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.

OP focus on your future and building up a successful business that will be infinitely more satisfying than chasing the NHS for years for an elusive payout.
Definitely push for an explanation and a full review of your case since this may encourage better practice going forward.
Our local NHS maternity services nearly killed my DS 2 days after a premature birth. It was negligence but only because they had altered policy ( to save money). No amount of compensation would have put it right but they change policy after this event and as a result when my nephew was born under similar circumstances twelve months later my BIL and SIL didn’t have to go through what we had to.
Hindsight is a truly wonderful thing but time travel is impossible.
I am close to retirement and looking back there are so many things I wish I had done differently. Having faced potential life threatening condition last year I realise I can’t change the past but I can enjoy the future and have learned to let go.
Nothing has come close to the fear and anxiety and sadness of being diagnosed with cancer ( I’ve lost both parents, had several miscarriages and watched my sister go through breast cancer at 34 but being told you have cancer is surreal).
Get on with your life and enjoy your new business.

Op isn’t trying to get payment for her op. She wants acknowledgment and compensation for the many years of pain and suffering prior the operation (the one that the NHS repeatedly told her she didn’t need).

@LuaDipa but it's on the basis that she's paid for an operation privately that has improved her life. I can't see how a compensation claim will be successful as surely it could then set a precedent that anyone can pay for a private operation and if it works then sue the NHS for not doing it themselves.
I do sympathise, DH has gastric issues which effects his life day to day, there are treatments he could try privately that aren't being offered to him on the NHS. It would be great if we could pay then claim the money back from the NHS but it doesn't work like that.
It is fantastic that her operation has worked and her life has been improved. And it's shit that the NHS wouldn't offer the surgery to her and put her through years of hell. Which is why I've said to complain. I can't bring myself to encourage her to get her hopes up for a compensation case though.