I decided tonight to ask google what the average length of time from initial pain to full diagnosis and it turns out it is SIXTY DAYs…
SIXTY DAYS?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!
My first problem with gallbladder occurred at basic training at St. Jean-sur-Richielieu, in mid-October, 2010. Over the next 200 appointments roughly, at least 23 doctors within the Canadian Forces saw me. Two of these doctors continued to be my doctors after I retired in December 2012.
I saw these two doctors specifically a minimum of 120 office visits between April 2011 when I was posted to North Bay until November 2019 when I left for Mexico on a six-month trip to see if my pain condition improved in winter months.
These two doctors are Dr. D and Dr R.
At a minimum of 90% of those 120+ office visits, I constantly complained about pain in my stomach. Once? I even asked Dr R as they probed where I now sport a seven-inch scar, “Could it be my gallbladder?”
Their response? “I don’t think so.”
Under their care, I suffered from a one-inch gallstone for 102 months and 22 days…. that is 100 months and 22 days longer, than the average.
In total from October 2010 until June 2021 when I could finally get a diagnosis and surgery in a foreign country during COVID in a sub-standard surgical facility at a cost to me for 10 000$…. for me in the END???? It was a total of 128 months. I suffered 126 months longer than the average. I suffered 24/7, 365 for all that time.
WHY AM I BITTER?! WHY AM I ANGRY? You tell me…
The surgeon in Guadalajara gave me my stone to give back to you, Dr R. You specifically, dropped the ball on this one. You caused me to lose any chances of a decent life. I wanted children. How could I have a child while suffering like this? You delayed my treatment. You caused me to ROT inside my body! You destroyed my life.
The surgeon said there are still issues in there…. but I cannot take any doctor seriously anymore because the last two that I trusted my life with???? YOU NEARLY KILLED ME! How dare you!?! And to refuse even one phone call to discuss this with me over the phone like a pair of adults?
I have no energy to fight this anymore. You’re in the clear. You got away with forcing me to kill myself in the future. You have all my medical files. I cannot even access MAiD because you have them. I do not have a doctor to transfer them to. So that means, I cannot prove I am ill. Which means, no MAiD for me.
I will now have to choose my own time and whatever little wee bit of dignity I had left in me? Thank you for that. Seriously. Thank you.
60 days to diagnose a gallstone on average and you STILL feckin’ missed it after 102 months and 22 days.
You tortured me…. YOU ABSOLUTELY TORTURED ME!!!
I suffered 128 months…. that is roughly 3896 days I suffered from a one-inch gallstone embedded in my bile duct…. it wasn’t in my head, you bloody gaslighters….
I deserve a face-to-face apology.