My GP has recommended I have an echo scan and has put my name forward but has also said it could take 3 months to get an appointment.
For peace of mind, I’ve researched the costs to go private and as it’s not too expensive decided to get on with it.
My question really is whether anyone from ‘up north’ has got any suggestions where to go. There seems to be none near where I live in Cumbria so will have to travel 100 miles or to Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool etc.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Keswickman
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You may well have decided to go private.But there is the possibilty you could put yourself on a cancellation list at your local hospital,which is where i guess your doc. will be refering you to. I find it works about half the time so you could find yourself being seen quite quickly .But it is a chance procedure of course.
You need to factor in more than just the cost of an echocardiogram- unless your GP has speciality training? Otherwise you will also need consultant appointment & interpretation with ECG & bloods - that’s normally always been the protocols.
That is not helpful, no wonder you want a private appointment. I would recommend travelling to Manchester or Liverpool as they are specialist Centres and unfortunately you will not find specialist Arrythmia cardiologists outside of these specialist centres.
When I was not happy with my treatment when living in Devon I travelled to London as ten years ago there were even fewer specialists. Definitely worth the peace of mind!
I like yourself decided to go private.The main reason was to rule out Heart failure & peace of mind.I do miss that arm & leg.Including getting the appointment,Gp referral letter & a cardiologist report I waited about 10 days.Cost £426. Well worth it.
Hi kkatz. Leeds has been offered to me but am going to Manchester next week. Cost £250 but it’s the peace of mind and knowing that’s important. Didn’t need a GP referral. Can take it from there after then.
Been told I will get a cardiologist report both to me and my GP within 3 days. The scan itself will be done by a sonographer though not a cardiologist.
If you can afford it, although costing a great deal more (echo about £700; MRI about £1800), but I discovered that a cardiac stress MRI will provide vastly better detail. My specialist called it a "gold standard" of heart scans. I can understand your wish for speed, as I was the same, but I think that a 3-month wait won't make much difference for most arrhythmia related issues. It seems an echo mostly shows heart chamber and artery sizes, valve function, arrhythmia, timings and ejection fraction.
Thanks Steve, decided to go private for peace of mind. Agree 3 months isn’t long but it’s the stress waiting causes that’s been the main reason for getting on with it.
I can relate to that completely and I have never been really able to untangle to effects from anxiety from the physical effects. In the end, for me, it was the scans and their results that brought some peace to my troubled mind.
I saw an electrophysiologist at the Wythenshaw Hospital in Manchester and had an echo done there. It's a heart and lung centre which I found very professional when I had my ablation. I paid for a private consultation at the start of treatment. Hope this helps
I waited about three months or so at the time after the electrophysiologist referred me back to the NHS, and had the ablation soon after. Two years later I'm still under the same man.
There is a website in Enlgand. Scan.com. You put in where you are and how far you are prepared to travel and which scan you would like and they come back with quotes and when it could be done.
Hi GrannyE. I went on a similar website which came back with some options; all of which were basically the same. Closest I could get within a reasonable time frame was Manchester or Liverpool so having it done next week.
I’d be prepared to travel anywhere to be honest. But Iv met people In the waiting room who have moaned because they’ve had travel abit.!!! I always tell be thankful your able to see someone because there are some unfortunate people in the world who have walk for 2 days to see a doctor and Carrying a child at same time.!!!!
Are you under a cardiologist yet at your preferred local hospital? The reason I ask is that after years of being managed by the GP for my follow ups for echo last year I had an awful time with them. At an A&E visit the dr was shocked that I wasn’t under a cardiologist at the hospital and suggested asking gp for referral. Like you I had got to the stage where for peace of mind I decided to speed things up despite the hit on savings.
Someone on here suggested researching a cardiologist at local hospital that I would be happy to see and seeing them privately then deciding what to do about tests.
I did this and the private 30min appointment was £250 with less for follow up after tests. With mine I was able to give him copies if my last echo but he wanted me to have a CT angiogram. He explained I could have this on NHS but I decided to pay privately so that I didn’t wait. He then wrote to my GP asking him to refer me to his NHS clinic for future follows ups.
So now I am under his cardiac clinic and have seen him recently and have this year’s echo follow up booked.
Didn’t all go smoothly with the hospital’s appointment system because they couldn’t see cardiologist name on their screens so gave me a different one but I was able to phone my ones NHS secretary who sorted it out.
I’m so thankful for the great advice I got on this group.
Hi Sleepyzz. After my diagnosis from a 24 hour Holter, the Dr at the cardiology dept said he wasn’t going to put me on any medication. Nothing was mentioned about any procedures or scans. It’s my GP who has said he wants me to have a scan. Unless this shows something then I get the impression no further action will be recommended. My risk score was 0 so am trying to be positive about that.
If the scan shows something and I need to get further tests or procedures then I’ll reevaluate.
I agree with Gordon, 3 months will fly over, I don't really see any need for the haste or the expense!
I'd say we're kindred spirits - I'm a Geordie but I spend a lot of my time at my static caravan in Cockermouth and am a regular on the fells as well as in Keswick. I'm a bit jealous of you living there!
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