I think my health care system is sick

I have been sick since October the 5th. I left work on that Monday, on the orders of my favourite secretary, and told not to come back to work until I was well.

I haven't been back to work since. Knowing the mess my absence will cause, I literally cried on Monday when my Doctor ordered me off work for the entire week. If I manage to make it back to work on Monday, I will have been absent for 13 straight days.

At first, I had a fever (over 101), aches, and a headache that felt like Athena was trying to beat her way out of my head. By Wednesday, my fever was over 102, the aches were still present, and now I and developed a cough. Thing were not looking up, so I did what we're supposed to do in Ontario, and called Telehealth. They gave me several pieces of generic advice, all of which I was already doing, and then recommended I see a Doctor within 24-48 hours if I was not better. They recommended that I not go to a hospital unless I was having chest pains or trouble breathing.

I didn't make it to a Doctor until Sunday, because I wanted to drive to my emerge clinic on really quiet roads. By this point, I was still aching, my fever was still in full bloom, my voice was almost non-existent, and I was bitter because it was a holiday weekend, and I was supposed to be up north, about to celebrate my birthday.

The Doctor at the emerge-clinic was the same Doctor I had when I was 12. Therefore, I felt confident when she told me it was a sinus infection, plus a virus, was given some antibiotics and sent home. I wasn't to go to work on the Tuesday after my birthday either, since I needed some serious recovery time. When I was no better on Monday, I called Telehealth again (and they told me to get myself to a Doctor -- but again, no hospital) and reported my newest symptom, a lack of an appetite.

By Wednesday the following week, I was at my regular Doctor's, where I was given a newer, stronger antibiotic, and industrial strength cough medicine. Again, I was off until the end of the week. Luckily, my parents were home, and since the Doctor thought I was no longer contagious, I could have some help with things, since I was functioning at about 10% of my usual speed. Even my brain had abandoned me, and I wasn't understanding things I usually would, and was unable to follow most conversations. Plus, my blood pressure was lower than normal.

Finally, someone said what I'd been dreading all along: H1N1. Since my school has been allegedly riddled with it, this wasn't a surprise, but, apparently, my lack of puking and chest pain had eliminated it for all medical personnel who were not familiar with me. For my regular Doctor, who knew, while most would be puking their guts out, I just be unable to eat, and the low blood pressure, meant I probably did have the H1N1 and that I should've gone to a hospital sometime during my first week off -- a complete contradiction to my original orders from Telehealth. Yup, I was one of those people who get H1N1 with all the fun (by fun I mean horrific) complications. (Those complications being my brain being fuddled, and the continuing aching, coughing and subsequent chest infection.)

Here's the rub. Regular family physicians can't order the H1N1 test (at least, according to the doctors I've seen). Nope, only in hospital can you get tested, and that's only if they think that's the only thing wrong with you. Plus, some hospitals, I've heard from friends who are health care workers, aren't always testing anymore. Umm, how can we keep track of something that may reach epidemic proportions, if we don't test for it anymore? BC still tests and tracks H1N1, why not Ontario? Thus, even though everyone's quite sure I'm suffering the after-effects of H1N1, I'll never get that official diagnosis.

I've had a lot of time to think about this, at least, time when my brain was somewhat functioning, (I, at one point, made the horrifically politically incorrect statement to my Mother about how this must be what it's like for stupid people, every day) and realize there are a few problems here.

I caught this at work. I caught this at work because some parent didn't keep their ill child at home. Most likely, they took their kid to a Doctor, but since the child wasn't tested for H1N1, the parent thought it would be fine to send their child into a classroom with about 30 other children. Sure, my board has all sorts of plans, but they'll never have to follow through because there isn't the capability of testing if the kids go to their regular doctor. Because I've been absent for so long, I've also lost my retirement gratuity for the year. Granted, I have plenty of years left in me to work, but it irritates the hell out of me that I lose my gratuity credit for the year for something I picked up at work.

My only conclusion is this: it's time for everyone to burden our health care system and go to the hospital. Sure, you can try to do what the health care system would like you to do: call Telehealth, visit my family physician, etc., but that won't do you any good. By the time you follow that route, you'll be to far into the disease to get any real assistance from anti-virals like Tamiflu. I can't think about how much better I'd be if I'd had access to Tamiflu, because I'm trying not to dwell on the negative. It's not going to help me get well.

Thus, on Friday, I'll be at my fourth Doctor's appointment, and will have spent 13 days away from my work. I missed my long weekend getaway, had yet another crappy birthday, and have suffered far more than I've had to , all because Ontario is too damn cheap to do any proper testing.

In conclusion, if you think you're coming down with with the flu, do the exact opposite of what the government tells you, and go directly to a hospital. Maybe then you can get some proper treatment, unlike me.