Re: Seeking help in Toronto

[Anonymous]

Very well put, Robert.

Three of my close family members have had hernia operations at the Shouldice Clinic, one twice (my mom’s was a complicated situation and not the fault of the clinic). We’re fortunate to have such resources available to us, even if we have to pay for them.

I agree, the amount we spend on an assessment is peanuts compared to the quality of life that we can achieve once properly diagnosed. Take the total, divide it by the number of years/days you expect to live, and it’s a non-issue, unless you have no financial resources or harbour resentment towards those who make a living off our troubles.

I will be forever indebted to Dr Bilkey for his help in getting to the bottom of my life-long struggle. I still don’t think we have the full picture, and he’s going to be a vital part of assessing and diagnosing given more outside data regarding narcolepsy and my sleep patterns.

My GP dropped the ball in referring me for a sleep study (which was requested by Dr Bilkey but SHOULD have been requested by my GP). When I didn’t hear back from the first referral (which she supposedly faxed to our local hospital from her office in front of me), I pleaded with the office receptionist to refer me to another clinic locally where my husband had a quick turnaround (sleep apnea discovered in his study) – again zero response, I even called that clinic to check. I desperately went searching on the internet for somewhere, anywhere, where I could PAY for a sleep study. I would have travelled just about anywhere at this point. Money was the last thing on my mind.

Fortunately, I found a clinic in Toronto (as it turns out, where my mom went for her studies), and even though it took two months to get a consultation, my case was deemed URGENT and I got through the rest of the study and followup quickly, within 4 weeks. In the process, I was told to immediately stop driving, that’s how serious my situation really was, but I didn’t realize it.

I am no longer a fan of free services. My condition is not typical, the narcolepsy diagnosis has been missed before (20 years ago), my sleep condition has been ignored by my GP, and if I had not taken charge and driven a path to look into this myself with a top rate ADD psychiatrist and a good sleep specialist/psychiatrist, I think I would still be floundering through the system, waiting for it to serve me. Even if it turns out that there is zero ADHD, the $ I paid to Dr Bilkey will have been worth it to me because I know he has thoroughly looked at my condition from all aspects.

I’ve had good experience with other health care professionals like Dr B who keep up on the cutting edge of their profession (including lecturing) and who are willing to look outside of the box rather than following prescribed methods.

I’m also grateful to this site and the people on it, for taking the time to let us know about their experiences. We may not always agree, but we should be able to disagree respectfully. And I don’t think it’s right to slander anyone either.

I am now searching for a new GP. Can’t get one where I live because they will only take new residents to the city. So I am looking southward towards Toronto. Does anyone know of a GP that will accept new patients?

REPORT ABUSE