the parking lot somewhere in a wheelchair. so he took my cousin in his vehicle with him and drove to Victoria General Hospital and he was there for five days because he was having a stroke. Also, he’s not a crackhead. He’s a total athlete with a skinny face and he couldn’t speak very well because he was having a stroke.
Holy $%@! Thanks for sharing.
I wouldn't advise ANYONE to go to an ER solo. 'though most of the horror stories like this that I've heard are related to women showing up with major medical issues and being gaslit.
Well I guess this is what u get when you’ve been an athlete your whole life with no fat on you. He was very vulnerable.
What a nightmare.
And wanna add... kinda chilling that this sounds like that person's standard response to dealing with someone they think is high...
Also, I think real estate agents should have to tell people interested in moving to Vancouver Island, that you will not have a doctor here. People always get so surprised that they can’t just have a doctor of their own.
I have spoken with doctors here who still have doctors in other parts of BC. But I've got no sense of what it's like elsewhere in BC right now.