Going private UK for laparoscopy/hysteroscopy?

[Sunflower-girl]

I received a letter yesterday telling me the wait to see endo specialists would be approx. 27 weeks. Not only is that a ridiculous waiting time, it means I will have been in pain over a year.

Given the severity of my pain- I'm housebound and barely living my life, can't walk or go to uni- I am going to see if I can get together the money for private treatment.

1. Has anyone gone private for this and was it worth it?

2. How long did you wait?

3. How much did it come to?

Many thanks!

[Corrinajade]

I have private insurance, so I had my surgery done privately and it was much quicker. I think 5 weeks from my A&E visit to surgery.

I only took the insurance out to try and get a diagnosis, however, it took me 8 years to get a diagnosis. Which was why I decided to go private with private insurance. As the NHS had told me there was nothing wrong with me so many times, it wasn’t classed as pre-existing. I’ve seen multiple specialists through NHS and privately, does guarantee you the surgery. My first 4 private specialists said there was nothing wrong with me, I was too young, not trying for kids, one gave me an ultra sound and said I didn’t have endo, even though it’s impossible to tell from an ultrasound.

[luthien]

Hi,

I went privately for mine as NHS was taking ages to even come back with an appointment and that would be with a general gynae - by ages I mean I'd already been waiting 3 months for a letter.

My workplace had medical insurance; if yours or your partner's work has it then you can use it for medical treatment. If you need to take out your own then check out something like BUPA for an idea of what you need to have and then just search around the web - there's lots out there. My work one was WPA. You can also check out local private centers near you - like Nuffield Health or The Gynaecology Group; from there you can then ask them - either check out their website or drop in and see them - they can help with finances as they often work closely with some insurance companies, also quite a few hospitals can offer finance options as they know not everyone can pay upfront / has insurance.

You could try an alternative route of searching for a specialist first - Check out WPA for the "freedom of choice" section where it lists specialists by category - you want an endometriosis specialist - have a google of my consultant - Mr Philip Kaloo, for an idea of what you're looking for. From there you can find out which centers they work at, then call the center and ask how their insurance / finance options work.

Once you've selected a specialist you can book an appointment directly - these can cost up to £200. but it's like 45 mins to an hour with that specialist - they'll then need your GP notes. With your appointment booked you simply go to your GP and say you'd like to be referred to xx. Insurance needs to be in place before the first appointment happens.

Right so what happened with me: my specialist for just the suspected endo wanted to do a laparoscopy as soon as possible to see what's going on; we decided on excision of endo and biopsies of anything they find as the same time. He added in a hysteroscopy to check inside my uterus, and an ultrasound to rule out other abnormalities. These will all be separate costs. I could book my lap at a time which suited me so anywhere from a week after my consultation - I went for about a month later to give myself time to sort out stuff and work. The operation fee depends on what's being done, overnight stay, additional surgeon, anesthatists fees. Mine came to about £3000 for the firs one; including the preop appointment, hospital fee, surgeon fee, anaesthatist fee, day case, prescription medicaion and a follow up appointment two weeks later. My second lap was £5000, but this was also an overnight stay, and two specialists (additional colorectal).

I'd recommend having your medical history written up including a symptom diary, as the specialist will want as much info as possible.

If you need a bit more of my background and outcome check out my post:

healthunlocked.com/endometr...

Happy to answer any questions x

[newstart2020]

Hi Sunflower Girl

Hope you get sorted soon. My workplace suggested everyone join Benenden. They aren't health insurance, they are more like a health cooperative as they're not for profit. It costs me £11.50 per month. From joining, I can phone a GP for advice for free. After I've been a member for 6 months, they will fund initial consultations and some subsequent surgeries and procedures etc. You just need to get your GP notes, which my GP took just a week to print off for me. And you need the GP to refer you to a consultant. Basically, it speeds up the waiting list for you. I had been waiting months for a consult appointment, I got a copy of the letter the GP had sent to the consultant, and emailed it to Benenden. Benenden then a week later approved me to make an appointment with a consultant from their pre approved list. (I told them no other consultant did what the one I was already waiting to see did and it had to be him. I knew he did private work). I made the appointment and was seen within a week, ultrasound found adenomyosis. Benenden pay the bill. The consultant's follow up letter to my GP recommended a hysteroscopy under anesthetic and mirena removal and replacement - I got the consultant's secretary to email me a copy of the letter. Then I emailed it to Benenden. A week later they approved the hysteroscopy with the consultant. I emailed it to his secretary. I should have my appointment next week. Paid by Benenden. The only thing is to keep an eye that the consultant doesn't try to get you to do or try something that benenden haven't approved. If they do that, just phone Benenden to see if they'll approve it. it was a six month wait for the Benenden benefit to kick in, but that was mid December. My NHS wait would have been 9 months to get the initial consult and then 14 months to get the procedure appointment. The consultant will probably recommended reverse pelvic floor exercises for me with a physio. I won't agree to it immediately, I'll phone benenden and they should then approve it. It's all about getting a series of temporary BUPA membership and procedure codes. I'm glad it did it. Benended can be joined by anyone, and pre existing conditions are ok. Best luck!