To think that, unless you can pay for it, access to healthcare is being kept away / gatekept?

[Neoerna]

Sorry I am so upset right now.
I've been having gynae problems for two years. I put up with it hoping it would get better, for ages, but my quality of life is really affected.
Basically I have at least one prolapse. It's got worse recently and I spend most of my time hobbling around like an old lady at 35, feeling like everything is going to fall out of me ): ): , sex is awful, I have had to leave my physical job, my hobbies are no longer enjoyable because they involved lots of walking and lifting.

I first paid for pelvic floor specialist physio because I thought it could help. She said yes prolapse but pelvic floor strong and it's ligament damage so physio won't help. Also tried privately pessaries but they gave me infections. I ran out of money. I went to the GP and after a couple of times back and forth, she referred me to Gynae.

I've now been sent a letter saying that due to the recovery from pandemic, demand is high, and that I am being offered 'advice that I can follow sent to my GP' !!

What is this??!! Do we not even have a healthcare system anymore??

I had prepared for a long wait, but hadn't prepared to be basically gatekept away from healthcare because I don't have money to pay private 😥😥

I agree. The 18 year old friend of my son has been told he needs an operation for pectus excavatum as scans have shown his ribs are compressing his heart and lungs. He is a fit, active lad, (swimmer/lifeguard) and this is causing breathing difficulties, lack of stamina, pain, dizziness etc).

In 2019 the NHS decided to comepletely unfund this relatively simple procedure and the only way to get it done is to pay private (estimated cost £18,000). For the child of a single parent who has also been a young carer this amount of money is totally unobtainable. He is meant to be going to university next year. Its so wrong.

DHwent to GP with a dodgy mole on Tues. They did a 2ww referral. He got a phone call from dermatology next daý and has an appointment in 5 days.
I can't believe how quick it is, I warned him to expect to wait months.
However our local nhs dermatology is contracted out to virgin.

I keep typing this - the government voted AGAINST brexit at the time.

Presumably you’re one of the idiots who voted for JC. If they’d been a credible alternative at the last election, Boris would never have won.

there was massive underfunding between 2010 and 2018 yes definitely. But, there are other issues too. Including mismanagement. Which is why people need to complain if. Guidelines aren’t being followed and they’re being robbed off.

you still haven’t said how your original post is even vaguely helpful to the OP?

I can't have localised oestrogen as I've had breast cancer unfortunately.

The govt instigated the referendum

The govt couldn't vote against brexit. Only individuals

And no. I dont vote Labour

It's absolute nonsense to blame and opposing party for the failings of the governing one.

Oh sorry, I smashed into and totalled your car. But if you had made sure I went a different way it wouldn't have happened

🤣

I had very similar prolapse issues to you from early 30’s.
My suggestion would be for you to book a private gynae consultant appt and see if they can give you an indication of likelihood of NHS giving you treatment and or fast track you into the system

BUT research very carefully who you see and I’d suggest it’s a urogynae in London, the NHS pathway should have much better options at large London hospitals than small local ones and often in my personal experience much better / knowledgable doctors..

Not quite the same but a relative was struggling to get NHS care, they booked one private appt £350, had thorough review and was then put into NHS under same consultant and within space of 6 months has has multiple appointments, mri, endoscopy, dietician, follow up calls etc

It's not derailing the post. I would say it's highly fucking relevant. We are in this mess because of the current government. Stop making lame excuses for them!

I've recently had to pay to go privately.

NHS said minimum 12 months wait just for an initial consultation. I paid £120 and was seen the next week, two weeks later investigation done, four weeks later having treatment. Obviously this has been costly but I felt I had no choice but to pay.

Children’s services are a shit show and children’s community services are even worse as the waiting lists are not published.

Feb 2022 tried to get hold of HV for advice as DS not speaking. Managed to get a call back from a community HW who put DS on the wait list for SLT as wait list is a year long. Rang up this week and DS will not be assessed until August 2023 (18 months) at the earliest and then don’t know who long to get any speech therapy. The two year HV checks are running behind which is normally when a child would be referred. If I had waited until DS had his two year check to flag my concerns and get DS referred he would not be seen until after his 4th birthday (May 2024). Since he is due to start school in September 2024 I don’t feel I can wait that long and have had to look at private options. It’s a stretch for us but we will find the money. Many families won’t be able to and will risk their children starting school with limited or no speech.

@ThatsGoingToHurt

Yep. My son is nearly 4 non verbal and no communication system, we've had two short blocks of SLT since we referred him at 2. It's woefully inadequet. He needs weekly support

YANBU.

I’ve had IBS for over 20 years, manageable though. It changed this year and I spend at least an hour on the toilet every day, often 3, and throw up every single day.

GP’s response to this was to give me an IBS leaflet. I went to a different GP and thank goodness they’ve referred me. But they don’t care about the daily vomiting.

