The Canadian Press/Eric DregerDr. Alison Bested poses for a portrait in her office at the BC Women's Hospital in Vancouver where she is starting a new chronic disease program, Friday March 15, 2013.
Canada’s first specialized clinic for patients with hard-to-treat chronic diseases has been flooded with phone calls and emails from prospective patients since it opened its doors this month.
The new clinic at B.C. Women’s Hospital focuses on research and treatment of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease.
More than 500 people have added their names to the wait list for the Complex Chronic Disease Program since March 4, the centre’s medical director, Dr. Alison Bested said.
They’ve had to implement a triage system to prioritize the most urgent cases.
These particular diseases were chosen because they display overlapping symptoms and have been historically difficult to diagnose, Bested said.
“These are described often in medical terms as the medically-abandoned illnesses,” Bested said, because doctors often treated isolated symptoms, instead of identifying the root disease.
The new program will take a holistic approach ­­­­­­­– encompassing diagnosis, treatment, physiotherapy, coordination with family doctors, and support groups for patients and their families.
The clinic was first announced two years ago, with $2 million in provincial government funding.
Gwen Barlee, who has Lyme disease, said she isn’t surprised the clinic is attracting so much attention, but remains only “cautiously optimistic.”
“We’ve had so many years of not being treated, so many years of delays and so many years of being dismissed,” she said. “I think people are afraid to get their hopes up.”
Barlee said doctors in B.C. are often reluctant to definitively attribute symptoms to Lyme disease.
Barlee’s illness is currently in remission but she’s still involved with a support group for those who have it.
She said she plans to apply to the clinic after more serious cases are dealt with.