Private VS NHS?

[puzzleprincess]

For background - I was diagnosed with DIE back in august via diagnostic lap (no surgical intervention was done), given the POP and discharged from gynaecology. Although my extreme pain has now gone, I am getting some horrible side effects from this pill: cyclical pain is now daily, episodes of being extremely depressed and the fun of nausea every morning 🙃

I spoke to a nurse at my GP last month about the side effects and she told me I hadn't been on the pill long enough and I needed to give it more time. So, I started looking at BSGE specialists around my area to book a private appointment to get some idea on what my options are. This week, I managed to convince my GP to do the referral to the endo centre (this was the first time I had spoken to this GP, and the others at my surgery had been horrible). He was actually very nice and said that I shouldn't have been discharged back to the GP in the first place!

Now, I am unsure as to what to do - do I wait for the referral appointment to come? I know that this might take forever and the GP said they can't pick the centre, but it means I don't have to pay anything lol. Or, do I still go ahead with the specialist near me?

Would appreciate any advise for anyone that has been, or is in a similar situation! x

[TogetherWeAreStrong Moderator Endometriosis UK]

Hi puzzleprincess , you have gone through quite a journey (some might say fisht) to get to this stage, so well done! I am sorry that you are experiencing side effects of your current treatment. I have considered this questions for years. I have personally not had my condition treated privately due to the financial impact, and as a result I have experienced delays due to the resources of our NHS (which is fantastic). Please consider if the costs of going private is financially viable for you personally but in the meantime let the process of the referal continue and if in the future you choose to go private, simply contact the relevant department to stop it. Silver lining here is the great GP you have spoken with recently, I have said it before but I will say it again, your GP is your gateway to getting the help you need.