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.

I had no idea you could get fibro from an RTA. That's some shit luck.

I could never afford private healthcare. I can understand why you would feel bad and I possibly would too. However, if you can afford it then it takes some pressure off the nhs which must be a good thing.

You may feel it’s elitist but Do you not think people who can pay for healthcare should pay rather than getting the state to pay out of money they can ill afford and then cutting services to people in desperate need in order to be able to pay for your healthcare?

I have fibromyalgia. I went to gp saying this is what I think I have, gp agreed and sent me to rheumatology. Dr there agreed, said basically "you've got fibro, here's a leaflet, see ya!" And discharged me. My gp has been the most help, they are the ones that started me on the meds. They also referred me to the pain clinic which helped.

My point is, going private might not make much difference. The hosp will only give you a diagnosis, and proving you got it from a car accident is going to be really difficult.

Ps sorry you've got this shit condition op

BTW, I don't know if this will help you but I am on amitryptiline (helps sleep and nerve pain), gabapentin (nerve pain), paracetamol (obvs) and nefopam - really good painkiller that is on a level with tramadol but isn't addictive. There's anti inflammatories you can take too if your CRP levels are up. I can't take those though due to other conditions. Thought it might help for you to know which drugs are available so you can bring them up with your dr

No, auntiepatricia, I don't. The more people who pay, the worse the NHS will get. It will end up as a substandard service for the very poorest and emergencies. The same as the more people who pay for education, the worse state schools will get. I don't want to live in a two tier society.

Clair you do realise crp levels don't raise with fibro don't you? If they're raised then there's something else going on or you have an infection.

I would.

but keep in mind that seeing the consultant is just one item on the bill.
any tests and medications are billed separately. a simple blood test can easily cost 200£. imaging beyond a simple x-ray is incredibly expensive.

@MeetJoeTurquoise they can be, although they don't raise high like with other conditions. It's just a non-specific indication of inflammation somewhere in the body.

What's the point? There's no treatment for Fibro

Tell
Me
About
It

We’ve tried acupuncture, magnetic bracelet, cdb oil and a whole spectrum of drugs that all get the doctor muttering darkly about reduced kidney function. It’s all of the seven plagues rolled into one and there’s no answe

NoClair that's not correct. I have PsA, an inflammatory arthritis and that can just barely raise crp because of the mechanism of the inflammation. Fibro doesn't do that. Who told you that btw? I'm really interested.

The money would be an issue at the moment but the quicker the process moves on, the quicker I could get the payout.

Be aware the claim process can take a long time. My friend was seriously injured and left with life changing injuries in a RTA, the other motorist's fault, his insurance accepted liability. 18 months down the line the claim is nowhere near settled. Friend was advised they needed him rehabilitated to the best of his ability before they can assess a payout. He was advised by his solicitor to log all expenses and keep receipts. Unfortunately no amount of money can give him back the life he had.

Oh and magnesium supplements help greatly with muscle fatigue and restless legs.

@MeetJoeTurquoise happy to be corrected if I am wrong. The rheumatologist said it.

Oh my Clair that's not great if a rheumatologist said that and I'd go as far to say they were being a bit lazy and didn't investigate properly.

If you can afford it go private.
Yes you’re looking at about £250 for initial consult but if you’ve going down the private route after that can you afford it?
Don’t feel bad about paying for your health

@MeetJoeTurquoise oh yes he definitely was! I was lucky in a way really that I knew what was going on myself, and my gp has done all the blood tests beforehand so although I was a bit at being discharged so early I wasn't really bothered. If I didn't have a good gp itd be another matter!

I’d agree with posters who found there’s not much treatment on offer. I have a similar problem. Pain clinic helped with a course (psychological stuff), otherwise pain meds and something to help me sleep - your GP can offer you these without a referral to a rheumatologist. However, if it’s more for the legal side you may prefer not to wait. I’m not sure how it’s proven to be linked, these thing are hard to evidence. I presume you’d need expert testimony which you’d pay for, or the lawyers would.

I would pay for private treatment if I needed it and could afford it. I work for the NHS and believe that healthcare should be free for everyone. However, the reality is that the NHS I can't cope demand. By paying to be seen privately, you're not 'jumping the queue', but it means you're not taking up a place in the queue and making the waiting list even longer.

In the meantime, have you looked into natural therapies to help relieve the symptoms? If it is fibro, there's not really much the Drs can do. One of my friends has it and has given up on the drugs as the side effects were so awful. She controls it through diet, CBD oil, supplements, etc.

@bluelady surely it’s basic decency to pay your own way so that those who can’t can receive a better service? Welfare only works as a safety net not a free for all.

I'm already on 10mg Amitriptyline and Tramodol every day due to pain issues and neurology issues.
I was put on Amitryptiline because of my migraines. I was then told to come off them and this is when the symptoms started. I had pain all over, I couldn't move my joints without it burning. Certain parts of my body are very sensitive to pain such as my collar bone, ankles, lower back, elbow etc. I also have the fatigue which is nothing I've ever experienced. I also have issues with my memory and concentration.

It's not just for the compensation payout it's also to protect me at work. I know there's no cure, that it will be a mixture of medication etc. I just want to move on from the accident and everything associated with it.

Apparently, just over 60% of people involved in car accidents develop Fibromyalgia afterwards.

I have always and will always support the NHS despite the fact that they misdiagnosed me for over three years, that I caught an infection that has permanently scared my kidney. Who does it help if I'm stuck on a waiting list for 4 months plus? I feel like crap, I could end up losing my job and I'm ill for longer.

My ESR levels are very raised and I've been told by three different rheumatogists that it happens with Fibro. I was diagnosed ten years ago and have had many clear blood tests for other conditions.

@Andromeida59 tramadol is evil stuff. Try nefopam

@racecardriver, I don't live in the US. The NHS isn't "welfare" nor is it a safety net for those who can't pay for healthcare. As I said upthread, if enough people opt out of the NHS healthcare in the UK will go down the American route and I can think of nothing I want less.

@bluelady so do I. A government service provided for the benefit of citizens is by definition a form of welfare.

You clearly don’t know much about US healthcare (it is very complicated and not straight forward private free marketism). A better alternative is the Australian system which provides state funded care to those who cannot afford it free or to those who can afford it at a reduced cost/at cost. There are problems in that system too but it’s not a case ofNHS or US style system. If more British people took responsibility for their own costs then the NHS wouldn’t be so shit and poor people wouldn’t have to suffer the consequences. What you are suggesting is a race to the bottom and not reasonable. It’s better that those who can avoid putting pressure on the NHS do so.