Are you affected by our doctor shortage?
According to a November 2017 article on CBC the doctor shortage amounts to 37,000 Nova Scotians without family doctors. Our family is about to join the ranks with four of us losing our doctor.
We were very fortunate when we left the metro area and moved to the rural town of Yarmouth. With a referral from my doctor, to a doctor he’d worked with in some capacity we had a doctor almost immediately after moving. I know people who went 4 years before finding a new doctor after their doctor’s practise closed.
Today we are faced with our doctor’s practise closing in two months, if he can’t find someone to take over his practise. Fortunately for our community our doctor is moving to another much needed position, at our ER. However, for people such as myself and my daughter who have chronic conditions or frequent health concerns… it just plain sucks.
What does someone needing regular and consistent care do?
It’s not such a big deal for people like my youngest who almost solely sees a doctor in the event of an emergency. But what does someone who needs regular and frequent care do? I’m fortunate to have a specialist who helps me attempt to manage my pain, but I need more than just pain management. And I need someone who is familiar with my history.
I’ve been trying to set myself up to be taking a well-rounded approach to my care. I’ve been reading books on many different approaches to chronic pain management. I see a physiotherapist and a massage therapist regularly. I’ve tried many other modalities and professionals for treatment.
I am attempting to track everything somehow. I use a lot of apps that cross-sync, so most of my data is available on my smartphone.
Not only do we have no choice about who we see, but we have not choice about IF we see someone
The challenge with reading and attempting alternate treatment, is that not all doctors support that. And with a doctor shortage, not only do we have no choice about who we see, but we have no choice about IF we see someone at this point.
If it were possible to see a doctor, nurse practitioner, or other medical professional on an ongoing basis privately, I believe I would. Unfortunately, of the alternate treatment modalities I’ve tried there is not one collaborative source for this that I can find.
I’m seriously considering getting my own wellness coach. Someone who can help me navigate all of this. It’s interesting that even when someone has the skill set to do so for someone else, it is still important to find a third party for ourselves.
Find a wellness coach and support community
If you are looking for someone who understands the challenges of navigating a complex medical and alternative medicine approach to treatment for your own health & wellbeing, contact me. I have done a lot of research and am aware of multiple sources for information and for support.
Want a place to chat with a coach and others in similar circumstances? Join our community.
I hope to see you there!
———
Drop me a note in the comments below, or connect with me on Twitter @ceilidhontherun, email me at ceilidho at ceilidhontherun dot com, or use my contact form!
I invite you to subscribe to my blog using one of the options available on my page (email, rss, Google Connect, like my page on Facebook, etc.)
If you enjoyed this post, please do like/share it. You can do so using the easy share button below!
