Parkinsons # 14
2021-07-15
This is a rant….
I just got off an on-line consultation with a neurologist. While the virtual visit setup arranged by the health authorities worked from my end, it did not from the neurologist’s end, so we switched to the good old phone.
I was referred to the neurologist by my family physician who had a trimmed writeup by me of Parkinons #2. I assumed that the neurologist would read up this report as my family physician did. I am not verbally versatile in communicating such things coherently. It made my phone visit (covid 19 rules) with my physician productive, because he had the information. From the questions the neurologist asked, I assume she did not read this information. All she knew was the results of my blood work done for this consultation; however, she mentioned my cholesterol levels, failing to see that these were from a previous blood test done 5 years ago. So I had to repeat my history, but less coherent than it was in my written form. This was a waste of time.
Since I at present am not impeded by tremors, there wasn’t much to talk about and she could not do a visual assessment. As to my balance problems, I will have to get assessed by a physiotherapist on my own dime. Also a blood test for possible lead poisoning would be on my own dime to the tune of about $300. If such a test would be able to determine lead poisoning that might have happened over 50 years ago she was not able to answer. The only concern she had was that the traditional Chinese herbal remedies might be contaminated with lead. I understand that the remedies I take are made in Canada.
I will get a personal visit with her in September. My hopes are not very high for an informative outcome. I understand that there are guidelines that instruct physicians to not tackle more than one issue per visit. This would render a holistic approach rather impossible.
My present conclusion is that I have to figure things out by myself and that anything that might be helpful for a professional assessment has to be paid for out of my own pocket. Also the treatment that works is not covered by BC health care (which claims to be universal). It took 5 weeks to get a phone appointment with my family physician and then another 5 months to “see” the specialists. Health care? The hell’s care!
End of rant.
Reflections 