To be so angry with the nhs and considering complaining with the view to being compensated?

[shebuildsquickmachines]

I know this will divide opinions so I'm prepared to be flamed

For 17 years I had thyroid issues. I had yearly appointments with endocrinology and every time I went I was feeling progressively worse and worse which I told them.

I was never given any medication or any further help,
I always felt fobbed off . On top of that I had thyroid nodules that gave me an enlarged thyroid gland) which gave me a very unattractive swollen neck. It even affected my breathing. This slowly got worse over time. It destroyed my confidence and self esteem and even worse there was a chance that it could develop into thyroid cancer. So I had the feeling I was living with a ticking time bomb.

I have wanted the whole thing removed for a long time but everyone kept fobbing me off. Despite the fact that there is a gmail history of thyroid issues on my mums side (mum, 4 aunts and grandmother all had theirs removed for same reason) I felt so awful all the time that I could barely work plus I was constantly anxious. Luckily my husband works so I did not need to try and get benefits etc

Last year I decided enough was enough. And we used a credit card and paid privately for the operation. From seeing the consultant to getting the all clear after my op was 6 weeks, at the cost of £7000

I literally now feel like a new woman. I have to take thyroxin replacement hormones but My energy is sky high, I feel great, I sleep better, I even look so much better. When I look at pics taken of me in the last couple of years I honestly looked so poorly, my face was pale and bloated and I just looked ill

Don't get me wrong I am so happy to be well again. But I'm in debt due to having an op that I should have had on the nhs. and I am also so angry that I was put through almost two decades of feeling absolutely shit and no one helping me. I feel like I should have some sort of payback.

Would there be any point complaining ? I know the nhs is on its knees due to underfunding which didn't exactly help matters.

You had a crap time, but honestly, the chances of you successfully suing the NHS are just about nil. Last year, I was on a ventilator due to Covid. The hospital took me off it to see if I'd be ok to breathe - after a day, they realised I'd need to go on the ventilator again, but instead of injecting me with the sedative, they wrongly used adrenaline, which sent my BP up to 350 top figure. I then had a stroke and altogether was in hospital for a further 4 weeks. The hospital told me all this after I'd been discharged home. A full investigation was done, and they sent me the 5-page report. They say the stroke was caused by Covid, no other reason. I can't get a solicitor to take a case on.

To be fair you didn't have ro suffer 17 years since you went pirate you could have done that years ago, unfortunately the NHS is under funded and understaffed and milder problems do get pushed aside until they are extreme if they thought the surgery was needed they would have done it

I’m sorry you’ve felt so rubbish for so long and pleased the surgery has really helped.

unfortunately the NHS is not a bottomless pit and not all procedures can be funded. I don’t know about the specific procedure you mention but most would have criteria that need to be met for it to be funded. If that is the case then I would assume you’d need to provide evidence that you met that criteria and therefore your condition was not managed appropriately. I would start by going to PALS with your concerns and asking why you were never offered the operation.

If you want compensation you’ll need to see a lawyer, they’ll tell you whether you have a case. Simple as that really!

That's a high dose, but of course, everyone's needs are different. But please ask your gp for a check on your levels if you are feeling ill. So many things can play havoc with levothyroxine, so dose sometimes needs titrating 😋

Holy crap 😱

You couldn't resist could you?

What a sad life you must lead

The NHS is really delivering minimum care to many people now.

My dd had a baby 8 weeks ago.
He was very snuffly at 6 weeks and as she was passing she popped into her gp surgery and asked if a Dr could listen to his chest. She was told no and take him to A&E if you're worried.
Dd then asked if she could book an appointment for herself. Although she was stood at the desk dd was told to go home and book the appointment online.
Absolutely bloody ridiculous.

I live in France. Several friends have had surgery and the nurse visits at home from day one to change dressings, administer medication.
French health care is like the NHS was in the 70's before the defunding.
30 years of Tory government since 1979 have shafted the NHS.

Who gives a shit what they think. It clearly was needed!
Sorry, but also having thyroid issues and a lack of decent treatment, I feel quite strongly about this and I am sick of people trying to excuse the crappy NHS.

@Whooshaagh

i agree it’s absurd. DS had a chest infection and I was told to download livi and try to find someone to do a video call. Because a video can listen to a chest…. 😒 the GP system as is doesn’t work.

but then there are people who go to the doctor needlessly/because they are bored or lonely - a friend of mine is a newly qualified GP and quite shocked at the time wasters/people who don’t show up to appts someone else could have had!

It's absolutely disgusting that people are treated so badly for a service that they have spent their working lives paying for! I have endo and I spent several thousand before lockdown for endometriosis surgery As it was not looking likely on the NHS. I had been waiting a year. I kept my name on the waiting list and it has now all grown back.
despite being on the list since February 2019 I have been told that it's unlikely to be any time soon. It was all over my bowel last time and I think it's the same again. I also have numbness going down one leg. I have had to give up a career in education because I physically couldn't cope any longer.

