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I could use some advice?
Okay, so. I've paid for my medical expenses out-of-pocket while waiting on OHIP, which I finally Officially Got last month. I won't be driving again until the weather's warm enough for me to change the tires on my car myself. (Ah, joints. Also: either too much pain and fatigue to drive or too much of pain meds to drive.)
The only Official Family Doctor I've ever had in my life was at the Planned Parenthood in Toronto, and she handled pretty much everything, because every 'specialist' in my area had a no-out-of-pocket-patients policy. (Basically, if it's not something that gets handled by your Family Practice, I couldn't access it.)
I'm about to go on a proper waiting list for my family doctor, and I've been told by multiple medical professionals that I'll be put on waiting lists after that for specific specialists.
What questions should I know to ask? What level of autonomy, choice, and influence should I expect to have? I'm not, to my own knowledge, actively dying from something expensive and incurable, I'd just really like 1. a coherent diagnosis for my physical issues and 2. the ability to do chores and errands more often.
I want as few unforeseen roadblocks as possible for this transition to Using Medicine Like A Normal Canadian. I've never had medical care from something that wasn't basically a walk-in or Free Clinic of some kind. I, uh, have almost no clue what to expect.




It sounds like you're in Toronto, so you'll have better luck and shorter wait lists through OHIP to get to see specialists just because there are more available.
Depending on the seriousness of your issue/s, waitlists will be anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months for an initial appointment.
You're fortunate because I grew up in a very rural area where there were no choices for doctors, and still have that mindset despite now living in an urban area.
I currently just had surgery after a ridiculous 23 month wait + 7 month wait to get into the clinic.
I don't have any experience with OHIP or wait lists in your area.
But as for general how do I do this and what should I ask type stuff:
I would suggest that you write a list of the symptoms and try to explain how it's affecting your life. Feel free to just give them a copy for your file.
Once you have your first meeting with a new doctor that should help you navigate this. They'll probably kick off a ton of tests to get to the bottom of things, and based on the results you should get wait listed for specialists as needed.
Good luck with the wait lists. I hope they're not too long where you're at.
Oh also that first meeting with the physician it's totally okay if you go "NOPE!" and decide they're not the doctor for you. That's sort of what it's for.
This is very useful! I did have basic blood labs run a few times last year-- HRT, which I'll probably have to discontinue for a few months if my doctor wants to be Absolutely Sure about ruling out endocrine issues.
(I was in denial about my pain and fatigue levels last year. I am in...less denial now.)
I hear ya on the denial.
I've been sitting here like "everyone has pain sometimes" "this is normal" "I won't complain" for over a decade. Didn't realize how bad it actually was until a viral illness knocked me on my ass and my other issues suddenly got worse. It isn't normal... We just learned to live around it.
Yeah I had to discontinue some stuff for blood work. Wait till the new doctor asks you to though.
Thyroid tests are a pain... Lots can mess with them. Mine came back weird because of a mental health med (which we have since determined I don't even need to be on) so that was fun...
Seconding both the list of symptoms and the "NOPE" thing. I spent so much time with doctors who made me uncomfortable or aggravated my mental health issues bc I was just like "Oh I don't want to be a bother" or "This is how all doctors are" but you definitely deserve a doctor who you are comfortable with and who you can work toward mutual respect with. If they make you uncomfy or are rude, feel free to move on from them. I also found going in with a list was really helpful because I have a lot of anxiety related to doctors and it helps ground me/makes so I don't have to remember a lot in the moment.
As far as autonomy/choice/influence, I still struggle with telling my doctors to do things my way and stick up for what I can't stand/absolutely need, but I think it's worth doing. I guess one upside of having chronic health issues is it's made me slightly better at nodding politely and then ignoring advice I find unhelpful or harmful. (This also ties in with trust. I tend to talk to my doctors I like and trust much more openly because they're good at working with me and respecting my autonomy, and I trust that their advice will be actually helpful or at least worth trying). You know your own body and you deserve a practitioner who respects that!
I'm sorry I don't have any system specific tips bc I live in the US :/ But good luck to you!!