U Calgary

AKIC (Acute Knee Injury Clinic) U Calgary - ACL tear follow up - appt 2

May 16 cont...
10:45

2nd AKIC U Calgary appointment (Finally)
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Wait Time has been 57 days so far,

19 days behind actual scan completion
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follow up to go over April 27 MRI results

Again, I feel reluctance to work with me, in only 2nd appointment.  When I bring up ligamys doctor does not seem familiar with it and can't answer questions.  I ask if he read the emails I sent with the information and am told they were not read.
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I inform him the surgeon responded I may be an ideal candidate for InternalBrace and am told “We don’t do that here.”  Concerned the help that could be offered on this will not be provided I said “I just need you to support which ever surgeon I end up working with by helping me get him the information he needs.” I do this to ensure consensus is established on how we’re going to proceed with expectations & responsibilities as I don’t know what may be required.
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I told him I’d send the medical journal on Internal Brace to share & discuss with the surgeons so they know what I was referring to and how they can provide this option.
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At this point I’m perplexed why they don’t know about this and am having some doubts about the Canadian Healthcare system.

20180516 13 46 IBLA info for Can surgeons.JPG

1:46pm

I send the AKIC sportsmed doctor at U Calgary information on internal brace to share with the surgeons he had yet to tell me a name of, as I’ve lost faith they’re offering current practices however I don’t see why they wouldn’t be interested in learning practices with better patient outcomes.   https://www.arthrex.com/what-surgeons-are-talking-about/131FD01B-7B44-491D-B5F7-015A9474A65E

2016 article on AHS from the Calgary Herald on MRI wait times increase in Calgary – how many of these could be understood by the work from my Aug 12 post:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/ahs-seeks-answers-to-the-reasons-behind-lengthy-calgary-mri-waiting-lists/amp?source=images

20180516 1 post from 20180319 pineapple.jpg

Still eating fresh pineapple for bromelain, found in every part of the pineapple, but most plentiful in the stem.  Seems the clot isn’t a concern anymore;  pineapple enzyme is supposed to help break up existing clots and prevent future ones from forming.  I usually blend it into a smoothie.

knee Brace May 1-4, 2018

20180504 Össur knee brace GII rehab (3).jpg

While all this has been going on, I haven’t missed a day of work & continue adapting to function.  There’s a noticeable difference in the way people look at me with a disability – in public I find they spend more time looking at me, perhaps trying to figure what’s different.  Perhaps we all blend in until a disability is visible which catches people’s attention and they try to figure it out.  One benefit is this will deepen my empathy.

People have also been helpful opening doors when they notice this which I’m thankful for. 

 

May 1, 2018

While on the call, the doctor recommended I wear a brace for this injury – which I think is funny, as apparently I haven’t needed one for the last 45 days since it happened I’ve been waiting for diagnosis.  He recommends getting one at Colman Prosthetics & Orthotics.  So I contact them and they say I need to provide them a prescription.

 

May 2, 2018

I call the doctor’s office and request he write a prescription for the knee brace he recommended.

 

May 3, 2018

I pick up the prescription from AKIC at the University of Calgary and drop it Colman Prosthetics

 

20180504 Össur knee brace GII rehab (7).jpg

May 4, 2018

Get fitted for an Ossur GII Rehab knee brace.

Found these instructions online, hopefully they help someone:

20180504 Össur knee brace GII rehab (6).jpg

A lot of running around over 4 days that would be quickly identified and addressed through lean healthcare, saving time for the patient, doctor & prosthetic supplier.  Let’s start

 

20180504 BEAR Trial emails 2.JPG

I also sent an inquiry to the BEAR Trial team on how this can be available in Canada (see pic).

They responded it is still in research phase, so I asked how to get it into research phase in Canada as well.

20180504 BEAR Trial emails 3.JPG

I followed this with a request for the BEAR III Trial criteria & details, as I learned the 100 BEAR Trial 2 outcomes were so strong a further round of 100 is proceeding with surgery to save ACLs.