Hello,
I have been using NHS and waited 8months for my initial appointment with an endo specialist. I finally have my first appointment in two weeks. I assume to have another surgery the waitlist will be at least half a year if not more.
Was wondering if anyone is using private healthcare and if the wait time is just as bad? Therefore not worth paying for.
I am based in London.
Thanks,
Meghanne
Hi Meghanne,I can’t comment on NHS waiting times because I went private from the start as I have cover through work. But I’ve had only a 2 week wait for an initial appointment and then 3 weeks for the laparoscopy. However that’s because my consultant had availability on the date, if I couldn’t have done it then I’m not sure how long I would have needed to wait before he had another date to offer me. One thing is for sure it would be much much less than NHS and you get a better experience (at least where I am) I am going to a spire hospital rather than the NHS one so will have a private room
Okay thanks!!!
I had a private lap in Sept 2021 - I waited 3 weeks for this, and it would have been sooner but I chose a date that worked around my other commitments! Then I had a private hysterectomy in December 2021 - I waited 8 weeks, but again, this could have been a lot sooner if I hadn't have been waiting for my husband to be available!
Thanks! Sounds like it is much better going private!
I also went private from the get go with my daughter due not just to wait times, but also previous dismissive experience with the NHS. For a 19 year old she has also been through a lot in her life health wise and had finally gotten well enough to be at uni and had been loving it so just couldn't watch her so down. Pain was so bad and constant that she would have had to drop out of uni. We're in Devon so things might be less expensive down here. Got an appointment with the head of the NHS Endo centre here within a week of contacting and then a lap 18 days later. No Endo found (thankfully) but her left ovary and fallopian tube were buried in adhesions connecting to the bowel. The surgery, including the initial appt and the follow up cost £4500, which, in our case was worth it. Problem completely resolved.
I hope she is feeling better! Sounds like going private is def worth it.
Hi, I waited two years for op so went private. It was done within 14 days and I got to choose a Saturday. My consultant is fantastic, not cheap but I believe worth it. It’s Mr Ind. Very highly regarded specialist.My previous consultant had told me I’d need my bowel removed. Mr Ind saved it. I have stage 4 endo and at 37 I’ve just hit menopause on top. He’s managing that too with me.
Oh wow! So overall a way better experience using Private. Hope you are doing okay!
Hi Meghanne, I haven’t even seen a gyno with the NHS yet as the waiting time has been over a year. I’ve suffered endo symptoms for 8 years and no help from the NHS at all.
I went private and paid out myself, and was told on the spot that I may have endo and she wanted to book me in for a scan there and then. I didn’t go through with it in the end as the cost is way too high for me, but if you have the opportunity through work then take it!!!
In my opinion I think private is the best option if you can do it, I actually felt like I was being listened to.
All the best
Yeah the wait time for the gyno was ridiculous. I was diagnosed with stage 3 in 2018 in America and it took me 3 gps here in london just to get one to refer me to the gyno so that I could then get a referral to endo specialist through them. The gyno here told me he didnt think it was endo but reluctantly referred me. Its crazy how long it takes here. In total that was a year and then another like 8months waiting to see the specialist. Price is also the thing holding me back from doing private but it seems like it will be so much better to do so. 😩
Hi Meghanne. Sorry you are suffering from what I deem as one of the worse conditions for us women. I saw my consultant privately back in may 2021. I was so fed up I was willing to pay for it privately but my consultant was so brilliant he asked me to go back to him via the nhs and did my surgery In sep 2021. He is an expert in endo. I had cysts in both ovaries which he removed without removing my ovary. Hope it helps xx
Oh wow sounds like you had a really great experience! I will see if The NHS specialist I was referred to does something similar or have a look around
I was with the NHS, who outsourced my appointment to a private hospital because the waiting list was so long (this is Hertfordshire). This was little over a month ago. I was in surgery less than 2 weeks after the initial phone call! I didn't realise but you can actually ask the NHS to outsource you to a private hospital, if your local ones offer that NHS service-might be worth checking before paying for it yourself!
