Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Waiting

I appreciate the public health care system in Canada. I really do. I appreciate that we can be taken care of with little or no cost to ourselves. I appreciate that it didn't cost me one penny to deliver my 3 children, even when one was an emergency C-section. I appreciate that I can take my children into the doctor when they're sick. That my daughter's tube feeding supplies are covered. That she's had a bronchoscopy and spent 5 nights in the hospital...at no cost to us...except for getting there and hotels while in the city. I've always been very proud of being Canadian and our health system.

But today, I'm wishing for a way to bi-pass the public system and get some attention NOW. We were told in December that my baby needed an MRI. In fact if our previous pediatrician had been on the ball, we should have had one in the fall or even the summer. But nope. December it was suggested by our Ear, Nose, Throat guy. And we waited and nothing happened. Finally, last week we saw 2 doctors who saw the need for immediacy. And today I was called with our MRI date...April 18th. 9 weeks away. So much for immediacy.

I'm sick of waiting. Sick to death of it. I just hope that another 9 weeks of waiting doesn't negatively effect her development in a permanent way. She's already so far behind.

I remember about 8 years ago, a co-worker had a breast cancer scare. She had to wait over a month to get the testing done that she needed. I remember thinking how unbearable that must have been. It made me mad then that something like that would happen. Luckily, she was fine...but still.

Now I'm hungry and supper isn't started yet and all I want to do is sit down with a big platter of high fat, high sugar, low fiber foods and pig out until the pain in my stomach overtakes the pain in my heart. Licorice, ice cream, chocolate, real potato chips, French Onion chip dip by Nalley, cheesies, pizza, fuzzy peaches, nachos and cheese and salsa and full fat sour cream and maybe a vodka cooler or 2 or 10. Or a nice glass (or bottle) of white wine. I tried the wine once...it didn't help. Thankfully, though I'm addicted to food, I likely won't find myself addicted to alcohol...it doesn't agree with me that way.

The food doesn't help either. So I won't go there. I won't. I'm going to get up now and put the rice on and take my aggressions out on the poor innocent slab of pork tenderloin I have in the fridge. That should help. I have some carrots in the fridge, maybe they'll tame my hunger while I wait.

3 comments:

  1. Oh Amanda, I am so sorry. That really stinks. I know that it has been torturous enough to wait for my OWN specialist appointments... never mind ones for my child... it would be a thousand times worse.
    I agree that I value our free health care though... because even if we could get it done faster we could never afford it if we had to pay for it ourselves!
    Finny will be ok. She is still progressing. Just focus on that beautiful smile of hers honey.

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  2. I agree with Tara AND I know that at the moment it seems like food will make you feel better, but it never really will. It just makes you feel worse after all is said and done. Don't let it fool you. (I know this was last night, but still...) The vodka cooler sounded good though ;o) Ah... just jokes, I am pregnant after all. And indeed, alcohol is no better than food. Oh well. AND, I just realized that all you have to do is lose like 0.1 this week, and you'll be in the 180's!! WOOT! :o) Good luck - you're doing awesome.

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  3. i hear ya honey, loud and clear..

    when my dad was sick he went through the red tape wringer. When we finally got to the guy he needed to see (6 months after he got sick) the doc said "too bad we didnt see you 3 months earlier, now there is nothing we can do"..

    so when i injured my back and they told me i had to stay incapacitated til i saw a surgeon and the surgeon wouldnt see me til i got an MRi and it was going to be 3 months for that..we packed me in the car and headed off to buffalo for the MRI. We gave up our summer holiday for that..but it was soo worth it..

    and a very sad reflection on our medical system.

    cuz a very rich, influential acquaintance of ours had a migraine a few months ago. she went to emerg and got a cat scan and then an mri (??) that night.

    i'm sending some "hey medical system help these guys out now" vibes your way honey!

    xo

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