Health care - part 2

A few weeks ago I phoned a doctor's office to see about making an appointment. "How about today at 4?" was the answer. During the appointment I told the doctor that I have frozen shoulder, and she arranged for me to see a specialist two days hence. The specialist's office is a 2-minute bicycle ride from home. The young doctor was super-friendly, spoke great English, and gave me a cortisone shot right there and then. Also prescribed a half-dozen sessions with a physiotherapist, whose office is a 2-minute bicycle ride in another direction. The improvement in my shoulder over the past few weeks has been amazing. I still can`t raise my left arm sideways (at all), but there is no more pain, so I can sleep properly now. I saw the sports-medicine doctor again this past week, and although there's improvement, he is of the opinion that I won't ever get back to 100% functionality without an operation.

Contrast the speed at which this happened with my experience in Ottawa. Now, my doctor is good, and we had to determine if I did indeed have frozen shoulder, so that necessarily required an ultrasound and an x-ray. But the whole rigamarole in Canada is crazy: they can't do an ultrasound at my doctor's office, so I have to wait three weeks to go to a clinic on the other side of the city. Then another 3 weeks for the X-ray (which I should have booked at the same time). All this time the pain is getting worse and worse, and the disease is progressing. Finally I get to see my doctor, and the results are inconclusive. No cortisone, no pain medication. Just the possibility of seeing a specialist...in a few weeks. Way the heck out in Nepean. During rush-hour. Great, thanks.

Similarly, Christine had to have a minor operation 10 days ago. She was amazed at the continuity of care she encountered at the hospital. Three doctors were present for the initial exam, the pre-operative interview, and the post-operative debriefing. THE SAME THREE DOCTORS! In Canadian hospitals, doctors (actually, they are usually student interns) are part of "teams", and you never see the same face twice. This can't be good for the quality of care, as each one must ask you all over again whether you have any allergies, are on any medication, etc. You have to explain everything repeatedly and hope that some of that information is read by the next doctor whose shift you happen to fall into.


Christine also said that the food in the hospital was good (!). So although taxes are high, we are certainly benefitting from a first-rate medical system.

Okay, that's enough serious stuff. Back to pictures of castles and scenery.