Health Committee on Nov. 20th, 2018

[Stacey Livitski]

Not even now.

In Thunder Bay, we have one endocrinologist and that is it. He has already told me, “You know far more than I will ever know”. That is because I've been involved with Diabetes Canada, so I know the strategies that they've put out to the doctors, even though the doctors don't necessarily follow them. That's something that I can ask and I can expect my government to say to the doctors that there are guidelines that have been researched and set out and that they should be followed.

My husband is lucky that he has me in his life. He was adopted, so he does not know his family medical history. Even though the doctor was doing the tests, he never said anything to my husband. I watched his A1C, which is the blood test that they do to determine if you're a diabetic. I was watching his A1C level go up and up and up. I said to him, “Do you realize that, at this moment, you are sitting at a pre-diabetic level and if you don't get your act together, you're going to cross that?” His doctor never said anything, yet that number is in the guidelines and he was almost there.

I expect our health care professionals to actually be following those guidelines. They're there for a reason. Diabetes Canada does not put in hours and hours of work with leading specialists for that information to sit on the shelf, without being used to implement better care.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mrs. Livitski.

Ms. Lavergne, you told us your story and mentioned the high cost of drugs and access to treatment.

What exactly would you like to achieve? For you and other people with type 2 diabetes, what would be a viable treatment option?

[Charlene Lavergne]

In urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, people with type 2 diabetes have access to everything. That's where all the money goes. In Oshawa, I have access to nothing, and the same is true in Sudbury and Barrie. If you are not in a—

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

You said you have nothing. By that, do you mean that you have access to absolutely nothing? Don't Ontario's health care services support you?

[Charlene Lavergne]

There is absolutely nothing. As I said, it takes a year to be accepted by a clinic that treats everyone. It takes hours to get there. There are no doctors. If you don't organize yourself, you get sick.

I haven't been to the hospital in three years because I took my time and take care of myself, but many people don't and end up ignoring their situation.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Are you saying that there is no service to treat diabetes or, rather, no service for health problems in general?

[Charlene Lavergne]

There are no services for health problems in general.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

So people who don't have diabetes like you or other members of your family who need to see a doctor don't have access to one.

[Charlene Lavergne]

That's right.

My sister lives in Cobourg, and when she has to go to Oshawa to see a doctor there, she has to travel an hour and a half. It doesn't make sense.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Have you ever had a family doctor in your life?

[Charlene Lavergne]

I have a family doctor, but it takes two or three months to get an appointment.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Okay. There aren't any emergency appointments or anything like that.

[Charlene Lavergne]

No, there's nothing.

[Ramez Ayoub, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bill Casey]

Now we go to Ms. Gladu.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thanks to the witnesses for joining us today.

Ms. Livitski, how much does your treatment cost every year?

[Stacey Livitski]

That is a number that I am terrified to actually look at. This is sad that I have to admit that I am fortunate that my aunt passed away last year. I was maxed out on my credit card to pay for my continuous glucose monitor to keep me safe because I do not feel when my blood sugar goes low. Right now, I'm actually borrowing one from my health clinic because I have a nurse who does not follow procedure. I have a nurse who has been willing, many times, to get into trouble for my sake. She has gone against clinic policy to ensure that I get what I need because she cares.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

I heard that the glucose meters cost about $8,000. I think that was the number we heard in previous testimony.

Ms. Lavergne, you mentioned that it costs about $1,000 a month for your drugs.

[Charlene Lavergne]

Get ready for this. Because I'm such a wacko diabetic, I take probably 260 units of insulin per day, plus an enhancer, plus oral medication. Then you need your statins, and if you have an antibiotic, because we catch every bug going by, it's constant.

It's approximately $1,000. Test strips are $1.50 each and I use eight a day and that is with a lancet, which we have to pay for. Pen needles are $75 for 100.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

I took your point about the fact that...it just seems unusual to me. We pay for all these safe injection sites for drug addicts to get their needles for free. We give prisoners their needles for free—

[Charlene Lavergne]

And I can't.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

—but we have Canadians who are suffering with this disease, and honestly, if you don't control your disease you will end up having a much worse condition and taking advantage of really expensive services.

We heard testimony about the emergency room calls, 70,000 amputations—

[Charlene Lavergne]

Oh, I don't go to emerg.

[Marilyn Gladu, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

—and all of those things, yes.

[Stacey Livitski]

Amputations are huge, and where I am from we have some of the highest rates.