Winnipeg Cysters

rosettagirl · 07-29-2007, 01:35 AM

I am thinking of moving to Winnipeg and wanted to ask about your experiences with doctors. I have heard some not so great things about the medical profession in Manitobia and wanted to get some opinions. Does anyone have any problems getting referals to specialists? Problems with their family doctors not going ahead and doing testing?

My mom has lived there for 12 years and I have heard some really bad stuff from her about the doctors. I just want to make sure I can get a doctor who will take my PCOS and other medical issues seriously.

Thanks!

Canadian Kokopelli · 07-29-2007, 02:00 AM

I don't have a problem at all with getting referals or treatment here. The only tough part is that none of the GPs know anything about PCOS (which I think is generally pretty common across the country).

rosettagirl · 08-02-2007, 10:20 PM

Thanks so much! My mom must just have a really crappy doctor. He won't even test her thyroid levels and she takes medication for her thyroid! Before she started her meds she was tired and sleeping all the time, zero energy...classic symptoms. She had to beg him to even check her thyroid. Some people should not be doctors. She tried to go to another doctor but was told that if she has one no one else will take her. Have you ever heard of such a thing in Winnipeg?

Canadian Kokopelli · 08-04-2007, 12:54 AM

No, generally what happens here is that if you have a doctor at a specific clinic, no other doctors in that clinic will take you on until you expire as the other doctor's patient.

rosettagirl · 08-06-2007, 12:09 PM

You can expire as a patient?! I have never heard of that before! Here we do a meet/greet with a new doctor for the first appointment (at least I always have). You can decide whether you want to stay with them or not after that visit. Do you have that option too? Sometimes you just don't click with the doctor once you have met them.

sara_kh · 08-06-2007, 04:51 PM

Hi
I was about to move to Winnipeg as well in a matter of 2-3 months and my biggest worry is that if i will find a good doctor there or not?
Do u know of any such doc or have u been referred to any ?

rosettagirl · 08-06-2007, 08:59 PM

Hi sara_kh,

No, I haven't been referred to anyone yet. I don't even know when I am moving yet! I was just visiting my mom there a few weeks ago and decided that I really like it there. It is a big change because I have lived in Ontario my entire life! What is making you move there?

one-hit_wonder · 08-07-2007, 01:19 AM

Hi!

What a coincidence - albeit backward - I am from Winnipeg and just moved to Ontario today.

I haven't had the best experiences with Winnipeg doctors. For instance, despite my numerous treks to different family physicians, I didn't get a PCOS dx for years and years. Then, when I started to take the PCOS thing seriously, ALL doctors I went to refused to order a fasting glucose test for me, so I don't even know if I'm insulin resistant. NOBODY will order that test, and no one will explain to me why. I'm thinking about going to the U.S. and just paying to get it done.

Additionally, in terms of specialists: I didn't have difficulty being referred to one for my back pain (unrelated to PCOS), but it was a bugger to get a referral to the city's infertility clinic. I had to wait for about a year for my doctor to even take me seriously about the baby-making business. And then, after the referral, I had to wait about five months to finally get in to see the doctor. He's been pretty good, except for the laparoscopy surgery I just had, which was cancelled 4 or 5 times, always at the last minute, before they finally got it done.

Oh, I am 'in line' to see a sleep specialist . . . the wait, I've been told, is about seven years.

As well, it is quite difficult to obtain a family physician. There's a shortage of those in Winnipeg. If you can't find one, you'd have an easier time if you looked in a rural area around Wpg, like Winkler, Steinbach, Altona, etc.

Hope that helps. Three cheers for Medicare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosettagirl

I am thinking of moving to Winnipeg and wanted to ask about your experiences with doctors. I have heard some not so great things about the medical profession in Manitobia and wanted to get some opinions. Does anyone have any problems getting referals to specialists? Problems with their family doctors not going ahead and doing testing?

My mom has lived there for 12 years and I have heard some really bad stuff from her about the doctors. I just want to make sure I can get a doctor who will take my PCOS and other medical issues seriously.

Thanks!

sara_kh · 08-07-2007, 05:53 AM

@ rosettagirl ... My family is migrating to winnipeg..currently we r living in the UAE (middle east) and we will b moving there pretty soon..and I am already scared as wht appears is that there r no good doc's there

@one-hit wonder ..
You have already scared me :p lol.. for many yrs my doc didnt know wht is wrong with me and still doesnt know and wont even consider wht i have to say to her..so i am already at a stage where i am not getting any help and above tht if i move to winnipeg I think i wont get help at all

its just so frustrating

rosettagirl · 08-07-2007, 08:40 PM

one-hit_wonder--That is a coincidence! What you are saying sounds a lot like what my mom said to me. I have a great family doctor right now who is very helpful with my PCOS. I guess the positive for me is that I do have a DX and medication already. I would just hate to end up with a crappy doctor who won't take me seriously. I never take the health care in Ontario for granted (I do work for a hospital lol!)

You don't have to go to the States for a fasting blood sugar...you should be able to get that done in Ontario without any problems. I have had many of those done!

Thanks for the information. And welcome to the humidity of Ontario! You may miss the dry heat of Winnipeg pretty soon! What made you decide to move?

sara_kh- it took me many years to get diagnosed. Only after I had changed doctors and told her about my hair falling out did I get diagnosed (based on other symptoms as well). At that time there was no talk about Insulin resistance so I only started medication for that about 6 months ago. Bring a list to your doctor with your symptons and don't take no for an answer. We have to be our own best advocates...no one else will do it for us and unfortunately doctors don't know enough about PCOS.

Have a great night!

one-hit_wonder · 08-07-2007, 11:51 PM

Hi again!

