Welcome to the Forum from the East Coast of Canada. I'm from New Brunswick, and I have been fighting for three years - it took me 19 months from the onset of pain to get a diagnostic laparoscopy done to find that I have dense adhesions connecting the bowel to the omentum and other parts, and I've been 17 months since then trying to get adequate pain relief or further surgery.
I'm sorry to say that I can't give you any good advice about dealing with the Canadian medicare system for this problem. I've been sent for ultrasounds, numerous internals and pap smears, a cystoscopy, barium enema, and for a mental health assessment before I finally got a gynecologist in Fredericton to agree to do the lap looking for endometriosis. After a diagnosis of adhesions, I then had to turn cartwheels practically to get my family doctor to give me anything for pain control, and it doesn't work. She refuses to give me anything stronger than codeine until I see the pain management unit, which will not happen until sometime in 2002. I can no longer depend on my legs because the adhesions are affecting the nerves and circulation and causing numbness. I am 42, using a cane.
Janet gave you good advice - educate yourself on adhesions. The IAS website is a gold mine of information. Please read the stories on the Adhesions Quilt and add yours. The quilt can be sorted by location, which makes it easy to locate others in Canada who are also fighting our wonderful free medical system.
Feel free to e-mail me if you like, or post any questions or comments you might have. This is a great place to vent about anything, because anyone who reads the forum knows what you are trying to deal with.
Nancy in NB
ICQ #9683431