Delay in Surgery impact quality of life.

Good morning!  I saw your post about experiences with Alberta Health and I wanted to share mine with you.

I am 53 now and was 52 at the time I broke my leg on June 7, 2025 mountain-biking. I was very active prior to the injury - literally climbing mountains. I was taken from Fernie, BC to the Foothills Hospital in Calgary via ambulance due to the severity of my Type 6 Tibia Plateau Fracture. The initial surgery was the next day - June 8th. I met my surgeon - Dr. Linda Mrkonjic. She operated again on June 13th. 

I began intensive physiotherapy and had follow up appointments with the Dr. in which she said I was recovering well. I realized in about October that I had stopped making progress on my knee flexion and seemed stuck at about 88 degrees despite intensive physiotherapy. I learned that arthrofibrosis was common in my type of injury and saw that people in other provinces and countries had follow-up from their surgeon around the 4 month post-op mark for that consisting of arthroscopic surgery and manipulation/bending the leg under anesthetic. When I met with my surgeon in January 2026, I asked her for follow-up diagnosis for my lack of progress and arthroscopic surgery.

Her response was, "NO. You need to wait 2 years and you may never walk properly again". No help from her. No care. No follow-up.

I was still crying in my husband's arms when they ushered in the next patient into the cast clinic room at the Foothills Hospital where they don't even change the bed sheet between patients. It's called cast clinic but it's more like a cattle market.

I asked her for a referral to another surgeon and she referred me to the Central Alberta Orthopedic Clinic in Red Deer.

I learned that, one year after surgery, the arthrofibrosis (scar tissue) in the leg/knee area would harden to the consistency of concrete and attempts to correct that after a year are not always fully successful and the patient is left with permanent disability. My one year was up in June. I got a letter in the mail from Central Alberta Orthopedics in late January saying they would see me in 4 - 12 months just for an initial consult only. By March, I was speaking with my family doctor and desperately emailing the clinic to try and stress that my situation was time sensitive. I started to realize that Alberta Health was content to let me become permanently disabled. In desperation, I started to research private surgeons. I am not rich but I have good credit and have worked hard and paid taxes in Alberta my whole life. I took out a loan for $15,000 to pay for an MRI and private surgery on my leg on April 7th. I am still paying that off.

Although I can now bend my leg more, I literally have a piece of surgical metal sticking out of my shin and have 13 screws and 2 plates in my left leg that causes me constant pain and I continue to limp. The week before my private surgery on April 7th, I got a call from the Orthopedic Clinic and had a phone interview with a doctor on March 31st. I told him I was having private surgery and he said, "you are doing everything right, we could never have got you in in time".  I asked him how long for an appointment with them and he said 3 months.

After 3 months elapsed, I started to call them but still no appointment. I wrote my MLA and I emailed Alberta Health. No appointment. Finally, last week, I got a phone call. My appointment is October 6th and I am so excited.  I recently saw the news story about the family who is suing Alberta Health for their daughter's surgery and I wonder if I could do that too. I had to pay for a medically necessary surgery and, frankly, I am angry. I was born and raised in this province and paid taxes and obeyed the law and that's what I get? I don't know why my life was deemed meaningless and unworthy by Alberta Health.

I have seen your posts and I respect your willingness to stand up and speak the truth.

Please add my story to your list (probably big by now) of the poor health care that Albertans receive. I do not want a 2 tier system, however, they forced me into debt for private surgery for a medically necessary procedure and it is wrong. I did exactly what they seem to want us to do and I hate that.

C.E.