My letter to my parents' MPP

Dear parents' MPP,

I have missed the last 14 days of work, because I may, or may not, have H1N1. I won't ever know, as my doctor can't treat me for H1N1, just all the symptoms.

I am writing to you for a few reasons. The first is that throughout most of my illness (after I was no longer allegedly contagious) I've been at my family home instead of at my house. The second is, once upon a time, I was your constituent. Finally, I resent being asked to fill out a form on my feelings about the current government before I finally find the teeny-tiniest comment box to get in contact with my MPP.

Here's the story of my health care disaster.

I then summarized my first blog post, so I won't repeat it here.

To everyone I've talked to during this illness, I've made the same recommendation: it's time for everyone to burden our health care system and go to the hospital. Sure, a person can try to do what the health care system would like one to do: call Telehealth, visit the family physician, etc., but that won't do anyone any good. By the time one follows that route, the person will be too far into the disease to get any real assistance from anti-virals like Tamiflu. For the past few days, I've been inundated with news about the doctor from Mount Sinai hospital who was able to get Tamiflu, and still feels terrible. Well, isn't he lucky he was in Mount Sinai, and someone of importance, so he could have the medication. I wonder how many days of work I wouldn't have missed if I had the same opportunity?

In conclusion, what I've learned is this: 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.

I also plan on having one dose of the H1N1 vaccine, as, since I've never been officially diagnosed with H1N1, I guess I should get it -- even through I wouldn't need to if I had been diagnosed with the illness. Again, this is probably the opposite of what the health care system would recommend.

I wonder what the cost analysis would be if we calculated my time off work, the cost of the supply, my 5 visits to the doctor, my two chest x-rays to check on the pneumonia, and the 6 rounds of medication I've been on? I'm willing to bet I cost the province (and myself) far more being off work for so long, than I would have if I'd just gone to the hospital.

I thought that this debacle of medical care should be brought to the attention of an elected official. Since you have been so helpful to my parents over the years, and do not ask people visiting your website to comment on the current government, I thought you would be the better option, than my own MPP.

Thank you,

Me