Victoria Saigle

Nov 14, 2023 | cmaj.ca | Andreas Laupacis |Victoria Saigle

See related articles at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230544, www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230665 and www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231476In this issue of CMAJ, we launch a new Practice series — Five Ways to Support — which will give clinician readers strategies to better support people who require care. Each article will have at least 1 author who is a patient or caregiver with direct experience of the particular health care issue being discussed.

Mar 14, 2023 | cmaj.ca | Victoria Saigle

I’ve always had quite a bit of period pain, but I didn’t talk to people about it. In my early 20s, the pain around ovulation became unbearable. I also started having pelvic pain with exercise, bladder pain and frequent urination around the time of my period. That was when I was done keeping my symptoms to myself. I tried birth control, but I got migraines, so I stopped taking it. Eventually, I told my doctor that I thought it was endometriosis.

Feb 21, 2023 | cmaj.ca | Victoria Saigle

I started getting dizzy when I stood up. A couple of months later, I passed out. I got more symptoms after that — my arms were weak when showering or doing my hair, so I had to take breaks. I started falling frequently, and my jaw got tired when I ate. I stopped driving because everything would go fuzzy. I think I went to the emergency department 6 times before they admitted me. My husband and I made a pact that I would keep going until they’d help me.

Feb 13, 2023 | cmaj.ca | Victoria Saigle

It started with tingling and numbness in my feet when I was 45 or 46 years old. I was no Wayne Gretzky, but I coached my son’s hockey team. I went out for a practice and my skating was severely affected; I fell down. My family doctor referred me to a neurologist. When I walked in with my two walking sticks, she immediately wondered about CIDP (chronic inflammatory distal polyradiculoneuropathy).

Feb 6, 2023 | cmaj.ca | Victoria Saigle

I live in a smaller city in northern British Columbia. There aren’t many doctors and it’s hard to see one. After my fourth child was born 17 years ago, I got my first significant migraine. I grabbed 2 Tylenol and 2 Advil because the pain was so severe. When I went to see my family doctor, he prescribed a triptan. After that, I took a lot of over-the-counter medications and triptans, not really being informed that you can overuse that medication.