Would you go private?

[CyclingGardener]

Hi

I was diagnosed with pericarditis 9 weeks ago. I pushed for colchicine as my Dr hadn’t prescribed this for pericarditis before and I have been on this now for 3 weeks. Together with naproxen and Lapsoprazole.

I’ve had a hospital admission and a few a and e visits too and been off work for 9 weeks. I did try to go back 1/2 days but only managed three. It’s not just the pain and breathlessness but the fatigue too.

I am now waiting for a CT scan which will be followed by cardiologist appointment.

I only get SSP so would you recommend going private thus hopefully speed up appointments and return to work or would you sit it out? A CT scan is £450 and cardiologist appointment £250.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

I saw a cardiologist and had an angiogram privately when I was told there was a four month wait. The cardiolgist tweaked my meds which helped with the angina and the angiogram showed four severely blocked arteries. However, afterwards it was back to waiting but unsure how much time it saved in the grand scheme. A private bypass was as affordable to me as a new XJ6. So I had the bypass on the NHS and still have the old Jag! 😀

If you can afford it I think seeing the cardiolgist and having the scan are worth doing. I found a more exact diagnosis somewhat reassuring.

[CyclingGardener in reply to MichaelJH]

Thank you. I agree if you know what you are dealing with it’s easier. If I get back to work sooner it will pay for itself.

[BillyMct]

I had a private Cardio consultation and as a result of that a private angiogram (funded by works health scheme) when NHS cancelled my scheduled cardio visit and delayed for a further 3 months. The angi found nothing new and didn't move my issues treatment forward, for that I ended up back in A&E with angina where they prescribed isosorbide. A further issue I've found is being back on NHS cardio care was the private angi results aren't available to the nhs team (despite being done at a (different) NHS hospital and they don't appear to have a procedure to obtain them. So for one offs private works but if its part of on going issues then it can cause problems, not withstanding regular outpatient private consultation visits may cost more than a health insurance scheme will cover -depends on scheme . The private consultant I saw said pretty much the same thing in that private health insurance is good for one offs where the nhs queues are long or difficult (postcode lottery?) to get on but less so for long term health issues.

[CyclingGardener in reply to BillyMct]

Thank you BillyMct.

[Sunnie2day]

I would - and have. I think it depends on the severity of your fatigue and other symptoms combined with how long you're going to have to wait for the scan and cardiology consult. My wait after my latest acute episode was acceptable to me as I knew I was recovering well - but that knowledge was down to my having recurrent pericarditis (this weren't me first rodeo ) but when I had an acute episode with new symptoms a few years ago and was told it would be months before a scan and consult, I hit the savings account to fund a private visit and was on a scan table within days. The results and suggested treatment were then sent to my GP.

Money well spent - I got my answers quickly and that relieved nearly all my anxieties.

[CyclingGardener in reply to Sunnie2day]

Thank you Sunnie2day. I think the wait list for the ct is4 weeks then cardiologist would be new year. I just want to understand exactly what I’m dealing with and how I can support my recovery.

[Sunnie2day in reply to CyclingGardener]

What I can tell you about pericarditis is from personal experience - recovery is different for everyone, and booking for tests like the scan (echocardiogram? That will show any effusion or scarring/thickening of the pericardium if present, and if there is any constriction or other complications) can take months - you're looking at a four week booking wait so that's pretty fast from my experience. (My latest was booked within three weeks of the first visit to the Rapid Access Chest Pain clinic and I was told that was amazingly fast). The consult happened about three weeks after the scan - and by then I was feeling so much better I felt guilty taking up everyone's time.

That's the thing about pericarditis - reaching full recovery can take months, actually, with the fatigue and pain lingering for what seems forever until one morning you wake up feeling completely well - no pain, no fatigue after something as simple as walking to the car, and no breathlessness. Or it can be surprisingly quick - three months on you feel fine, no more symptoms.

There are some good discussions here on the BHF pages of HealthUnlocked - use the search feature for the condition and several come up as a result (I've posted on several ), and if you Google using the same term, results for the NHS (great information!), the Chest Heart Stroke, BHF, results come up, and some highly regarded US sites (Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Med, and the American Heart Foundation) come up as well.

The condition (and its complications) isn't that well understood here in the UK - it's mostly US, Central and South American countries with best info where it is an endemic condition and better researched with hundreds if not thousands of pericardial specialist available to patients and plenty of downloadable leaflets as well.

If you aren't having worsening symptoms, waiting for the NHS booking is a good idea - but if your symptoms worsen you should contact the NHS team and if they can't fast track you any faster than you already are being, going private will get you seen and some answers within a short few days.

[CyclingGardener]

Thank you - its a huge learning curve!