'Slowly starving to death': Sask. woman waiting to see gastroenterologist says she can't eat
A Yorkton woman said she has run out of options after hearing it will take up to a year to see a gastroenterologist in Saskatchewan.
After experiencing a hiatal hernia back in August, Cherise Trott received surgery to put her stomach back in place while also having her gallbladder removed.
Since then, Trott said she has been experiencing extreme pain.
“I can't live like this for another year, I can’t," Trott said tearfully.
"I feel like I'm slowly starving to death, I can't eat. Almost everything I eat comes up, everything, either that or it doesn't reach my stomach, it sits in my esophagus right here."
Although Trott was told gastrointestinal symptoms would occur three to five months after the surgery, she said the pain continued to increase.
Based on her family doctor’s recommendation, Trott reached out to a gastroenterology clinic for help, but was told the waiting period could be up to a year long.
Cherise Trott, left, said it will take up to a year to see a gastroenterologist in Saskatchewan. (Sierra D'Souza Butts / CTV News)
"From surgery, they told me that it would be a three to five month recovery time, but I'm getting worse by the week,” Trott said.
“Every single time I eat, about half an hour to about an hour, sometimes it’s immediately, I get these sharp pains through my ribcage. It almost feels like I’m having a heart attack, I lay in fetal position waiting for it to go away because nothing makes it better.”
A letter from her doctor states that Trott is, “Suffering from significant gastrointestinal symptoms which failed to improve despite surgeries and medical therapy.”
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health told CTV News that as of January 2024, the average wait time to see a gastroenterologist is 143 days as there are 18 specialists across the province.
In a statement, the ministry said that “physicians own and operate their clinics as independent businesses and are responsible for assessing/prioritizing their patient’s needs and treatment options."
Trott explained that she is not able to eat anything and is not sure how much longer she can live in her current condition.
"I'm a huge foodie. I love food, I love cooking for people, everyone loves my cooking so not being able to enjoy that anymore is really hard,” she said while wiping tears from her eyes.
“My existence is really hard."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Most of the city is evacuating': Gridlock on Alberta highway after evacuation order in Fort McMurray
Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods were ordered to evacuate on Tuesday as a wildfire gets closer to the city.
Sask. police seize 1.5M pieces of evidence, lay 60 more charges in child exploitation case
Saskatchewan RCMP have revealed that a historic sexual assault investigation has led to the discovery of alleged crimes against children dating back to 2005.
'Inappropriate' behaviour shuts down Dublin to New York City portal
Less than a week after two public sculptures featuring a livestream between Dublin, Ireland, and New York City debuted, 'inappropriate behaviour' in real-time interactions between people in the two cities has prompted a temporary shutdown.
Bouchard scores late to lift Oilers over Canucks, tie series
After a final frame that saw the visiting Vancouver Canucks claw their way back and tie the game late, a point shot by Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard with 38 seconds left (until what seemed like certain overtime) iced the 3-2 victory for Edmonton to knot the series.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, working women in commencement speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed against Pride month, working women, President Biden's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and abortion during a commencement address at Benedictine College last weekend.
King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation
King Charles III has unveiled the first portrait of the monarch completed since he assumed the throne, a vivid image that depicts him in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a background of similar hues.
Full List Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Alberta announces the 4 health agencies that will replace AHS later this year
The province has released more information on its plan to break up Alberta Health Services and replace it with four sector-based health agencies.
Biden administration moving ahead on US$1 billion arms package for Israel, AP sources say
The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a new package of more than US$1 billion in arms and ammunition to Israel, two congressional aides said Tuesday.