N.S. woman living with Crohn’s leaves province for colonoscopy due to long waits

A Nova Scotia woman who believed she needed a colonoscopy and couldn’t wait months on a list has left the province for the procedure.

For nearly two months, Crohn’s patient Amanda Rafuse suspected something was wrong.

"I’ve been bleeding, and having no bowel movements. That is not normal for anyone and when you have Crohn’s that’s not normal," she said.

As her gastrointestinal issues worsened, so did her worries.

Rafuse wanted a colonoscopy but says the office of the G.I. specialist she had for nearly 10 years told her in order to be seen, she would need another referral as her last appointment was more than a year ago.

She added getting in to see her family doctor would also take weeks.

During the first of her three trips to the emergency department this past month, she received an X-ray which showed there was no blockage but she still had concerns she wanted to rule out.

She said while admitted to the emergency department, she was told the wait for a colonoscopy could be four to six months or even a year.

This week she went back to emergency, but after waiting five hours in Halifax without being seen and then driving to Bridgewater to wait another five hours only to not be seen, she went home.

Fed up and in pain, she decided to fly to Montreal to a private clinic.

"I basically have to self-advocate, right, because I know that this is an issue and there’s something wrong so I know that I need it, I need it right now. I can’t wait six months because it could be something serious," Rafuse said.

She said the cost of the colonoscopy will be at least $1,600 plus the expenses that come with a flight and hotel.

She posted about her problem and the reaction from others revealed there are many more in similar situations.

"The system is broken," Rafuse said. "I feel like when I was in the ER the nurse made a comment that kind of stuck with me. She said, 'We used to be the last resort but now we’re the first resort.'"

Nova Scotia Health spokesperson Brendan Elliott said Nova Scotia Health empathizes with anyone seeking care for a chronic medical condition.

"We can’t comment on individual patient cases however, we want to reassure the public that urgent care continues to be available in Nova Scotia to those who need it," Elliott said. "We encourage the patient to be in touch with our patient relations service."

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Spokesperson Angie Specic said access to care in Nova Scotia has had a number of challenges, many of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of primary care clinicians.

"Access to primary care clinicians, urgent care, specialist care, as well as medical procedures and tests is clearly a challenge for many Nova Scotians," Specic said. "Unfortunately, colonoscopy is one of those procedures experiencing long wait times"

The Houston government campaigned on a promise to fix healthcare.

"I think the system is under incredible strain. I think our healthcare workers are under incredible strain as well,” said Nova Scotia’s Minister of Health and Wellness Michelle Thompson.

Thompson notes work is underway to streamline referrals.

"A single entry access point so that primary care providers have one place where you refer," she said.

The opposition has concerns about the government’s record on healthcare.

"When there was 60,000 people on the need the doctor registry, the premier said there’s a crisis. Now that there’s almost 120,000, we’ve almost doubled that amount, he’s saying the work they’re doing in healthcare is remarkable," said Zach Churchill, the leader of Nova Scotia’s Liberal Party.

"Every time you hear of a story of someone who paid to go and receive healthcare, what I think of are the hundreds of people who cannot afford to go receive healthcare," said Claudia Chender, the leader of Nova Scotia’s New Democratic Party.

Rafuse is scheduled to get her colonoscopy Friday morning in Montreal -- two days after she booked it.

Crohn’s and Colitis Canada commended the patient for raising awareness.