It's ruining lives.
If you have the resources please fight them!

@Neverplayleapfrogwithaunicorn

post surgery did you go on the coil or similar? I was told that the coil in particular minimises bleeding during periods and less bleeding during menstrual cycles = less retrograde bleeding (as in bleeding outside of the uterus). Just in case that helps!

Sadly I had my private surgery in February 2022 and there was a surgical accident with my bladder.. that took 2 months to heal and I had my catheter removed the day before lockdown in the private hospital that was hurriedly being commandeered for long term NHS patients. By the time it was all over lockdown wise it had already grown back.
I cannot get anyone to see me to even check my bladder or endo. One video call is all I have managed with my GP in 2 years!
I may ask about the coil if I ever get seen.

@RollOnWinter This level of failing is much more on par with my experiences and is why I think it's utterly pointless for OP to pursue any kind of litigation.

Personal healing is the best goal. Grieve and rebuild.

@Badbadbunny No one is saying OP shouldn't complain.

@BattenbergdowntheHatches
You have absolutely no knowledge of the severe medical trauma and grieving process that has led me to hold this view, so please gtfo. My level of disability is incredibly profound and evidently not comprehensible to you - it rarely is to anyone I encounter on MN. Just count yourself lucky that you don't get it.

Is it free in France? That sounds lovely - completely free wonderful health care. I didn't realise.

@Angrymum22 You have no idea what it's like living with substantially disabling illness if you can say this. Your other shitty comment about just sucking it up? Lmfao, that isn't how serious disability works and honestly just sounds so ridiculous. It's nice for you that you can manage; I wouldn't wish the opposite on anyone, ever. But don't lecture seriously unwell people like OP on how they should've just Done Better. You don't get it.

She won't succeed in an attempt to sue, sure. But your take on this is just callous as hell.

There is no way you are going to get any money from the NHS. Plus, with the state of the NHS I wouldn’t be looking to take money from them anyway, they need all the help you can get!

Yes your situation had an impact on your life, but loads of people are in the same situation at the moment due to backlogs and having to wait for treatment etc. I know there is loads of operations NHS don’t offer and people have to go private for, but with the NHS, you get what you pay for in this day and age unfortunately, it’s completely overwhelmed and I would be extremely surprised if it was still going in X amount of years to come.

People who have been left severely disabled, brain damaged, never have a normal life again - of course sue, but in this case you’re not going to get very far at all.

And I’ll just point out I’ve been waiting 3 years for the NHS to investigate health issues with me that have stopped me from having any quality of life at all so believe me I understand

May I ask if your blood work showed any abnormality with your thyroid? We only treat if there is evidence of hyper- or hypothyroidism. Thyroid nodules are not uncommon but the protocol is if you or your GP is concerned, request an ultrasound scan of the thyroid +- a fine needle aspiration (this is decided by the radiologist performing the scan if they think it might be malignant). If the nodules were so large they were affecting your swallowing or breathing (by extension) then this should have been investigated. All NHS hospitals have PALS team who advocate for patients and they are usually the first port of call. If you make a complaint, they will then contact your NHS consultant and inform them and then usually whoever was in charge of your overall care needs to provide a statement.

This with bells on. Insurance covers the cost of negligence not NHS funding. The shameful and shocking delay injured patients have to endure is a damning indictment of the system as it stands. NHS lawyers delay and delay cases. Our case has been 7 years and no end in sight, despite clear and obvious negligence.

@shebuildsquickmachines As far as OPs post goes, it would have to be proven that the lack of action by the medics caused injury. It has to be proven that the actions of the medics fell short of what was a standard adhered to by the majority of similarly qualified doctors. It would have to be proven that they didn't follow guidelines (eg NICE) if such guidelines existed at the time of the alleged negligence.

In all honesty if nodules were not considered to be dangerous and the breathlessness was a late occurance that would probably have prompted surgery anyway. Its unclear whether the thyroid was under or overactive? Its unclear how this was treated. Cosmetic considerations would be not relevant. If the proposed operation, with the risk of damage to sensitive structures in the neck was not considered necessary following this risk assessment, then any case would fail.

A solicitor specialising in medical negligence would look at the case for you and give you an honest assessment.

That's not how it works 🙄

OP, it might be worth seeing a medical negligence lawyer and they will tell you if you have a case. A family member is going through something similar but was left paralysed and the hospital suggested she sued.

I'm glad you're feeling better😊

This comment is so abliest. So disabled people who cant pay into the system dont deserve healthcare is what you are saying