Would you go into debt…

[FatAmy123]

Would you go into debt to access private health care?

I’ve had such a rough time recently and am finding dealing with the NHS difficult. At my hospital there is a private clinic, I called them to enquire about prices and I spoke to a dr on the phone who basically told me exactly what I needed straight away. Downside is… it’s very expensive.
I’m tempted to do a consultation there and some testing, that would cost hundreds. Dr said I should be an inpatient for treatment for 3-5 days. That would cost thousands. This treatment however would not cure my condition. It would just help me temporarily.

I have access to interest free credit and the means to pay it back (the option that costs hundreds)
Would you go into debt for this reason knowing the struggles of the current NHS?

Yes, I would (and I work in a hospital). Some waiting lists are out of control (gynae and dermatology commonly). If a condition was ruining my quality of life, I wouldn’t hesitate.

Forgive me OP, but have you posted about this before? It sounds familiar.

If you’re the same poster I’m thinking of, there are a few pertinent details missing from this thread.

Depends what the issue was really.

The reason why I’m doubting is because my condition has no cure, so spending this money isn’t going to be an end to it. But, I’m currently stuck in a kind of cycle of multiple conditions and their medications kicking each other off so a good, non rushed consultation could help me deal with things.

Honestly, I probably would if I knew I could pay it back and it improved my quality of life or stopped the condition getting worse.
I say this as someone who is very risk averse and currently has no loans including credit cards. Im' scared' of debt but if needs must I would.

Nope not me @Gazelda

There will be studies around the treatment and it's efficacy/typical duration of the benefits. Six months of benefit for £££, no, six years in better health, definitely.

You know your financial situation - if it's affordable i.e. everyone still eats and bills get paid with a small buffer at the end of the month, then yes, I would if my health was suffering.

Would treatment to significantly reduce symptoms be possible? How much money would you be prepared to spend?

The condition I have is chronic pancreatitis and I’m having a hideous flare up. Every time I get better I have another attack and I’m back at square one. I need a monitored “pancreas rest” as I’m also diabetic and I’m on a lot of medication which affects my stomach.
I’m also on medication which is aggravating the underlying cause of my pancreatitis, but I can’t come off it because if I do, it makes me really ill.
So so exhausted trying to sort this all out.
The dr I spoke to said they’d admit me for 3-5 days to get pain under control, monitor me, give fluids and nutrients. This is what a&e said they would also do… then they sent me home as the bed wait was 32 hours. I’m not going to be admitted into the private clinic as that is far too expensive and could only offer short term relief.
But, I would like a consultation to try and help me get out of this cycle. And also get blood tests done.

Oh and I do already have debt. But it’s interest free and easily manageable.

I work for the nhs and have a surgery/colorectal/ gastro background and I would say that with pancreatitis it’s generally controlled with a low fat but preferably fat free diet, eating smaller meals more often, no caffeine and keeping hydrated and so I don’t think I would pay to be an inpatient for something I could be doing myself. There is a lot of information online about managing this.

I do totally understand people paying to have their gallbladder removed tho as the waiting list for that is very long, however with pancreatitis flare ups you should be quite high priority.

I would phone the surgical dept up and ask to see a consultant explaining the issues (I’m assuming a referral is already in place) and discuss a plan with them as if they list you as urgent then you could save a huge amount of money.

Your GP can also order blood tests and request various other tests.

I just feel it’s unfair people have to pay for private treatment that should be readily available but totally understand the situation with waiting list times versus pain people are in.

@BesidemyselfwithworryI don’t have a gallbladder, it was removed 10 years ago. My pancreatitis is caused by high triglycerides and I can’t get the level of them down because I’m also on long term steroids, which causes them to raise. I need to come off steroids, but I’ve been on them so long that I’m now dependant so need to taper slowly, which makes me even worse! It’s a total cycle. Diet obviously helps, but it’s not enough alone to bring them down 😩 so I keep going into flare.
My GP won’t see me and insists I go to A&E. I also rang 111 for dr advice there and because the pain radiates to my back they tried to send an ambulance.

@Besidemyselfwithworryi think at the moment I’m having acute attacks on top of chronic 😞

I paid for a private consultation and tests (on the advice of my GP) then got referred back to the NHS for ongoing treatment (where I saw the same specialist)

This sounds awful I think I’d potentially consider it but I’d try camping out in A&E a couple more times first as they may see you and could save you money. 💰

Yes all of the consultants seem to do nhs and private work within the same area at least that’s the case in Notts/leicester

Honestly it does not sound all that affordable if you are already in debt, even "manageable" debt. But quality of life is so important.

I think first I would try GP or 111 again, say no to an ambulance but if they are saying go to A&E, take their advice. Having been sent home previously due to lack of beds doesn't mean you can't use this route again in another flare. You might have to try more than once but it sounds to me like you shouldn't give up on this route yet. You can always go private if this still doesn't work after a couple more tries.