But my experience with the private hospital was very poor. Not sure if it was because I wasn't personally paying but I'm fairly sure I would have received better care in an NHS hospital. I'm probably a one-off because I assume people's experiences going private are usually pretty good, but looking back I wish I had sat on a waiting list with the NHS.
Hi thanks for this info. I didn’t realise you could ask to outsource. I will look into that as an option. Agree with you that because you weren’t paying they probably didn’t treat you as they would other private goers. I am going to stick it on on the nhs list for a bit while i do some more research
I went private as my NHS experience had been pretty woeful. I was having fertility problems and the GP said I was too old (37) to be waiting for NHS tests, so recommended I went private. I had the initial appointment within a couple of weeks, but waited 2 months for the lap as it was around Christmas.
The main benefit to me was actually getting a diagnosis. I don’t know where I’d be without that. I haven’t had a great experience going back to my GP after to talk about further treatment.
Only my personal experience, but my pain hasn’t been greatly improved, despite them removing what they could during the lap. When I mentioned this to the consultant at the follow up app, he said he never really expected that my pain would be improved! He was just looking at the matter from a fertility perspective. I would be very clear on what you hope to achieve from the surgery if you go private, and choose your surgeon carefully.
Yeah i had a similar experience with my first surgery! It only helped for a limited period of time and then the symptoms came back. This is one of the reasons why I don’t want to pay if I can avoid it as its just temporary and a lot people do them every few years.
Not sure if you have tried anything else to relieve pain but gluten free, caffeine free and no red meat help. They also say dairy free but that one is too hard for me. Basically a vegan diet with GF if you can. But i really feel the difference with GF as I don’t bloat as much. Which then relieves some of the back pain.
I know what you mean, I wouldn’t pay again. I couldn’t pay again to be perfectly honest! It’s so difficult to know what to do, I think we’re stuck between a rock and hard place.
I did go GF and DF a few years back when I couldn’t work out why I felt so ill all the time. It definitely made a big difference, but it didn’t solve the problem, so I went back to eating everything again. Now I know the problem was endo, so it obviously wouldn’t have solved it. But I’m trying to go back to GF/DF again. It’s the caffeine for me, I’m trying to cut down but I use it as a crutch to combat my constant knackeredness! I will try that and also no red meat too, thank you x
Hi, definitely worth looking at private if you can. Be mindful though that if you’re only just taking the work policy out, endo will likely be seen as a pre existing chronic medical condition and possibly not covered. I’m genuinely not being negative just know from experience. What ever you do, not not get discharged from the NHS until you’re absolutely clear or you’ll be back to square one. Best of luck xx
Thanks for the advice. This is why I haven’t signed up through work. I saw something about chronic conditions not covered. I have been trying to figure out with the insurance conpany what all they will cover but their answers are never clear or seem firm.
I will def stick it out with NHS in the meantime
I've been waiting for years as well and thinking of getting medical insurance so I can go private but, really don't know where to look.... If anyone could help, would be appreciated
I don’t live in London so can’t comment on the waiting list there, but I went private with an endometriosis specialist in Birmingham, absolutely brilliant, 4 weeks from consultation to total hysterectomy and endo excision. If you can afford it, maybe research Peter Barton Smith in London, as he’s a top top specialist. Good luck on your journey
Thanks so much for the recommendation of a specialist. I will def looking into him!
Here in NI — the NHS wait so far has been 2 years for me for urgent hysterectomy and bowel resection with Endo removal. And that’s not including the 20 years of pain.. 10 years of begging for hysterectomy etc.
Wait Times are horrific!!
My NHS appointment is on 22nd June - from maybe start of April time. Today I booked a private appointment with an endo specialist on Monday at 8:30am…Appreciate it’s not surgery, but just to give you an idea.
Laura x
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