We're happy and we're sad

[Goofychicken]

Maddie had a check up yesterday with her ped and she was SO happy with how well she is doing. We're allowed to stop taking raniditine for the time being and we'll see how she responds. That means we're down to one dose of imuran a day and that's it for meds!

The crummy part... Our ped gastro is pushing 70 and is retiring this year. Great for him! They originally had two new gastros lined up but our ped heard that both of them fell through. It sucks bad enough having to drive to Saskatoon to see the current one but if they can't replace him we're now looking at seeing one in Calgary, Edmonton or Winnipeg. We'd be going from a 3 hour drive to anywhere from a 5 to a 7 hour drive :S Thankfully for the time being the gastro is just acting as a consultant and we don't need to see him too often but if her condition changes in the future this is going to be a serious pain. We've already talked about the idea of having to leave SK in the future to be closer to a specialist. I really hope it doesn't come to that!

 

[Jmrogers4]

So glad she is doing so well. That is fabulous.
Sorry about the GI though I think carolinalaska is in the same boat and has to drive many hours to see the specialists. Hope they get a new fantastic GI and you don't have to worry about it.

 

[Goofychicken]

ugh I know there is such a shortage of specialists in smaller centres. It's just the way it is. We've had a really hard time attracting and retaining specialists in Saskatchewan. Most of them are in such high demand that they can write their own tickets.

 

[Jmrogers4]

I hear you we are only slightly better off. We have 4 Ped GI's they are all in the same office and 1 of most other specialists. At least most of them are quite young so hopefully they stay around here. Jack's GI tries to convince him to become a GI every time we are in the office. I tease him about trying to find his replacement for when he retires.

 

[Momtotwo]

Great news regarding the check-up. I understand your concerns about the GI. i hope they recruit someone closer in the future.

 

[SupportiveMom]

I don't think of Regina being that small. Even in Toronto where we have a good size amount of pediatric GI's the wait is long to get into one because it is such a high demand.

I don't blame you for wanting to stay put. I wouldn't want to move because of doctors either!

 

[Goofychicken]

It's not a huge city but yeah it's not small either. Between here and Saskatoon we have around 500,000 people. And we're booming. I don't know if SK has a stigma as being a have not province because we were for so long, but there's still not much here in the way of amenities and it's hard to attract specialists when they could go to Toronto or Vancouver or Calgary (heck, if I had my druthers, I'd choose one of those cities over Regina too!). I can see it as being too much hassle too because not only is the GI expected to service the city they're in but they have to service the rest of the province too because there's literally only ONE of them. The current GI does a clinic in Regina once every two months and that's all the southern half of the province gets. Who wants all of that travel and having the responsibility of the entire province? I get it. I can't imagine how stressful this would be if we lived in Estevan or Swift Current or somewhere even smaller! I definitely have respect for people in small towns who are dealing with chronic illnesses. It's not easy.

 

[crohnsinct]

Congrats on the good appointment!

In some universities here in the states there is actually a specialty called, "Rural Medicine" interesting.

 

[DustyKat]

Fab update Goofychicken! :dusty: Well the Maddie part, so happy for you and your lass! :mademyday:

Far from fab about the specialist side of things though.

I do hear where you are coming from hun. We too have the same issues in Oz. If my kids were younger we would have to travel to Sydney to see a specialist paediatrician, 7 hours drive one way. As it is we drive 3 hours one way to see an adult GI.

I hope it doesn’t come to needing to travel the extra distance or you having to move elsewhere to get what you need. :ghug:

Is there anything in place in Canada to help offset the cost of travel and accommodation?

We have IPTAAS (Isolated Patients Travel and Accommodation Scheme). It helps subsidise the cost of fuel or bus/train fares and accommodation. As a parent you are automatically covered as a carer and are subsidised too. We use it to help with fuel when he has routine appointments. If your child is flaring and unwell they will also subsidise air fares. Matt and I were able to utilise the airfares when he was unwell and needed to go to Sydney for appointments and surgery and the subsidy was pretty generous.

Do you have something like Angel Flight?…

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…they are pilots that donate their time and planes to take rural patients to the city.

Just thoughts, if the services are available, that may help you stay where you are for the long term. :hug:

Dusty. xxx