Just needed to vent...

I live in Canada the land of "free healthcare" unless you die first. This week I was called and given an appointment for my cervical MRI...(I paid out of pocket for this back in December after waiting since august without hearing about an appointment.) Appointment date? December 2017.

I have been told I don't have MS because I had a clear brain and cervical MRI. I trust this info. But this obviously hasn't been communicated to all the medical professionals dealing with my case otherwise they would know I have already had a cervical MRI. What if I did have MS? I am supposed to go 3 years without a diagnosis and treatment?

I just received a called telling me my appointment with the movement disorder neurologist (to discuss my involuntary movements) will be June 2017.

These appointments are over two years away!

Canagirl
Wow that's incredible! - and I thought our public health system was bad - 6 mths to see a neuro + I paid for my own blood tests because I couldn't get the doc. to order them.

Does your health system have a priority appt. process? Here (NZ) they triage your referral and decide if you are 'urgent', 'semi-urgent', 'non urgent' or 'elective' - appt. dates are made depending on this assessment and there are rules they have to follow (ie: semi-urgent have to be seen within 4 mths of being triaged - problem is there is no rule to say how long they can take to triage the referral - mine was only done the week after I rang them when I had heard nothing for 2 mths. If you're deemed 'elective' you can end up on a waiting list and then sometimes they just cull the waiting lists - usually because the govt. cuts funding - and you get bumped back and told to 'see your GP if your problem still exists' and you have to start all over again!

Maybe they did know you'd already had your MRI and that's why you got a long wait time (Mind you that would be crediting them with having the intelligence to figure it out!).
Have you considered e-mailing an organization like the national MS foundation and asking them if they're aware of delays for assessment in your area, and if this is what they'd typically expect for someone undergoing an MS assessment. I realize you're cleared of having MS but they'd be probably be interested to know what's happening out 'in the trenches' so to speak.

Hang in there Canagirl - happy to exchange PHS (Public Health System) rants anytime. Some day I may tell you about my last appt. - with a head of dept. that "doesn't do computers".

Vent away!! That's ridiculous!

Forbes ranks Canada right above the US in healthcare...and the US came in dead last for the dozen countries in comparison. But I have never waited that long for an appointment. Many specialists have waiting lists 9-12 months long here, but more often than not, I can get into a Hopkins specialist within a couple/few months (all depending on specialty) for a new patient appointment...much faster for follow up appt. of course, since already in that doctor's system.

I think I would have laughed at them had I received a call like that, as it must be a joke.

My experience the U.S. is that I often have to wait several weeks/months for an appointment with a specialist, but scheduling a test is never more than two weeks or so.

My neuro is highly rated in Baltimore, and I had to wait 6 months to get in to see him for the first time. When I decided to cancel one later appointment with him as I wanted to give something I was doing more time, the earliest I could get in was 8 months later.

That being said, what you're dealing with IS insane. I assume if you went private, you could get in sooner?

That being said, what you're dealing with IS insane. I assume if you went private, you could get in sooner?[/QUOTE]

You can only do private for certain things.
MRI's can be done privately. When I did my cervical MRI, I called to make an appointment and got in the next day.

I can't see a movement neuro privately. We only have a handful of them that work out of the university and they don't work privately.

In my city (and it's a large Canadian city) there are only 3 neuro's (not specialty neuro's just regular ones) that even work privately. One of them is my neuro (works both privately and in the public system). I saw him through the public system because he denied seeing me privately (I don't know why). If he accepted me as a private patient I could have gotten an appointment with him within a week. Public system I waited 6 months (and only got in b/c my doctor kept calling in)

Im in Australia and I had to wait 3 years to see a neuro in North Queensland. We have categories based one symptoms. (there are 1,2,3 and emergency) I wa ranked 2. Also had a neuro quit and took while to get replacement. Public waiting lists over here are ridiculous!! But even if you pay for Private Health Insurance, they usually still make you pay. At least public is FREE. (we have medicare and pay a sum out of our tax each yr for this free medical system)
Its fine if you live in one of our big cities, but if you live regionally you are screwed mostly!! (though now QLD health, Queenslands healthcare system, as each state is different, have tried to improve that by providing flights to nearest specialists for approved patients) I had to wait 4 months for my brain MRI though.
But you win with 2 years. Thats INSANE!! Dont think will ever whinge bout our system again hahaha.
Hope you can find a way to have it done sooner!!

Welcome rhisurg.