A Sherbrooke woman who has been waiting for a hysterectomy for almost two years feels completely forgotten by the healthcare system and has to pay for several months of medication with serious side effects.
• Also read: “It doesn’t work”: The wait for surgery is getting longer and longer, even though the state has funded 110,000 private surgeries
“I’m on the list we’ll never reach […] I feel forgotten,” laments Karine Beaudoin, a 45-year-old elementary school teacher.
She suffers from uterine fibroids, tumors that form in the uterus and cause pain and heavy bleeding. “It makes my stomach swell, my doctor thought I was pregnant when he first saw me,” she adds.
Removing your uterus is the only way to prevent the painful lumps from returning. An operation that she has been waiting for since June 2022. The wait was supposed to last six months.
“I called every month [à l’hôpital à Sherbrooke]but in January I was told not to call back until March, that it wasn't worth it,” emphasizes Ms. Beaudoin.
Almost 10,000 people like her are waiting for gynecological surgery in Quebec. Although the province's list is growing, the number of patients waiting more than a year has dropped from more than 22,000 to fewer than 14,000 since 2022.
His case is not a priority. However, the consequences for Ms. Beaudoin's body and self-esteem are severe.
Drugs valued at $1,500
She estimates she had to pay at least $1,500 for the leuprolide injections she must receive each month because her group plan doesn't cover the entire cost. The drug triggers a chemical menopause to curb her illness.
In addition to the inconveniences that come with menopause, she also has side effects, such as pain in her legs so severe that she once had to stop while driving and extreme fatigue.
After losing her primary care doctor last year, she also worries about the lack of follow-up care and the long-term effects of the medication she has been taking for nearly two years.
No vacation
Because of her bloated stomach, she had to buy new clothes. “This creates a certain level of discomfort,” the teacher admits. She also doesn't plan any vacations in case the unexpected call finally comes.
“And I can’t go private even if I could save the money,” she says, since the hysterectomy is not a day operation.
“I’m an impatient patient,” she concludes reluctantly.
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