Got my letter through today so rang to book my gynea appointment straight away. It's on the 19th August....2024, yep that's in 16 months time. My husband said that he's not having that and proceeded to find me a private Nuffield gynea who has July at the earliest where I live for £180.
Has anyone had a private consultation and then an op on the NHS? If so how long did it take to get to that stage?
I saw a private gynae in March and he took me on as an nhs patient and added me to his Laparoscopy waiting list. I still haven't been contacted yet, so not sure how long the wait is. Good luck x
Thank you, that's great to hear. I hope that you don't wait too long.
Awful we have to think about going private, I have been waiting five years . Got a pre assessment now in may (not the first ) but I have looked into this also but my friends just paid 1000 pound they wouldn't take her on the NHS 🥲 x
That's soooo long 😭
If you have a private consultation and get put on their NHS waiting list then the waiting time will still be the same - so if the waiting list in a year long in your health trust, then you'll still wait that long. But you'll get on the list sooner (so you might get on the waiting list after your first appointment in July, rather than August 2024 because you're having your initial consultation sooner) ❤️
It all depends what they find on the scan. If you see a privet gynae and they find the endo is really bad on the scan or they find a mass and arent sure what it is you could get seen more quickly. But if you see a consultant , get a scan and a diagnosis you will go on the NHS list much earlier so you will probably get treatment earlier. You can ask the specialist how long their NHS list is and how long you would need to wait if you go for treatment privately.It is awful that the NHS queues are so long and you also have no control over which doc you see on the NHS. If you are going with the NHS try to go to a recognised BSGE centre where the doctors know much more about how to treat endo. Good luck xx
What are your thoughts on this consultant?
As someone else said I think it can depend what they can see on your scan, as I booked a private consultation with the same consultant I presumed I’d be seeing on the NHS based on the centre I chose and because my ultrasound didn’t show anything up he didn’t add me to his list until my NHS appointment a few months later. But this may have also been my fault, as I was quite overwhelmed by them not seeing anything and didn’t push. So I think the main thing here would be to really try to push for this if you did end up in this situation, I’m sure they will be a little more understanding if they are aware of how long your wait is for your next appointment. If endo does show up on your scan I presume it will be much easier.
In terms of the wait - I was told the wait can be between 3 months to a year in my area, but if you would be waiting a year just for your initial appointment then at least you’d still be a step ahead. Again though, I think they can speed this up a lot if need be depending on what they find.
Wishing you the best of luck and hope everything is as speedy as can be for you x
Hello! I am just doing the same. I had a laparoscopy last May, never received my follow up apt date which was due in the Aug so went via GP and they got intouch with gynaecology who sent my results to them which confirmed endo- where they found it as well as adeno. They also agreed my gp could start 6 months of zoladex with view to hysterectomy. (Im due my 8th jab this week and they will continue until i have proper treatment) My review should have been in March, and with no info given on length of back log I have booked in for a consultation privately with a consultant who I know also works in the NHS hospital I am on the books for. Got an apt to see her tonorrow waited only a week! Hoping to be able to make an informed decision and choice for next steps and treatment- will then decide if I wait on NHS list again or if I bite the bullet and get a loan to get treatment privately. Awful situation at the moment for so many.
Hello Chooklady 🧡 I’m sorry to hear this. I’ve experienced very similar unfortunately, have been in the system 3 years now and haven’t got very far. I can’t say for 100% but if you had a private consultation but had surgery in the nhs I have a feeling the wait time wouldn’t be any quicker annoyingly. What I would say is it’s so important to research where you’re going to have the surgery- as it’s crucial it’s done somewhere where they specialise in endometriosis..I was about to have surgery at Coventry hospital but after doing my own research found out I could have been risking a lot of complications as they aren’t specialists there (50% risk of ending up with a stoma!)
I’m sorry if you’re already aware of all of this but after finding out how important it is to have surgery done by the right person/place I can’t help but share with others. If you’re midlands based I know Birmingham women’s hospital is an endometriosis centre, also a bit further but Oxford is meant to be very good for endo. You have the right to request to be referred anywhere. I’m sorry I couldn’t be much help in terms of wait times, but hope some of this info is useful.
Wishing you all the very best and hope you can get that wait time down! 🧡
HiSorry to jump in to your thread.
Thanks for info on choosing the right hospital for treatment, an amazing bit of advice that I have taken on board for when it comes to me needing treatment. FYI I have a 6cm endometrioma right ovary and stage 3/4 endo. My womb is tilted backwards so I'm terrified of the whole prospect of bowel resection and stoma but hopefully that can be avoided.
I went privately and had my first consultants appointment in February and the surgery in April. It possibly would have been sooner but I had to have an MRI to diagnose adenomyosis before the surgery.
Hi Chooklady,
Sorry to hear this! I was diagnosed with stage 4, and adenamyosis and bilateral endometriomas and it took 4 years after diagnosis just to get onto the surgery waiting list. And the waiting list was long- so in the end, I went privately for surgery. If you go for private consultation, maybe try to see a surgeon who does NHS endometriosis centre surgery as well as private, as they might be in a better position to expedite your case? I really recommend that you keep ringing and stating urgency too, ask if you could be on standby if there’s a cancellation. It’s awful, but I think you really need to chase them, I wouldn’t want you to wait patiently like I did, as it really didn’t do any good. Be strong and best of luck! x
Hello, yes, if you ring the appointments team and ask if you could please be considered for cancellations- and also keep your GP up to date and ask them to please do the same for you, (if you’re struggling with symptoms). I’m not sure if your appointment is at an endometriosis centre, if so you could speak with the specialist nurse for general advice too, which can be helpful. I hope you get an appointment soon and feel better x
Painful bladder? 
Private appointment
Can anyone on here who has had hysterectomy tell me their experiences
What to expect?
