Problems with the Medical System
I was badly injured at my dentist’s office when instead of sitting the dental chair up the dental hygienist must have hit the wrong button or something. I was laying back waiting to sit upright when I got the biggest pain in my left foot. My foot was trapped between the footrest and the side of a reception chair that had been beside the dental chair. I had to yell for the dental hygienist to do anything. I guess I was in shock after she got the dental chair down. She never asked if I was ok and never called the dentist in. I couldn’t think properly and couldn’t process what do do about this. She let me walk out of the appointment. I went home and cried (I was only 5 months post left knee replacement) and I iced everything that hurt. Days later I got into my family doctor, I could barely walk and had extensive bruising in my foot. My family doctor said my foot would be feeling better in one week. My Ortho (from the knee replacement) two days later said he couldn’t put me back to work, wouldn’t order an x-ray when I requested it and my next appointment which was supposed to be in “several months” ended up being in 5 months. My family doctor had then put a note on my file that she wasn’t looking after me related to anything related to this so I had nothing for pain or any direction in my care. Six weeks later my Chiro ordered an x-ray which came back abnormal and the MRI ordered by the Ortho showed a severe sprain. I still could barely walk, couldn’t sit on any of my furniture and these doctors kept dodging me. A year later when I still had all this tension in my muscles my physio wrote a letter to the Ortho who ordered an MRI. I had two partial pelvic tears (left hamstring and right hip). My family doctor wouldn’t take me back from the Ortho and during an internet appointment to discuss the Ortho’s letter requesting she monitor me my family doctor cut the appointment off- she had her secretary call and say “technical difficulties” and I never got the rest of my appointment. I lost my modified job because when she was forced to take me back her judgement of my limitations related to my injuries was too vague. So my workplace took away my modified desk job, illegally kicked me out of work then gave me a job where I had to walk and stand for hours on end- my union did not stand up for me. I had to retire early because I couldn’t stand the pain of walking and standing all the time. I had to fight to get my family doctor to recognize I needed to see a pain specialist and wouldn’t order a repeat MRI to see if my partial tears were healing. My new family doctor is no better because she fought me about her completing a referral for a foot and ankle clinic at Toronto Western Hospital- I was the one who found out about this clinic not her. Has anyone else had problems getting appropriate and timely health care? My personal injury lawyer sent me to a Trauma Specialist (who gets permanently maimed going to their dentist?) who in his 6 page report said I have life altering injuries and probably also have an undiagnosed injury in my left lower leg. This incident occurred 3 years ago. I read online that some medical doctor’s have a stigma against injured people. Also that some medical doctors when you are reporting a physical abnormality dismiss what you are saying and say it’s related to a psychological cause i.e. anxiety – that’s called medical gas lighting. I’m to the point that I feel I have to write my family doctor a letter detailing my physical problem along with photos (if pertinent) and in the letter remind her what the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario say her role is. I’ve tried to get a different family doctor but at the meet and greet in talking about my medical issues they reject me because i’ve been injured.
