Wello Virtual Healthcare

Nothing is more important than your health. Since February of this year, my family and I have been members of Wello, a virtual healthcare service available to employees, families, and individuals in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I wanted to take this time to share a few stories about our experience. Read on to see howWello has helped me through some difficult times these past few months.

I’ve been enjoying the convenience ofWello for the past 8 months and I thought that it would be a good time to tell you about a few of the times where it was really been such an asset to my family. If you haven’t heard aboutWello yet, then go back andcheck out my first post to learn about their amazing virtual healthcare service.

Since February, Wello has been helping my boys and I on our journey to wellness and maintaining good health. If I could sum it up for you as an anxious mom, I felt so much better knowing that a nurse practitioner is only a video or phone call away. Our Wello Nurse Practitioner is someone I feel totally comfortable speaking to her about any concerns. It’s like talking to a long-time friend. The personalization that Wello brings is what will make me a client for years to come. Here are a couple of stories that I’d like to share with you about our experience.

My Story

I have a dominant family history of cancer on both sides. Both of my grandmothers passed away from breast cancer, one was only 45 when she was diagnosed. Now that I am 36, it is something that I’ve been worrying about more frequently.

When I first completed myWello in-take back in January, I told my Wello Nurse Practitioner about my family background. She listened and suggested that I go for my first mammogram and ultra-sound to serve as a baseline for future reference. I pressed her about genetic screening and the possibility of the BRCA gene. The BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene is a mutation that increases a woman’s risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Promisingly, my Wello nurse practitioner also sent in a referral for genetic testing.

A few things have happened since then. My screening ultra-sound did show some fibroadenomas (which are usually benign lumps). Wello called me right away to discuss my results and reassure me that this was not a cause for concern and booked me in for a 6-month follow-up ultrasound to be sure that things were not changing. And thankfully, they haven’t! Our Wello Nurse Practitioner went out of her way to research the BRCA gene test for me and sent me a link to an American company who does the test very easily and cost-effectively. I paid for the test (worth every penny!) and received a negative result only a few weeks after.

Through this, I just want to say how wonderful it is to have someone listen to your fears and then help you to get answers. I absolutely love that someone is only a phone call or a video chat away. I feel like I’m being proactive with my health and I have someone who is helping me achieve that sense of wellness.

Harper’s Story

Fall and winter are the worst for sicknesses. As soon as school begins, it’s like the germs just start rolling in. We were hit pretty hard last year with one sickness after another. But this one time really sticks in my mind. Harper had an overnight hockey tournament about an hour from our home in Canmore, Alberta. We were all so excited for the chance to stay with our family friends in a hotel for the weekend. As luck would have it, Harper wasn’t feeling well a couple days before the trip. We decided to ride it out and go anyways thinking that he would most likely feel better the following day. That’s exactly the opposite of what happened!

Saturday morning, Harper had taken a turn for the worst. He had a fever, loss of appetite and was really lethargic. He was also complaining of an earache. Being in Canmore, I had no idea what to do. Should we go wait at a walk-in clinic? Or Urgent Care? Were we better off driving home to Calgary? I was an anxious wreck!

So, I called Wello’s 24/7 phone number to ask for advice. The nurse practitioner asked a series of questions and determined that he did, in fact, have an ear infection that required antibiotics. She called in Harper’s prescription to the nearest pharmacy in Canmore and I picked it up a half an hour later. It was such a weight lifted off of our shoulders and I was so relieved that Harper was taken care of.

Wello has been such an asset to our family’s health. I feel so much better knowing that I will be able to rely on them this fall if we need to! There are a variety of plans to suit your needs so make sure tocheck out their website for more information.