moving back to toronto -- what can I expect?

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computermouse
computermouse Member Posts: 16
edited June 2014 in Canadians Affected by Breast Cancer

Hi Canadians!

I have been living in the U.S. for a long time and finally decided to move back to Toronto. I'm excited but also am having some uncertainty about what kind of medical climate to expect. I am stage one, good prognosis, finished up all surgeries and chemo last year, but am still on tamox and am coping with lymphedema.

I have excellent health insurance and live in New York, so I'm used to getting MRIs, doctors' appointments, etc. right away -- same day if I have a scare. I know I can't expect the same kind of service anywhere else, and that it's not necessary, but am starting to get nervous about what to expect in TO. (What brought this on is that it looks like my dad has melanoma of the eye and it took him a month to get an appointment with an oncologist.)

 Can any Toronto ladies talk me through what to expect? How long does it take to get an appt with your onc if you're feeling some weird symtoms? Do you have to pay for lymphedema treatments? Are you reasonably satisfied with the care? Can you switch oncs or go for a second opinion easily enough? Thanks so much for any advice!

CM 

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  • timerdog
    timerdog Member Posts: 159
    edited July 2011

    The average wait time is between 4-6 weeks to see a specialist in Toronto. I have heard that other provinces are much worse. I was DX on December 17th and waited until the end of January to see a cancer specialist. I then saw my onc in March. Horrible wait time in my opinion.

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  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited July 2011

    Hi CM. First, welcome back to Toronto



    I feel I am getting top quality care here. I had all my treatments at Sunnybrook. I never had to wait to see the onc. I have a medical oncologist as well as a radiation oncologist. I no longer see the surgeon regularly because I've had the bm. But before that I was seeing her regularly. I alternate between them. I also see a dermatologist there because of my BRCA+. I go to the lymphedemaclinic at Sunnybrook and they have been great. OHIP covers all of this. I do go for lymphatic drain massage and while I pay for it, most of the treatments are covered by my supplemental insurance. The compression sleeves are mostly covered by the Ontario government and my supplemental insurance pays the rest



    I have the option of selecting my hospital, my doctor etc. If I wanted to change I could do that as well



    I don't know anyone who had to wait a full month to get in to see an oncologist so that is news to me.

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  • computermouse
    computermouse Member Posts: 16
    edited July 2011

    Whoa nelly, you waited more than a month to see a breast surgeon after receiving your diagnosis? That makes me very uneasy. Was this in Toronto, or up in Parry Sound? I just assumed what happened to my dad was because he's elderly and not really able to speak up for himself.

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  • computermouse
    computermouse Member Posts: 16
    edited July 2011

    thanks hrf...that's very reassuring to hear! how does supplemental insurance work? I've been in the US so long the first thing I thought was that nobody would ever give me insurance with my medical history....but maybe I've been in the states too long!

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  • bluedahlia
    bluedahlia Member Posts: 6,944
    edited July 2011

    I was diagnosed in early October 2006.  By Jan 3rd of 2007 I had my lumpectomy, all my scans (ordered by my onc.) and finished radiation (5 weeks).

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  • computermouse
    computermouse Member Posts: 16
    edited July 2011

    thanks -- good to hear!

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  • michelleo13
    michelleo13 Member Posts: 342
    edited July 2011

    I'm in Kitchener and I can honestly say I've had great care and the wait times have been tolerable.

    I had a "suspicious" mammo and u/s on June 10. I had a core needle biopsy on June 23, and final diagnosis by June 28. Surgery (lumpectomy, sentinel node biopsy, and axillary node dissection) was done on July 6. Saw the radiation onc on July 25 and seeing the medical onc tomorrow.

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  • computermouse
    computermouse Member Posts: 16
    edited July 2011

    kitchener....i remember kitchener....great town! good luck to you, and thanks....

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  • Binney4
    Binney4 Member Posts: 8,609
    edited July 2011

    c-mouse, here are some websites that might help with finding lymphedema resources. Ontario is one of the better Provinces for lymphedema care, thanks to the advocates at LymphOntario.

    Canadian Partners in Lymphedema
    http://lymphontario.org

    Lymphovenous Canada
    http://www.lymphovenous-canada.ca

    Hope your dad and you both find great providers and all the resources you need. Be well!
    Binney
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  • hrf
    hrf Member Posts: 3,225
    edited July 2011

    I have my supplemental insurance through work. However, I believe it is possible to arrange on an individual basis. I don't think they deny if there are pre-existing but maybe someon else can help with this. All your medical/hospital/doctor expenses are covered through our health care system. Any medications not administered at the hospital you pay yourself unless you have the supplemental insurance. For both my dx, it was about 6 weeks from finding a lump to surgery. During this 6 weeks, I saw med once, surgeon, rad once, x-rays, bone scan, CT, pre-op etc - all the staging was done. The first appointment with med onc was never more than a few days following suspicious finding. Sunnybrook is now establishing a new breast cancer clinic that will provide dx in one day which means treatment will start sooner.

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  • jennylyn
    jennylyn Member Posts: 6
    edited July 2011

    Hi,

    I've had the most amazing care at Sunnybrook - appts. and tests when I need them. Yes, there can be some wait time, but never when it's urgent. I was diagnosed on April 30 and had my surgery May 11 - with two weekends in between! They are also strong believers in MRIs for young women.

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  • timerdog
    timerdog Member Posts: 159
    edited July 2011

    My experience with hospitals in Ontario has not been good. In Parry Sound the general surgeon took 18 CLEAR nodes, even though I had the SNB dye injected and BEGGED him not to take all the nodes. He is 80 and very old school. However, I just had a TE placed and my PS said he did a great job on the MX. Guess he has all the experience. I found Scarsbough ( sp ) General Hospital to be very old but the staff are wonderful! My PS is Dr. Sarah Wong and it took only about 4 months to get the TE placed, saw here in April and got the TE yesterday. I thought that was pretty good.

    I am not a priority patient it seems, maybe that's a good thing.

    I was treated in Sudbury and have heard great things about Sunnybrook only the wait time for ME in SB was months.

    Currently I am getting on a clinical trial so I can at least get some monitoring.

    NO MRI, scans or even blood test for me so far. 

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  • 208sandy
    208sandy Member Posts: 2,610
    edited July 2011

    I moved back to Canada (Burlington) a year and a half ago from 25 years in the States - I was seen by doctors within days of my arriving - as soon as I made the appointments in fact - you will have to wait 90 days for OHIP to cover you but in the interim my doctors billed me at the lowest rate possible (my hairdresser charges more) - I even had a visiting nurse service come in to flush my port two times - Burlington is 60 miles away from TO but Hamilton is close by and the onc I have works at Juravinsky in Hamilton and comes to Burlington for appointments every week - my BFF was treated (and is in a study) at Sunnybrook and is also NED after 8 years - Princess Margaret is also in TO and is one of the finest cancer hospitals in the world so TO is indeed a great place to be - sorry about your Dad (I suspect you're right that he isn't speaking up for himself so is getting the run around) - I know that treatment and appointments are uneven throughout the country but in this area things are fine as far as I can see.  Welcome home!

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