Marie-France Vermette for Patient Testimonials

Speaker: Marie-France

Marie-France: Hi, my name is Marie- France. I am 46 years old. I am currently disabled due to many injuries that I've had and hopefully going back into the workplace, I don't have a family but I do have some hobbies. I love to swim and I am a Toastmaster.

Marie-France: I have suffered from asthma since childhood and it was well controlled in adulthood. They would consider it childhood asthma. When I would get a cold or some sort of cough, I would go back on my inhalers and my asthma would be flared up. I did have a blood clot in my lung and I was diagnosed with COPD and they thought I had sleep apnea. I was also a lot larger was 160 pounds and I've lost weight through swimming. I ended up getting COVID, which flared up my lungs and caused my asthma to come back full blown.

Marie-France: I have always been affected by my asthma. Since I've suffered from a young age, I would often go to the hospital and be hospitalized for my breathing and have to do several things there as required by the medical team. My asthma was well controlled for a very long time and I only needed my inhalers and sometimes a little prednisone when I would get a cold that wouldn't go away, it would get stuck on my lungs. It wasn't until I got COVID that I really started to struggle with my breathing and it did affect my life. I am a distant swimmer and a cyclist and I would struggle with my breathing. And any time I had a really hard time just catching my breath. I would use a lot of my inhalers and I really struggled when I was a lot heavier because I have lost 160 pounds and everything was a struggle including my breathing, going up the stairs, going grocery shopping. I was always short of breath. It has gotten better since I've lost weight and I did have some trouble controlling my asthma and my breathing. But I'm very grateful for the services I received with doctors.

Marie-France: I am very grateful for the services that I received with Best Care. I came in and saw the respiratory specialist after I was struggling with some of my treatment options. I suffer from severe allergies. We live in the forest city and there is a lot in the air that my body doesn't like. I have lots of rashes, my eyes water. I sneeze and I can't breathe and it was terrible and I was using over the counter medications. However, they weren't very effective and after a while you become used to them and I'm very sensitive to medication. So I was a little on the fence of trying this new Blexton that was recommended by the respiratory specialist here at Best Care. But let me tell you, it has absolutely changed my life. I feel so much better. I have no more rashes I can breathe, I can sleep and it's just one little pill that changed my life. The other thing that really changed is I really struggle taking my Ventolin even when I really need it and I can't breathe. I don't want to take it because it makes me shaky. It makes me anxious it gives me heart palpitations and I'm sitting there going, I can't breathe, but I don't want to take this. What do I do? When I saw the respiratory specialist with Best Care, I was recommended a new puffer called Atrovent. I had never heard of this medication and I am very weary when it comes to trying new things. But I gave it a go and let me tell you when I can't breathe. It's one of my go tos and I am so grateful for this drug. It doesn't make me shaky. It helps me breathe and I am not afraid to use it, which is really important to me because breathing is also important to me. I am also doing a lot better with the allergy medication and I've also taken a nose, a nose spray that helps me clear my nose. But I am very happy with the services that I receive here.

Marie-France: I am really thankful for all the services that Best Care provides. One of the things that I think is important is the fact that they work as a team. There's more than just the respiratory aspect. I love that they have other options that work together with your doctor and you're not running around the city for various appointments at various places. I love that they take care of you in the sense that they are very thorough with all their questions and all the things that they've asked you, I have seen several respiratory specialists in the area at different facilities and I felt like I was rushed and they never cared to follow up. I can't even tell you their name because I've only seen them once for a few minutes. When I was here, the time that they take, they're very thorough. They feel like they care about you. They ask you all the little details and they want to make sure that they can provide you the best care, but not only that they work with the doctor. It's a team. I'm not waiting for a report to come from another institution. And what if it never comes. They're in the same house. I'm going to one location. I'm not running around the city to all these various locations. If I need something, it's in one spot. What I love too is this clinic has an after hours care and if there's a problem, my doctor sees it right away. If I attend somewhere else, she only gets the notice two weeks later and that might be too late. I think it's important that everybody work together as a team and health care the way that it's going today. Nobody wants to spend a lot of time getting to know you. It's almost like you're just a number. Let's get you in and out as quick as possible. But when I come here, I feel like they genuinely care about me and they genuinely want to see my quality, quality of life improve. And I can tell you that since I've been attending, my quality of life has improved. So, if you're questioning whether to add this to your business, I think it's the right move and you won't regret it.