Well, at least you have a diagnosis! That's better than most. Maybe try the Markham Clinic for a doctor. It's in the southern part of the city on Pembina Highway (a major artery). The clinic has all female doctors who all seem to know about PCOS. I might also add that my observation that South African-trained doctors (of whom there are many in Manitoba) know more about PCOS than locally-trained doctors do.

Thanks for the info about blood sugar testing - I may try that again, then. I gave up in Manitoba after I tried 4 or 5 doctors.

Question: What's the best way to get a new family doctor (fast!) in Ontario? I'm in St. Catharines. I want to go to one ASAP to get a referral to a new infertility clinic (which I've been told will be Hamilton).

Ha ha about the dry heat of Winnipeg! No such thing! When we left, the temperature, with the humidity, was 54 degrees Celsius in dh's hometown. We moved because I'm doing my graduate degree at Brock. I'm really looking forward to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosettagirl

one-hit_wonder--That is a coincidence! What you are saying sounds a lot like what my mom said to me. I have a great family doctor right now who is very helpful with my PCOS. I guess the positive for me is that I do have a DX and medication already. I would just hate to end up with a crappy doctor who won't take me seriously. I never take the health care in Ontario for granted (I do work for a hospital lol!)

You don't have to go to the States for a fasting blood sugar...you should be able to get that done in Ontario without any problems. I have had many of those done!

Thanks for the information. And welcome to the humidity of Ontario! You may miss the dry heat of Winnipeg pretty soon! What made you decide to move?

one-hit_wonder · 08-07-2007, 11:55 PM

Hi Sara!

Don't be too worried. If your doctor in the UAE is not taking you seriously already, it can't get worse in Winnipeg, and it might just get better. See my previous post about Markham Clinic - maybe try that place, too. And if you do find that you're not happy with your doctor, just keep looking for another one.

Just curious - what draws your family to Winnipeg? Do they know how cold it gets there in the winter? lol

Quote:

Originally Posted by sara_kh

@one-hit wonder ..
You have already scared me :p lol.. for many yrs my doc didnt know wht is wrong with me and still doesnt know and wont even consider wht i have to say to her..so i am already at a stage where i am not getting any help and above tht if i move to winnipeg I think i wont get help at all

its just so frustrating

sara_kh · 08-08-2007, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosettagirl

one-hit_wonder--That is a coincidence!

sara_kh- it took me many years to get diagnosed. Only after I had changed doctors and told her about my hair falling out did I get diagnosed (based on other symptoms as well). At that time there was no talk about Insulin resistance so I only started medication for that about 6 months ago. Bring a list to your doctor with your symptons and don't take no for an answer. We have to be our own best advocates...no one else will do it for us and unfortunately doctors don't know enough about PCOS.

Have a great night!

yeah even now its me who is bugging the doc's all over the place lol

I want to know one thing..I dont wht is insulin resistance and how it is related to PCOS and how might i see its effect?
My doc the other day gave me a test for it and ive to fast for it..i still havent given blood test yet but i wanted to know before hand wht it is and how it might effect PCOS ?

sara_kh · 08-08-2007, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by one-hit_wonder

Hi Sara!

Don't be too worried. If your doctor in the UAE is not taking you seriously already, it can't get worse in Winnipeg, and it might just get better. See my previous post about Markham Clinic - maybe try that place, too. And if you do find that you're not happy with your doctor, just keep looking for another one.

Just curious - what draws your family to Winnipeg? Do they know how cold it gets there in the winter? lol

lol
is this markham clinic in winnipeg ?
this is my first time i'll b ever to canada so i dont even know abt the places
yes ppl r scaring us of the weather already lol

but i think since its our first time we will spend the winters mostly inside the house ..
we r moving under an immigration program so we have no choice of our own as to when to move there
but i would want to know the address of the clinic before hand

so i'll let u know when i leave for winnipeg

one-hit_wonder · 08-08-2007, 02:11 PM

Sara:

From what I understand, insulin resistance is sort of the opposite of diabetes. Instead of not enough insulin, our bodies make too much, and the results throw our bodies out of whack. Here's a link for an explanation of the role of insulin resistance (IR) in PCOS:http://www.dreamababy.com/pcos-insulin.htm.

I have found that eating well (e.g., low carb, high protein, low fat diet, with lots of fresh garden produce and water) and exercise have worked wonders for me; I am now nearly symptom-free. (I can't get pregnant, but my cycles are getting closer and closer to normal, and I do ovulate.) As well, many PCOS'ers are put on Metformin, a diabetic drug, to control insulin resistance. I'm on Metformin, and it does help to regulate my cycles. It's also curbed my cravings for junk food, which is a bonus.

As far as Markham goes, I believe the address is 2140 Pembina Highway. I had Dr. H, and she was usually pretty good. She's the one who diagnosed my PCOS. I've had one of the other doctors there, too, and she was really good.

Do let me know when you move - I can answer any questions you might have, although I'm currently in Ontario. I'm not originally from Winnipeg - I'm from a rural town in Manitoba - but I lived in Wpg for about 10 years, and I went to university and worked there. It's a great city, with a thriving arts community, lots of sports, and friendly people who like to all complain about the weather together. Just so you know: The downtown core area is rundown in spots, and there is some criminal activity (at night - it's safe during the day). I'm telling you this because officials like to stick immigrants downtown because it's cheap to live there, but it's not good for kids and the elderly, in my opinion. I lived downtown, and there was nothing but hassles all the time (nothing super-serious, just stuff like stolen vehicles, etc.). However, on the other hand, the downtown is vibrant, and very multicultural.

Hope that helps! Pm me if you want any more information.