Your Care Timeline
You are referred to FibroFOCUS™ by a medical doctor (MD) or nurse practitioner (NP).
Most referrals are accepted within a couple of weeks and you are mailed an envelope with an information package which lets you book online for a brief first call with me. If you don't respond to the information in the enveloppe, you will receive a Medeo secure email message or a phone call. It is important to periodically check your spam folder and voicemail messages.
The wait time for a brief first call with me, Dr. John Pereira, is about 1 - 2 months. During our brief first call, I will ask when your symptoms started and when you were diagnosed with fibromyalgia. We will discuss details of the group program on Zoom and answer any general questions you may have. If you have been referred to FibroFOCUS™ and not had a call with me after 2 months months of waiting, then please check the status of your referral by contacting the healthcare professional who referred you.
Your intake medical history is done during a two-hour phone call about 18 months later. I will ask about pain, fatigue, activity, sleep, nutrition, and mood, We will discuss your relevant medical conditions and family history - along with the medications and supplements you are taking.
After the intake medical history, there is an optional physical exam in South Calgary. A female physiotherapist and myself, Dr. John Pereira, will conduct the examination. This is a focused physical examination with the sole intent of determining whether you have fibromyalgia and should be part of FibroFOCUS™. It is not designed to provide a different diagnosis - which is a different process that may require lab tests, scans, and a completely different physical exam by a specialist. This examination is a focused physical examination only, not the same as an Independent Medical Examination (IME), and not suitable for legal, medicolegal, WCB, government, or insurance purposes.
Assuming your medical history is consistent with fibromyalgia, and FibroFOCUS™ is still the best care option, you can expect to join the FibroFOCUS™ group program on Zoom about 21 - 24 months after our first brief call together.