Second opinion

[Bxnxnx24x]

Hi again!

So I'm just wondering what experience everyone has had by going private?

I've basically booked a consultation with a private specialist for a second opinion on a diagnosis while I still wait for my GP to get in touch from almost 2 weeks ago.

The specialist is going to perform a transvaginal scan. I'm a little reluctant to pay for this as I've already had one done by (presumably) a general sonographer.

I understand the specialist will have a better eye for it though.

I'm really just wondering whether anyone else has had a transvaginal on the NHS and then privately and if the results have been different?

Thank you 🙂

[YellowDaisy12]

Hiya,

I had an external and transvaginal scan on NHS and it came back “clear”. I was on the list for a diagnostic lap at my local hospital with a general gynae (who specialises in HRT and menopause 🤔) but was uneasy with this and so after 5 months of no kind of medical care while I waited, i went private for a second opinion to an endo centre and it was the best decision I made. They did an MRI which showed deep endo on my US ligament and my ovary displaced and fused to uterus and ligament. I know that ultrasound seems to be the first step re scans but an MRI read by a specialist endo sonographer seems to give much better results. I’m staying private now as I have so much more confidence in this endo specialist surgeon and will have excision lap next month.

All the best for your consultation!!

[Avourneen]

I had an MRI on the NHS and it showed I had a lost coil floating around, except that I had never had a coil inserted. I got back to them and made a fuss and they admitted I had been sent someone elses MRI results. Not very confidence building....

I had a TV ultrasound with a private really top specialist in London and it was amazing. He talked me through all the findings as the scan was done,gave me thirty minutes for questions and recommended what type of treatment I needed.

The results of the scan were vastly more detailed (3 pages as opposed to 3 lines)and he identified DIE and loads of endo in the bowel. The difference was huge, I think the problem is with how good the sonographer is. This is not to do with whether the scan is done on the NHS or privately but depends on the knowledge of the sonographer but it is hard to check this in the NHS, if you go to a specialist centre it should be better but my mixed up scan was done at a specialist centre they had just mixed up my scan.

[P9LON in reply to Avourneen]

Hi, do you mind me asking which specialist you saw in London? I’m getting no where with anyone on the NHS, so would like to see someone privately who has more experience in endometriosis. Thank you.

[Cats1311]

Yes! I’ve had easily over 10 transvaginal scans over the years on NHS all came back clear (they were all done by sonographers not gynaecologists). Have gone private and within 30 seconds the endo specialist shows me how bad it is and says we are skipping MRI and going straight for laparoscopy, this was maybe 2/3 weeks ago and now have operation booked for 2 days time! I will say I believe it’s because the specialist carry out the scan and not the sonographer so if they did that in the NHS maybe more scans would show up with endometriosis! I was shocked as not only did he find bowel endometriosis (my ovary is no where to been seen!) he also found my uterus is full of polyps and potentially cancerous thickened womb lining. (Picture attached of how it essentially looked!) and the NHS wanted me to have the coil fitted for pain management! It’s so scary. Take care of yourself and don’t back down!

Uterus filled with polyps

[b_phalangee]

I had a private transvaginal scan in dec with a private, specialist . The outcome wasn’t what I had hoped for as she couldn’t find any endometriosis but the difference in how thorough the scan was compared to the Nhs was crazy. She took her time, talked through it, asked if this was what I felt during my cycle, did the sliding scale etc etc

I, myself wouldn’t hesitate at all to spend another £200 to be scanned again by her as it was just so in depth, compared to the millions of 5min nhs scans I’ve had done over the years.

And even though I have textbook, quite debilitating symptoms, I feel 95% that she’s right and I made the right choice.

[LauraCB13]

hi, I went private purely because the wait for an initial consultation in my area was over 2 years..! My consultant actually had access to my NHS scans and could make his own judgement as to the quality and if further images were needed. Might be worth checking if your private consultant also works for the NHS (lots do) and could check your scan before sorting another? It just gets so expensive. Good luck x

[Thena90]

Hi, I went private because I'm on the waiting list in the NHS and I needed answers now. There's way difference in what a specialist in endometriosis can see than a general technician. In the NHS they saw only a polip, in WOMEN'S clinic (Barcelona) they saw many endometriosis lesions. So it's worthy. Good luck 💖