le médecin

Luckily, we've made it 9 months without needing medical care. My previous posts have mentioned the saga that our neighbor has been through in the last few months...He is actually scheduled for another surgery today. He's had to go to the hospital every Tuesday for the last few months to "check in" to see whether they can fit him in for his surgery.

Allergy season finally caught up with me last week, and I had to seek some antibiotics for a sinus infection that wouldn't go away on its own. In Quebec (and other provinces too, I think) you can call 811 to "ask a nurse" or to find out where to seek medical treatment. There is a private clinic (yes, you can pay for better health care here) and a walk-in clinic that's not too far from our house, so I stopped in one morning last week. (I've driven by and peeked in the windows before, and the waiting room is usually packed) Things were looking good as I walked into the reception area and counted only four people waiting.  The receptionist immediately suggested that I come back at 1pm (it wasn't even 10am yet). "The doctor isn't here yet. And...he's one of our slower doctors." This happened to be the only evening I had something planned, so I asked if I would still have a long wait if I came back at 1. "Well....it's hard to say..he is one of our slower doctors" (emphasis on slower) I informed her that I would come back the next day, and promptly got in my car and drove to New York.

The Emergency Room in Plattsburgh NY is 45-60 minutes from my house. I was there for an hour and a half. One of the nurses did yell out "we got another one from Canada!".... I actually could have been home by 1pm, but I went to Target to get my prescription filled, and did a little shopping as well. I forgot to mention Target in my last "missing U" post. Target will be coming to Canada in 2012, but it's not here yet.

I fretted a little bit about what I should tell Customs. I remember hearing horror stories as a kid about people who told the truth at customs (crossing the border for medical reasons) and having their cars torn apart during a search. I decided to tell the truth anyway, and was lucky that I could remember the name of the prescription when the customs officer asked.

A few days after my International medical trip I spoke to my neighbor and his wife. After telling them my story about seeking medical treatment in New York, his wife's reply was, "That's GOOD to know, for next time!"

Ok, so there's not a perfect health care system. We complain about our health care system, and so do some Canadians. At least in Canada I don't have to choose between debt and health.