To go private AIBU?

[Andromeida59]

Hi. Backstory, in an accident nearly a year ago. Going through MIB. It's now looking like I've developed Fibromyalgia. The GP is referring me to the hospital but it's a minimum 18 week wait this will have to be followed by a visit to one of the MIN specialists. Going through the NHS it would take 8 months minimum (NHS appt and MIB appt).
If I go private I could have an appointment within a few days which means I could start treatment earlier and I could get the process moving quicker.

I feel really uncomfortable about going private. It will cost around £250 for an appointment but I could also, potentially, claim this back. I just feel confused.

Why are you uncomfortable? Will it be a struggle to afford it?

I don’t know what MIB is but what treatment are you hoping they will start as there is no fibro treatment? If you can afford it then go private

Do you mean the MIN? If so I know a lot of people who go private for rheumatology for the first appointment and then transfer onto the consultants nhs list.

Sorry, the MIB is the Motor Insurance Bureau. I'm hoping to claim from them for the accident.

There is certain treatment for Fibromyalgia with medication etc. I would just like it managed and also I'd feel that being diagnosed would just allow me to move on. The last year has been exhausting. The money would be an issue at the moment but the quicker the process moves on, the quicker I could get the payout.

You get diagnosed with fibro by a rheumatologist who rules everything else out first. You might not get treatment for anything on a first visit. And you probably wouldn't get a diagnosis straight away either.

It took ages for my best friend to be diagnosed with fibro, if you can get in to be seen go for it but I'm not sure you will get an answer and treatment as quickly as that.
Sorry OP, fibro is horrible and I feel for anyone suffering. My bf has had a terrible time with it.

Paying for healthcare makes me very uncomfortable too. However, I need eye surgery for which there is a waiting list of almost two years here. By then I'll probably be almost blind in one eye. So, I'm putting my principles in my pocket and having private surgery. Life's too short to not be able to see properly.

If you can afford it why do you feel bad? The NHS is stretched to capacity, in many cases it’s fairly poor anyway. By going private you see a specialist quickly and efficiently at a time to suit you. I don’t get the angst. Unless it’s an emergency, as I have insurance, I would never use the NHS as a first option.

I have had numerous blood tests etc. and nothing has shown up. The symptoms all seem to coincide with Fibromyalgia. It's a nightmare but it's what my GP and Physio think it is. I just don't know enough about a private consult and this is also making me nervous.

A lot of people - including me - see it as elitist. I feel guilty paying for better, quicker treatment when others can't.

A private consult will be With a consultant. You won’t see a registrar. They will have the time to actually listen to you and will either book you in for more tests or will give you a diagnosis. If you need more tests you can go back on the NHS or you can arrange to have them quickly and conveniently at the private hospital. In my experience there is simply no comparison in care. The consultant should also have an NHS practice. The main difference in private and NHS is a) time they can spend with you and b) ability to order tests you need without being bound to finance. Oh and an appointment is not a half day outing, it’s quick and efficient.

I went through a legal claim which involved attending some private medical appointments in order to shorten the waiting time. I did claim these costs although it was a long time before I was reimbursed.

However you would have to prove that the accident caused your (possible) fibromyalgia which might be quite difficult. So yes, I would go privately in your position but only if you can afford it. Scans, blood tests etc can really add up fast. Getting a quick appointment and having the time and space to really discuss your problems is great though.

My experience of switching between NHS and private for the same condition is that it can cause quite a few administrative problems even if it’s the same doctor in The private wing of the nhs facility. Letters, notes etc were all kept separately.

I hope you get some answers and feel better soon.

I'm not sure it's worth spending the money and I have fibromyalgia. Rheumatology can spend years testing you too, and the number of tests you'll have will add up to quite a lot. They can take 10+ blood samples every time. After diagnosis you probably won't get much support either.

Don’t feel guilty in the slightest.

I did. I felt really uncomfortable, but then I found a company (via another mumsnet thread!) that was founded and is run by NHS doctors. They describe themselves as supporting the NHS by taking pressure off. So far my experience has been brilliant. Called county medical if anyone interested.

You go for it OP

If you afford it, do it. It might not be Fibro, but that's also a disease of exclusion - they check other possibilities first - and very, very few GPs either know of or are permitted to order the sort of blood tests a Rheumatologist can.

Getting that first appointment can get you seen again within the NHS earlier, as the consultant will add you onto his NHS list afterwards (assuming you can't afford to stay going private when it's possible Fibro would not be deemed to be as a result of your accident and you'd therefore not get any refund of expenses).

Don't feel guilty. It would be better if nobody had to do it, but that's how it is and there is no comfort to be gained from waiting months for an appointment purely because suffering gives 'a higher moral ground'.

@bluelady I absolutely get where you're coming from. However where do you draw the line? Should I not own my home because it's elitest? Should I not have gone to university for the same reason?

I was tested for Fibromyalgia three years ago as part of another investigation and they categorically ruled it out.
I'm sick of being sick, I'm sick of having the accident constantly hanging above my head. I'm sick of having to take time off work. I'm sick of the flare ups and every joint hurting. I just want my life back without constant hospital appointments.

Do not see paying as elitist. My dh used his private medical insurance for cardiology, it affords a faster consult and none of us should feel guilty about that.
As long as you understand it's a long process with rheumatology then I'd go for it.

I did this. I saw my GP numerous times, had blood tests and nothing showed up so he said I could see a rheumatologist but there was a long wait so I paid and saw one in a couple of weeks and he diagnosed fibromyalgia by examining me and testing pressure points etc. Cost me £189. Be aware that treatment is just painkillers and I was offered a low dose of antidepressants to take at night. There isn’t anything you can take to cure it unfortunately it just has to be managed. See in the NHS website www.nhs.uk/conditions/fibromyalgia/treatment/

Nobody will ever stop me feeling guilty. Good healthcare is a fundamental human right, unlike owning a house or getting a degree, neither of which have ever given me a moment's guilt. Blame my socialist upbringing!

Bluelady I didn't have a socialist upbringing but common sense says that if someone has the means to pay private then that's one more appointment available on the nhs. That would negate any guilt I might feel.

I’m a GP who has spent almost 3 decades working in the NHS, and I’m also hugely thankful that my family has private health insurance through my dh’s work. I used private insurance when my dd was born with a hip condition, and my ds saw a private dermatologist when he had acne.

My parents also have private insurance - my dad in particular has had several life-extending things done privately that the NHS would never have covered because of his age.

My point being - principles are all very well but you have to do what’s best for you and your family.

And as someone who works in the NHS, I know that the NHS often isn’t the best.

You can't be tested for fibro. It's an exclusion diagnosis. There's no real treatment, either - years of tears, some random meds to see if they help and clinic referrals, if my experience is anything to go by.

What's the point? There's no treatment for Fibro. Some of the meds are worse than the condition itself.

Stop there's every point. It might not be fibro...