Decisions.

[CathieG]

Hi, after many complaints about an 18 week minimum wait, I was given a choice of hospitals. Either be seen at the Gastroenterology dept of a local hospital or a one hour drive to a Hepatology department at the Surrey general. Kings college didn't come as an option out of 6 hospitals. Anyway, I booked in with Surrey for the 30th Decmber and then the appointment came through for the Gastro on the 20th!

So, decision needs to be made. The Surrey specialises in Liver and pancreas while the Gastro I believe is generally everything between the neck and legs 😊. This is a big decision because it will probably determine my ongoing support. My sister suggested I go to both but I don't want to do that, the NHS is bad enough without me taking up time which could be given to someone else. Anyone on here with Surrey in Guildford or East Surrey in Redhill?

[Hidden]

Hello CathieG.

It seems to me that you have received 2 appointments as opposed to one. Normally when we make a choice (I did for ENT last year) you then book at that hospital.

These mess ups don't surprise me. (I received 2 different appts and 2 different venues earlier this year for first mammograms and I'd nothing to do with any of those as they get sent automatically!)

I think if you attend both appts then it might just confuse the issue as you will ultimately get one consultant saying one thing and another could be slightly different.

My first hospital appt back in late 2010 took 13 weeks to come round from GP referral and I couldn't get an earlier one (that I would have preferred, I was itching manically all through 2010 and would have liked to have been told I'd PBC much sooner than December 2nd that year).

Have you thought to check out the hospitals online in the comparison tables at all. that might just give you some indicator of which to choose. When I went for a 2nd referral of ENT I said I was refusing to go to where I went the first time round 18mths prior. It was like a circus attending that ENT. I did a bit of checking and found out that a private hospital was seeing NHS patients and knowing the hospital was small and rural even though it was an hour's drive away from home (actually same distance as one everyone seems to go to here in Lancashire but in a car easier as just off the motorway so less travel time), I did find this hospital that ws also seeing NHS patients far better than my original ENT experience.

[CathieG in reply to Hidden]

Hi thank you for responding. the question really is whether its best to see a hepatoligist or the gastro doctor. i think that Hepatology is more specialist in pbc but that might be wrong.

[Hidden in reply to CathieG]

Hello again CathieG.

I was referred to Hepatology at local hospital. It is all part of the Gastro Dept but they hold different clinics on different days. The consultant I saw gave talks on PBC.

[Hidden]

If you can get to hepatology easily if it were me I would go with it. I see a gastro at the north Hampshire hospital, who has been very good over the last 7years but as time passes I do find myself questioning it , especially when I feel worse but my tests are all showing the liver is stable. I was thinking of asking for a change to a liver specialist.

[Val02]

I've been with a gastro dept for 8years. To start with I was happy with my treatment but in the last couple of years as my PBC has progressed I began to think they weren't really up to speed. So I transferred myself to a hepatologist. He suggested I keep my gastro at my local hospital as well as seeing him., but I would choose the hepatologist if I had to choose one.

[58goose]

I would do some investigation about who you have been referred to - their expertise in PBC is more important than what their specialism is! I go to a Gastro but he is fully clued up about PBC.