Fwd: Healthcare experience

In 2019, I went to my GP and physiotherapist with a sore knee. I had pain and discomfort doing simple activities such as walking. The health professionals needed more information about what was going on with my knee to determine my care, so submitted a request for an MRI. The wait was over a year. While waiting, my knee went sideways while simply getting on my bike, and I had significant pain. I paid for an MRI so the health professionals could quickly investigate what was going on; it showed the new pain was from my ACL, which was now torn.

I was referred to a knee specialist within Alberta Health. I heard nothing from the knee clinic for many months, and when I was finally scheduled for an appointment in April 2020, Covid hit and clinics closed. I was told I would no longer be at the top of the list when the clinic reopened.

In August 2020, with no update from Alberta Health, and after trying several non-surgical alternatives, I went to a private surgeon and paid for ACL repair surgery. He attempted to repair the tear, but months later, it was clear that was not enough. My knee had been further damaged over the time waiting. A new MRI showed the cartilage was now beyond repair (it wasn’t after the first MRI.)

I was referred to the Alberta Hip & Knee Clinic. I called them many times for an update on timing and after 18 months, I was told my referral has been ‘misplaced’ so I wasn’t in the cue. I finally had an assessment and was recommended for replacement surgery. Because of their error, they put me near the top of the list. So, after 2 years of waiting, I had my second knee surgery and was given a full knee replacement in the public system.

I believe the reason I needed both surgeries was the delay in getting an MRI in 2019. Had the issue (a damaged MCL) been identified and fixed, I believe I could have avoided 2 major surgeries and all of the rehabilitation that was required. It was intense. It has been over 7 challenging years; I paid a significant amount for the first surgery, and I did months of rehab to have better mobility with my knee.

Here are my major concerns:
- wait times for an MRI likely resulted in me needing two major surgeries. If Alberta Health is trying to save money, this was not the way!
- wait times for tests and to see specialists are far too long. Meanwhile, I spoke to an experienced knee specialist who was moving from Ontario and tried to join Alberta Health, but he was told they had no plans to hire.
- there was no accountability for ‘losing’ my referral, which delayed my second surgery. I reached out to the health ombudsman, but they don’t take complaints for the hip and knee clinic because it is considered a separate business. They said my concern was common.
- there were private opinions available all the way along, so this is NOT new. These options are very expensive, and I was lucky to have the means to pay for an MRI and surgery at the time. But that isn’t unlimited, and certainly isn’t available to everyone.
- I worked very hard through the process to investigate and research options and I diligently did all the rehab. I take care of my health and tried hard to avoid surgery. Meanwhile, the Alberta Health system was not built to help me or other patients.

Anonymous