Over £1000 for blood tests

[Wanttocryatthecost]

I’ve received an email from the phlebotomy lab where I saw a consultant this week. It’s my first time seeing a Dr since leaving the UK, it cost me €220. Now I’ve just been informed the blood tests are going to cost €1079. Even with my health insurance I’m still going to have to pay upfront and will only be able to claim 75% back.

These are tests I’ve had regularly in the UK on the NHS.

The moral of the story, be very very grateful for the NHS or don’t leave the UK when you have chronic health conditions 🥺

My DD has chronic health conditions, we live in the UK and have had to resort to self-funded private healthcare because no one in the NHS gives enough of a shit or knows how to help her. We've just dropped over £4,000 on blood & urine tests at a private lab in London and a consultant on Harley Street.

@BonnesVacances that’s awful 😢 Has she been given a diagnosis or can they just not figure out what’s wrong with her?

I absolutely agree. I used to live in the US. I had to delay cancer investigations for 2 years because I didn't have the money to pay for the biopsy at the time as a student. Thankfully, it was fine in the end and not cancer, but I shudder to think what would have happened to me if it had been. The thing is that the NHS isn't perfect. Though when I had private healthcare in the US, I still couldn't get everything I needed. The wonderful thing about the UK is that you always have the option to go private if you want to and can afford it. It's very different from living somewhere where private is the only option and care is still rationed, either by your insurer or because you can't afford it.

She has had ME since she was 14 and we had 4.5 years of doctors shrugging their shoulders saying they don't know what to do, before we went private last autumn. Since then we've discovered various other conditions and that she's stuck in a vicious cycle of symptoms. We've just paid out again for heaps of specialist tests for allergies, gut issues and goodness knows what else! Because she's bed-bound we had to get the phlebotomy done locally which added to the cost. Amazing how it all adds up.

@BonnesVacances I can fully sympathies. I have suffered from chronic fatigue, pain, sleep problems and much more over the last 4 years. I struggle with it as an adult, I could not imagine going through it as a teenager. I hope that you and your DD find the right treatment and help you need x

My children and husband have had private health care because of the uninterested and head scratching attitude of the nhs.

I've spent £2500 on assessments for my son, plus follow up review appointments at £100 each every 4 weeks, then private prescriptions at £70 a month. This will be ongoing for the rest of his life.

My daughter had/still had a dairy allergy. We were £250 to see a paediatrician for the dairy allergy. A dermatologist for her skin privately, an allergist for allergy testing and a dietician. She was born with a heart condition and was due a check up last year. She was cancelled due to covid and needs an echo so we've also paid to see a cardiologist privately and have her echo done.

My husband has paid hundreds of pounds to see a gastroenterologist because the nhs won't take his medical issues seriously, he's also paid privately for allergy testing. Further testing is to be done and will be paid for privately as the GP won't refer on.

So while I do appreciate the nhs, it has had major flaws within my family that we have spent thousands of pounds on just to have someone listen to our concerns, especially around our children. Every dr we've seen privately has said that their departments within the nhs should have seen them but our GP wouldn't refer and nhs appointments were cancelled.

The NHS is the only reason we stay in this country 😭.

@BonnesVacances

My DD has chronic health conditions, we live in the UK and have had to resort to self-funded private healthcare because no one in the NHS gives enough of a shit or knows how to help her. We've just dropped over £4,000 on blood & urine tests at a private lab in London and a consultant on Harley Street.

This is my experience of the NHS as well , cost me over £2500 to get a diagnosis privately that saved my life in 2017 , despite having had 3 NHS admissions including 6 days as an inpatient and me telling them what was wrong with me . Apparently it’s normal for a 50 yr old woman to have a BP of 60/0 and not be able to stand up for more than a minute as that’s how I was when they discharged me .

Yes @mindutopia the NHS isn’t perfect but it is so much better than living in a country where you can not afford medical care at all.

One of the considerations we took into account before moving was the cost of healthcare. Luckily my DH has a good health insurance package that covers the whole family. We knew there would be some costs associated with it, but had absolutely no idea how expensive it was going to be. Prescriptions are also going to be horrendous. Under the NHS prescription scheme I was able to pay for an annual subscription, I think it was £150 which is a lot of money but with the amount of prescriptions I got I broke even after 3.5 months. We can’t do that here and we also have to pay for our DCs prescriptions and gp visits.

@LadyCatStark

The NHS is the only reason we stay in this country 😭.

My friend tells me the same thing. Both her and her DS have diabetes, she said she couldn’t afford to manage it if they left the uk, although she’d love to live overseas even if it was just for the experience.

@BonnesVacances my daughter was diagnosed with CFS aged 11/12 , we got referred to the unit at Kings ( Denmark hill) , didn’t really work for us but maybe a place to try if you’ve not done so already . Mines 21 now and can get out of bed most days , it’s amazing what you start to feel is an achievement like having a bath !

BonnesVacances An elderly relative has had ME for many years. She has tried everything that the NHS and private insurance and other therapies could provide. She has got nowhere. People don't understand how tired and exhausted she is and that she just has to stay in bed. She is pleased that long coved is being investigated as if ME is caused ,as has been suggested, by a virus it may help ME sufferers too.
Not enough is yet known and she has found that people just don't know how to help. Many
sufferers do get better and hopefully as your daughter is so much younger the prospects must be good.
I am so sorry your daughter is suffering this way and l understand how upset you feel for her. I do hope the tests find something and it can be put right.

The NHS is great and totally unrivalled when it comes to emergencies, but when it comes to much else it is unfit for purpose in its current state.

I totally sympathise with others having to fork out £££s above for private diagnostics and treatments which in theory we pay taxes for and should be able to receive on the NHS. My teen DD was recently diagnosed with scoliosis - on the NHS she would’ve waited around 2 years just for an initial consultation. Waiting this amount of time is never acceptable, but especially not in a condition that is extremely time sensitive in her age group. This essentially forced us (and far too many other families) to go private, racking up a bill of around £2000 for various scans, X-rays and consultations.

We are in a difficult position and nhs can't diagnose, we want to go private but not sure were to start? Anybody pls advise