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Pain clinic rigamarole too much

I was so upset that I cancelled the process. What a waste of time.
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Pain clinic rigamarole too much

I feel I have to vent my frustration regarding the pain clinics in Victoria and Nanaimo.

After my surgeon reviewed the last MRI, he determined that the discs in my lower back were so bad that he would not even know where to start. At my age, I had already decided not to have back surgery. We chose to try cortisone shots instead but with no guarantee of it working.

This put me on the path to be seen by the pain clinic. After over eight months I contacted them to see if they still had me slated for the procedure. Apparently I was near the top of the list and would be called in for a consult. What? This involves travelling to the clinic and having to see a power point presentation on how to manage pain. Really? What have I been forced to do all this time on my own? Not only that, after this is done, you get to be put on another list and who knows how long that one is. I was so upset that I cancelled the process. What a waste of time. I will just keep on taking over the counter pain meds.

I wrote the minister about all this debacle and received the same old government speak. Nothing can be done to change the system. That’s just the way it is.

The clinic would have access to my MRIs, the surgeon’s report and information from my family doctor yet this is not good enough for them. Whoever set this cockamamie system up obviously does not have any health issues and has no idea what people have to put up with. How many are going through this same insanity?

This all so much B.S.

Ed Aiken

Cobble Hill