Private healthcare experiences??

[Bluehusky96]

Hello,

Can anyone share their experiences of going private please? And any guidance on costings too. I've booked my first appointment for later this month.

Background:

I've been suffering with chronic pelvic pain and pain during sex.

I've been through my doctors and I'm on soooo many pain killers. They did a laproscopy as there's a lot of endo in my family and the symptoms I have! They said there was no endo and there was excess faeces in the bowel. That was all the information I received as well as them showing me some photos of my ovaries from the procedure.

I now have an appointment for gynaecology again (end of sept) and a pain management appointment (august).

I've pretty much been signed of work because of the pain since around February. I have many days where I can't walk properly or do simple chores because it's too much.

The appointments are so far away and the pain is affecting my life so much, hence wanting to go private

[Luna-24]

I went private with spire healthcare the first time round. I had got to the point of needing ultrasound and was on track. Personally I went private to fit it in quicker/around university as I was away. They were great the only issue is the following up, they didn’t provide full detailed notes to the GP after I had the surgery.

[Bluehusky96 in reply to Luna-24]

Spire is who I have looked into :)I'm looking at Leicester.

Thank you for this

Did your surgery confirm a diagnosis?

[Luna-24 in reply to Bluehusky96]

It did we went through the other stages first such as ultra sound and mefenamic acid (didn’t work) and kept a diary and then we went for surgery which confirmed diagnosis.

I had 2.5 yrs good, but now I’m having issues again (pain, prolonged spotting, bowel). However when I went back to my GP through NHS as I have the confirmed diagnosist, we talked through it and they gave me narproxen for the severe pelvic pain (at the moment restricted to time of the month atm) since October. And when the new symptoms started (spotting/bowel issue in sync with spotting). They got me a pelvic exam and referred me for scans including an internal exam. As this second round has all been with NHS no private. And I believe this is all because there is confirmed diagnosis on my record.

[Ambiguous1]

I went private but i really recommend you find an endometriosis specialist. I went to a regular gaene as the pain was so intense I was in tears all day everyday and could hardly move and had been signed off work for months. My private gaene suggested endo and we did surgery, I'm still suffering. I'm now waiting for my surgery with an endo specialist privately in London because were certain the original surgery was a failure (many reasons, one being it was only 17 minutes long). Do loads of research, join Nancy's Nook on FB and look for excision specialists (ablation/cauterising has a huge chance of endo reoccurance).

Good luck!!!

[claudia_91 Moderator Endometriosis UK]

Hi Bluehusky96

Sorry to hear about all the pain you've been experiencing, it sounds really tough and I think many of us can relate to you. In terms of private healthcare for endo, my experience is that it is exactly the same as NHS healthcare but the waiting times are reduced. For me, it was exactly the same specialist too. It can really be worth it if you need to get back to work; that is what drove me to having private healthcare too.

I do think that this varies across the country though. If you'd like to connect with people with endo in your area to potentially find out a little more, Endometriosis UK has local support groups across the country. Check out this link to find out when the next one is in your area: endometriosis-uk.org/find-a...

Hope this helps a little and you receive the care that you need soon 💛

Take care,

Claudia

[Carebear92]

Hiya! I have been private for gynae and rheumatology consultation. My gynae also worked in my local hospital and he was absolutely fabulous! My experience was great and he bumped me up his waiting list so I could get the ball rolling faster but didn’t have to pay for my operation. I looked into it properly and he was a BSGE specialist and had an interest in endometriosis and I would now prefer to not go to anyone but him.

When I had other issues, however, the NHS waiting list for rheumatology was 12 months so I went private again. I didn’t look into the consultant properly and I now feel I wasted £200 and a lot of time. He diagnosed me with ME/CFS, but I hadn’t had all the possible tests and didn’t give me any advice and basically waved me out of the room, threw a fibromyalgia leaflet across the table and said “call it fibromyalgia if you want” and gave me no advice. 7 months later, I’m waiting for NHS physio, cardiology and endocrinology for more thorough investigation.

Definitely look into the available consultants and don’t just assume being seen faster is all you need. Find someone you get a good feel for, has an interest in your condition at the very least and if you can find reviews, that’s also a good idea. My gynae was recommended to me by my old boss and that counted for a lot 🙂

[Mags1b]

Hi, I feel for you. I have watched my grandaughter suffer for over two years. I took her to a private gynecology consultant in Jan and got an immediate diagnosis and treatment plan. At the moment she hasn't had any surgery and her treatment plans are carried out through our GP according to her, our consultants, instructions. We have been told there is an 18 month waiting list to get an initial NHS appointment. The cost is not as prohibitive as I thought it would be.