Fwd: Alberta Health Care Waiting - 15 Months

Hello,

I got this email from an X post by The Breakdown. I posted a reply there but I figured I would email you as well as requested in the post.

I am located in west Edmonton, Alberta. Postal code T5T 6X9.

I am 42 years old. Male. I am a medically retired RCMP 911 dispatcher.

I deal personally with chronic back pain. I have seen and spoken with my GP on numerous occasions. We have tried a lot of different avenues for management with no success.  He says his hands are tied by paperwork to try anything further medicine wise. So, he has referred me to a pain medicine specialist.

The referral went in 15 months ago (May 29, 2025) . For the first year of this wait my referral was on “pending” status. I called my doctor on the one year anniversary to see if there was anything that could be done. He said he would update the referral with the fact that I am not getting better, and slowly declining. My referral went into “approved” status the next day. I thought that this was encouraging and I would hear something soon. It has been another 3 months met with only an update on MyChart stating the obvious. I am approved but waiting for an appointment.

It seems like I am stuck in a limbo now. I wait every day to hear something. To get that phone call to see this specialist for relief and to start reclaiming my life. I can only stay upright sitting/standing/walking for 1-2 hours with pain that doesn’t overwhelm me. The rest of my day is spent laying in bed or on the couch still hurting but not to the extent of sitting/standing entails. I can’t walk my dog. I can’t get my own groceries. I can’t go anywhere or do anything without pain.

I know I am not the only one. My story is one of many. However it is one story of how this system has failed. Thank you for this avenue to tell this story though. 

Thanks,
Justin