did you ever get any follow up

I assume as you say 'Refill' rather than 'Repeat' that you are American. With the NHS each prescription has a second page for you to ask for your next one usually in two months. There is also a future review date on them for when the doctor should review your medications.

done on the internet, i just tick a box to say i need the next lot.

there is a review date, bu ive never had it reviewed.

just to clarify in Uk prescriptions can be sent automatically and electronically to the pharmacy when ordered on the internet.

And they can be delivered free of charge to less mobile patients or ones laid low by their present illness. When we both had Flu we asked for our Tamiflu prescriptions to be delivered. They evidently didn't remove the note from my wife's records and her regular ones continue to be delivered. There are also on line pharmacies who send them by mail.

Hi Derek,

Wow, that's something. I am from Canada.

Here I can get medication usually for 60 days at the longest. In order to get more, I have to go see my gp.

Canada is really behind the times. But I guess by having to see my doctor every 60 days, that puts more revenue in his pocket

Could not do that here due to overpopulation and shortage of doctors. Some people have to wait weeks for an appointment. GP's are leaving the NHS and many are taking early retirement. Two of the four GP's at our practice are leaving this month so they will be down to two The two leaving are a non British married couple who job shared.

Our doctor said he was semi retired when we joined the practice 13 years ago now he runs it with an Iraqi who is a recent addition.

People line up outside in the morning waiting for it to open hoping to get a same day appointment. When the phone lines open it can take twenty calls to get through by which time there are none left. I use two phones calling each of their two numbers.

Gosh Derek, that is terrible.

Even though here in canada we have to wait a long time for specialists appointments, it certainly is not like that for our family doctor. I guess I will never complain about having to visit my gp every 60 days to get a prescription renewed

My doctor had been on holiday and was back yesterday. I started at 8.28 as they sometimes open the lines sharp. The first few on each phone were surgery not open and then the engaged tone and I got a reply on the 52 nd call on my mobile and probably another 20 odd on the land line and I got his last appointment of the day. Appointments are for ten minutes and for no more than two problems then he is looking at his watch. For a while he had an alarm on his watch.

He referred my wife for a neurology appointment in February after she had a strange incident where she went into a trance like state and came to being sick and he referred her for an urgent neurology (within two weeks appointment) She got a letter saying it would be an earlier if she accepted one in the next town and if she had not heard within a month to contact them. We are in our 80's and did not want the hassle of traveling so we made an appointment at the local private hospital at £250 pounds. She has still not had an NHS appointment offer and sadly and surprisingly our local long established private hospital has closed to become a fertility clinic only. Our private options are now in two other towns each about a fifty minute train ride away.

I had a cousin in Toronto and her husband had his prostate and heart surgery in Naples Florida where he said treatment was better during their three month 'snowbird' holidays.

i live in big town where we have 13 doctors in my local surgery, despite this they still had to close the list to new pstients. On average it takes 3 weeks to get apointment. Most apointment slots go on the day they are released, so if you miss thus it can be six weeks.

as previous poster said shortage of doctors and overpopulation.

Oh my goodness, I am sorry to hear how awful your conditions are are. Certainly not like that here.I can phone my family doctor (1X) and get through to a live person. Appointments are usually with in 1-3 days.Of course flu season with increases of sick people will extend that waiting time.

As mentioned it is the referrals to specialists that can take up to 6-8 months.

That would have been a very expensive bill for a canadian to have 2 major surgeries in the U.S. Yikes, I could not imagine

I too can usually get an appt. to see my doctor in a very reasonable time.

I normally will pick a date a few weeks down the road., & I get what I hope for., or if I'm feeling particularly ill, the receptionist will tell me to attend in a day or two. I'm very lucky, as I hear a lot of people waiting 6 weeks or more to see their doctor, so they wind up going to a walk-in.

Treatment & Surgery in a US hospital?????????? Holy moly!!!

He must have had a wonderful insurance plan. Was it emergency surgery? If he had an 'existing illness' then required surgery usually the insurance claim would be denied. I hope this doesn't turn out to be the case with your cousin.

60 days???? My doctor will prescribe my bp meds for 6 months, but not any longer. Once my prescription runs out, I must see him.

I too am from Canada...Ontario to be exact. We may not be behind the times, but we don't have a Mayo Clinic either. Im thoroughly fed up with the so-called medical care we get. It isn't healthcare anymore...it's "health repair". Doctors don't go out of their way to try to find out what's wrong with people. Rather than admit they don't know, they put a label of "idiopathic" on it, meaning there is no known medical cause. Getting an appt to see a specialist can take 10 months or more here in a city north of Toronto, AND I find these specialists aren't worth the paper their certificate is printed on.

Ours keeps a third of appointments for same day ones.

He could well afford the major surgeries as he was a millionaire. Trouble was my cousin had back problems that surgery made worse which seems to be the norm. Doctors have often told me not to let anyone touch my back and even specialists warn of the dangers.

It was planned surgery.

I too am from Ontario

You said this all to well. Such a sad affair. I have experienced this so many times. And the waiting time is terrible. I too waited for a neurologist for 9 months, Only to be told that nothing is wrong.

I am east of Toronto !!!!!