Hi,
It has recently come to my attention that it is very likely I was diagnosed as a child, but never was told about it. My mother-in-law tells me that there are disclosure laws in Canada and that if I find the doctors that saw me then they would have to tell me about it. But that would've been 20+ years ago and those doctors may not even be alive anymore. Also, I've moved a lot and had many doctors over the years. Currently, I do not have a family doctor.
Does anyone know how I should go about tracking down my medical records in Canada?
Sorry can't help you, all I know is that 20+ yrs ago Aspergers was not a recognized diagnosis. It wasn't recognized to 1994 so it would have been easy to slip under the radar as just being quirky then or such. As far as things not being disclosed and all on mental health records, if there had been a diagnosis when you were a child, your parents would have been told of it by the professionals then.
Thanks, Mish. I realize that Aspergers wasn't a recognized diagnosis until 1994, but I've been thinking about my childhood and conversations I've had with my mom. I know I spent the early years "in and out of doctors' offices" and when I mentioned autism to her as a teenager, she said "well, that's what the doctors thought you had." When I put all the details together, it seems I may have been diagnosed as autistic, or PDD-NOS, or maybe I wasn't officially diagnosed, but the doctors speculated.
My parents seemed to understand me too well to have not known. It seems many things they did with me were therapies. They spent hours every day getting me to practices facial expressions, learn body language, the enrolled me in ballet and gymnastics (I think to help with my clumsiness), and so on.
It seems like my parents don't/didn't want to label me. They preferred to say things like "oh, Crystal's sensitive to sounds" rather than "Oh, Crystal's autistic and sounds can bother her." I like that they raised me that way, but now I can't talk to them about it.
It depends on your relationship with your parents, would you be able to ask them straight out?
Thanks, Tallulah. I guess it does depend on my relationship with my parents. I tried to bring up Asperger's to both of them last fall (they're divorced). My mom looked away, figited, and tried to change the subject. I don't think she liked me talking about it in front of her new husband, but we did have conversations about me maybe being "mildly autistic" when I was a teenager.
My dad asked me what it was. I emailed him a few links, and he said that he could see traits of me (and himself) in there, but it didn't matter because my personality was "ingrained at an early age" by him and my mother.
Actually, I remember a conversation I had with my mom in grade 9 about my dyslexic friend (it was the first time I really learned about "learning disabilities.") She said I had a developmental disorder that was "like dyslexia, but not dyslexia." Hyperlexia maybe?
Anyway, I'm really interested in knowing what's on my file and maybe what treatments they may have tried on me that I don't remember.
I know that in some places, medical records are destroyed after so long. And I know that every time we moved, my mom wanted them forwarded to the new doctor because they were "very important." Now, I've lost track of them.
I was just wondering if anyone knew if it was possible for me to track them down, and any advice on finding them.
thanks.
i don't know what the system is in canada, but in the uk everyone jhas a unique NHS National Health Service medical number.
Like you, i've moved around a lot, around thew country and even abroad.
last year i asked my gp for some information, to tell me when something was first noted on my medical records, and she wrote to me to say that this medical problem was first noted in myt records at age 15, about 20 years ago. like you, i assumed that my records would b e incomplete or non existent, but i was surprised to find my gp had access to my records from 20 years ago.
there mustbe a central authority that isresponsible for holding records, over here, i think it is the local health authority, but i don't know wht the equivalent is in canada.
Unfortunately the MSI number system wasn't started used till recently they are working into collecting records and all to be filed with the system... before now, they were the responsibility of the drs. I have records spread here and there due to forgetting getting it all transferred with moves and such.
I am having the same problem in Ontario. I know for sure that the psychologist who diagnosed me is not working anymore and the records were destroyed after ten years. Unless some family doctor was sent a report and that has not been destroyed I will have to get another diagnosis.
I really do not know how to start. I am just thinking of writing everything done and just giving it to the doctor and the walk-in clinic where I go. Right now I can not see any advantage in having an official diagnosis since I would not be eligible for disability income or employment support anyway. So there is not much motivation. But for the future anytime I get diagnosed with anything, I am going to ask for a copy to keep at home.
Mish and M, that's precisely the situation I'm in right now. I've thought of writing stuff down, but for some reason I never do it. I don't like the walk-in clinic. I want to be vocal about awarness. Positive awareness. I think people might take me more seriously in my claims if I'm diagnosed.