Health Care Can Be Lacking in Saskatchewan AKA a Trip to the ER

I have to say, it's hard to defend the medical system in Saskatchewan to people from the USA. I once spent 22 hours in the ER. Many times when I was very sick I was told "you have the flu, go home" after waiting for many hours.

Last trip in, my back was in terrible pain. This was the worst pain of my life. I was screaming in pain (literally). They gave me 2 kinds of narcotics, after I told them flat out, that kind of drug does nothing for my pain - and it did nothing to lower the pain.

Going to get an X-Ray was a task as well. I had to be wheeled in there on the ER bed. There was literally no way in hell I could get up, get over to the X-Ray table and back by myself - I needed to be moved. Do you think the tech could get this? NOPE.

Finally after a lot of talk between the nurse and the tech, I went back to the room and was lifted on my side (and it freaking hurt like hell) and a sliding board was placed under me, even though it's made for people smaller than me, and not totally safe in my way of thinking as they hands are under me.

I was slid on the table, and the tech takes some shots and asks me "can you roll on your side?" I told her "there is no way in hell I can do that." I wanted to say "have you not been listening when told I am in extreme pain when I move?"

I don't know, maybe the tech was having a bad day or something, but that was astonishing to me. The nurses on the other hand, and the one (I think) care aid, where outstanding in doing their jobs.

Finally I'm given a muscle relaxant (you know what I told the original doctor would work best), and it helped lower the pain from a solid 10 to a 7. I can manage with a 7, as my fibro goes there at times. When it was time to go home, I was NOT prescribed a weeks worth of the meds that worked. I had NOTHING for the pain. My friend got me some over the counter back meds from Rexall and I came home.

Well, the pain was way too much by noon to be safe. I was getting dizzy as hell from the pain. I almost passed out two times while I was cooking some veggies for dinner. I could have ended up falling and getting seriously hurt. Last time I fell I ended up in hospital for 9 days. All because a doctor thinks a person in the worst pain they have ever experienced, does not need pain meds. Sigh.

I don't know, not all doctors do this shit, but far too many of them in the ER do it. He wanted me to follow up with my family doctor. How the hell was I going to go in to a doctors office, literally crying out in pain every time I moved? Sigh this is ridiculous to say the least.

I mean they full on knew I did NOT want narcotics at all, just the muscle relaxants. Even a few days worth would have helped me a lot. But I had to suffer like crazy instead. To note, there is no possibility of getting high off the meds I was given that worked. They are also NOT addicting at all. There was no risk of anything other than me having less pain and being a lot more safe at home.

I literally do have to note, a previous doctor I had is part of the reason doctors now don't want to hand out pain meds to people. I was in a lot of pain from, you guessed it, a hurt back (it happens every few months). Well good old doctor pilljoy prescribes 240 industrial strength narcotic pain meds to me. I got these home, took it out of the bag and though WTF? Not to mention they did literally nothing to help me at all. I seem to be immune to that kind of pain med.

We also have long waiting lists for operations here. Twice I literally never got phoned by them about a test I was referred to have. The one lady phoned my friend for my phone number as it seems to have VANISHED off my file (FFS). Their system ever few days sends me an email saying my file has new information and nothing new is in it. We don't have nearly enough doctors for everyone. There are very much not enough nurses as well.

Then there is the NDP, who I'll never be voting for. They want to close imaging services to save tax money. These places are packed with people ever time I go to one - if they close it, how the hell are they going to handle the load in the hospitals? They are NOT.

I've had too many very long waits for treatment in the ER - not received two different tests I needed - Been sent home when I was worried about not being able to handle being home alone - not given pain management many times. Yup, I can't recommend it at all (our health care system that is). Honestly I deserve an apology letter in the mail for this last one. I was totally abandoned when I needed pain relief badly. I spent 5 days crying out in pain every time I moved and one day almost passing out several times it was so bad.

But yeah, the nurses ROCKED - they where awesome.

P.S. Bing image generator made that horrendous medical logo I'm using.