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Does anybody have gnawing stomach pain just above bellybutton?
Digestive Health | Last Active: Apr 14 3:50pm | Replies (38)Comment receiving replies
@loribmt I am in Canada so on a government health plan. Doctors will not order any test the government will not pay for. And the primary physician decides whether you need to see a specialist for further testing - we cannot ask for investigational testing. Even if the doctor orders, say, an MRI if the MRI technologist decides the MRI is not necessary based on results of a CT scan you cannot get that MRI. I have asked my doctor for an MRI after ultrasounds and CT scan did not reveal cause of the pain in my upper right quadrant, as well as the mysterious bulge I have had for years on my lower right side just above my hip bone but the radiologist has deemed an MRI unnecessary. Everything really boils down to what the government plan (in the case of Ontario, the OHIP plan) will approve or disapprove.
Replies to "@loribmt I am in Canada so on a government health plan. Doctors will not order any..."
Yep sounds just like it is here in Sweden! Luckily I had to sell my apartment this fall and move in with mom because of the rising cost of living and the fact that my mortgage would tripple. So there was some money left over and I could order an out of pocket mri on brain and abdomen for 2500 us dollars. I opted out of contrast though because I'm afraid of it but maybe my next brain scan will have to with contrast. We do have clinics for mris and colonoskopys etc that you can pay for. Health care really sucks here. Primary doctors decide everything!
We have good hospitals in Stockholm and good research in Sweden but ordinary people never benefits because primary docs don't give referrals.
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@loribmt which specialist does one have to see to investigate a blocked celiac artery? A year ago I was referred to a gastroenterologist who tested me for celiac disease and nothing showed up with that test. Can’t remember if it was a blood or stool test.