Canadian Advice Needed!

[ccorina]

As some of you know, I have been going to a horrible neurologist.  The problem is, I live in a province that has no good specialists.  Using my husband's insurance service, they located some doctors who specialize in MS.  3 are in Alberta and 1 is at the UBC MS clinic in Vancouver.

I do have relatives in Vancouver, but it wouldn't be cheap to fly down.

Is it worth it do you think to get a consultation in BC?  Anyone have any experience at the MS clinic at UBC?
I'm wondering how long they would see me for?  Do they do a complete assessment and consultation right off the bat?

Corina

[Mike_Shuswap]

I was DX'd at UBC MS clinic, and highly recommend it to anyone with neurological issues.

My first visit was very thorough, complete exam by Neurologist, interview with geneologist, meeting with MS nurse, eye exam by neuroopthomologist, blood taken for testing, etc....

As far as traveling, I travel from the BC interior, about 450 km each way, so each trip is a three day affair, well worth the effort for the care I recieve. The first year or so I had to make the trip 3 or 4 times per year, but now I'm down to once or twice per year.

Your expenses for medical travel would be tax detuctable. This includes automobile mileage, air fare, taxi, meals and accomodation, etc.

I'm not sure what you mean by how long would they see you for. If you mean how long is the first visit, mine was about 4 or 5 hours total.

Good luck and feel free to ask if you need more info,

Mike

[doublevision1]

Hi Corina - I'm so sorry you asked me about this a while ago and I forgot I hadn't yet replied.

U of A and U of C both have good MS clinics, as well there are many good neurologists in private practice who may not be MS specialists but are very knowledgeable about MS.

I don't know the process for getting a second opinion in a province other than that of your own residence; you could try calling one of these other clinics and asking if it's possible to be seen here.  Does your husband's insurance cover neurologist visits?  I ask because mine does not, given this type of medical consult is part of our basic health care covered by provincial insurance.  I believe our respective provincial insurer will cover out of province care when it is unavailable in the province of residence.    Since there are plenty of neurologist in SK this makes me think they would be unwilling to cover a visit to a BC or AB clinic.  So if it's even possible to be seen elsewhere, it would likely need to be covered by your private insurance or out of pocket.

I have been to Partners MS Center at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston, for a second opinion on MS treatments.  It was about $450 for a 75 min visit and was worth it to me, especially because it reassured me that I'm getting quality care here in Canada.  

All that said, how do you know that there are no good specialists in SK?  There are many neurologists in SK.  I noticed on ratemds.com that there'd are over 20 listed, and these would only be those for whom reviews have been submitted.  It looked like about half of those listed averaged VG reviews while the other half had mediocre ones, and only one doc with an overall poor rating.  So if the MS specialists don't cut it there for some reason, maybe try a general neurologist before looking further afield?  

Have you let your GP know your concerns and asked them for a second opinion referral?  You could read the online reviews to see if one stands out to you whom you'd like to try, bearing in mind like any opinion based site, reviews are highly subjective.  

If you you think it is worth a trip south of the border, the major hospitals seem to have international patient coordinators to get Things set up.  The one I dealt with in Boston was really helpful and they worked within my travel dates to accommodate.