A Sherbrooke woman who has been waiting for a hysterectomy for almost two years feels completely forgotten by the health system, forcing her to pay for medications with serious side effects for several months.
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“I’m on the list that we never reach […] I feel forgotten,” laments Karine Beaudoin, a 45-year-old primary school teacher.
She suffers from uterine fibroids, masses that develop in the uterus causing pain and heavy bleeding. “It makes your stomach swell, my doctor thought I was pregnant the first time he saw me,” she adds.
Removing your uterus is the only way to prevent the painful lumps from returning. An operation that she has now been waiting for since June 2022. The wait was supposed to take 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,” underlines Mme Beaudoin.
Nearly 10,000 people like her are waiting for a gynecology operation in Quebec. Although the list is growing in the province, the number of patients waiting for more than a year has decreased, from more than 22,000 to less than 14,000 since 2022.
His case is not a priority. However, the consequences are serious on M’s body and self-esteem.me Beaudoin.
$1500 in medication
She estimates that she had to pay at least $1,500 for the leuprolide injections that she must have each month, as her group plan does not cover the entire cost. The drug induces chemical menopause in an attempt to limit her illness.
In addition to the inconveniences associated with menopause, she also experiences side effects, such as leg pain so severe that she once had to stop while driving, and a lot of fatigue.
Having lost her family doctor in the last year, she is also worried about having no follow-up and the long-term effects of the medication she has been taking for almost two years.
No vacation
With her bloated belly, she had to buy new clothes. “There is some discomfort because of that,” admits the teacher. She also doesn’t plan any vacations, in case the unexpected call finally comes.
“And I can’t go private, even if I were able to save the money,” she says, since hysterectomy is not a day surgery.
“I’m an impatient patient,” she sums up reluctantly.