It's health insurance so it will preclude pre-existing conditions and you'll have a minimum time as a member before you can claim. So not much use for you now sadly.

Completely agree. I'm having to go through bupa for everything now. I've got endo which was removed in 2019 and now back and it looks like I'll be waiting for a year just for another consultation. Sorry you're going through this.

If you're vomiting early morning only then it's very common with reflux, I've seen a few patients recently who's symptoms settled with a PPI (omeprazole or similar).

Could also be a H.Pylori infection for which you'd need a stool sample tested (prior to starting the PPI).

Honestly, it is the same price for everyone. My laser surgery was around 4K and it was paid for no problem. They seem really good. Have a look online Benenden health

My veins were pre-existing but yes you had to be joined 6 months before using. Their GP line you can use from the start.

I’m confused as to why you think your care is being denied/ gatekeeper to you. You asked your GP for a referral by the sounds of it some time after choosing to go private and when you have been told about waiting times, rather than being left with no support you have been told that your GP will provide interim support u too you get an appointment. Have I read that right?
The NHS in Scotland at least is not broken but we have an ageing population with an increase in people in general accessing healthcare from a staff group which hasn’t recovered from the pandemic despite additional SG monies.
What is broken is the goodwill of staff who simply cannot fill the gaps from reality and expectations.

Totally agree with this. A close friend has recently recovered cancer and the NHS are totally on it with her. She get seen within days for things.

I am lucky enough not to have any major chronic health issues, which I count my blessings for on a daily basis. But it is literally impossible for me to get seen by a GP unless I take a half day holiday from work. The only way to get seen is to queue for more than an hour outside the GP's surgery at 8am. There's literally no other way to do it: the phone and online bookings systems are utterly unusable.

It means that there are various low-level issues I have which just don't get looked at. There's no healthcare vigilance, no ability to sense check issues or just get advice.

I hate to compare myself to someone who has a life-threatening disease, and of course its right that the NHS prioritises people with cancer but the contrast is quite striking. And it makes a mockery of the idea of preventative medicine and staying on top of your health.

Thanks everyone who has replied to my post. I'm sorry to hear so many are in similar positions.

@OldWivesTale The gynae you saw absolutely fobbed you off. In the link that @underneaththeash posted , the NICE guidelines, there are definitely other surgeries which don't require hysterectomy. I've been looking into it too (well might as well since if I eventually ever get seen, I want to be informed), and yes hysterectomy can just trade one set of problems for another in some cases. Unless your uterus has other problems or is 'bulky' , then there are other surgeries definitely. I'm sorry about your UTI symptoms, I have this too and that's another concern for me re hysterectomy. I cannot believe they are trying to fob me off with 'advice that I can follow to be given to my GP'. It's like living in some parallel universe!!

I do believe the government could fund the NHS to get back on it's feet, but they just don't want to, it's not in their ideology like you say, and as someone who cannot pay for healthcare, I am very very scared right now.

@Greenqueen40 Thanks, that sounds useful. I don't have 1k though.

@Addictedtohotbaths Thanks for this, is useful. I don't even have the money for an initial consult right now, but I could maybe save it over time. I definitely do not have the money for surgery though, and I've spent all my savings trying everything that the NHS say I need to before considering surgery (which I wouldn't want if not needed, believe me!), but now I am being prevented from even seeing a consultant. Can I ask, did you get treatment and how are you now?

@SleepyRich Yes, I think that is what's happening. Deliberate underfunding so they can push private, and it is dangerous. I'm not blaming GPs at all, mine have been quite good all the way through the pandemic. I'm just desperate because my symptoms are life altering and I am not even being offered a consultant appointment.

I thought you might blame the patriarchy given your posts elsewhere.😂

@giggly No, you have not heard that right. I went private for pelvic floor physio and pessary because those are first line treatments, and I was hoping those might help so I didn't need to ask for help at an overstretched time. I spent all my meagre savings on this (physio and pessaries aren't that expensive). My GP then referred me and I have been sent a letter saying that I am not being offered a consultant appointment at all, but I am being offered 'advice I can follow sent to my GP' .
I don't think it's an unreasonable 'patient expectation' to get help with my organ literally falling down, and all the symptoms it causes, no!

You’re absolutely right OP. Anyone who can’t afford private healthcare needs to STOP VOTING TORY.

This

@Neoerna I did all the physio, tried a pessary then had double repair, (bowel and bladder), that failed, had another repair of both with hysterectomy, that failed within 6 months.

I have an underlying connective tissue disorder (EDS) which means tissues are crap to begin with plus all the chidbirth trauma means I’m beyond help now really. If I was you I’d want to make sure I didn’t have anything like that before I underwent a repair. I was told I was very young to have such bad prolapses and now know why…

Symptom wise, it’s much better than it was, but still aware and going to toilet can be v difficult and have had to massively modify my life in terms of exercise, diet, no running, lifting where possible (v difficult as single parent) and I’m now registered disabled (alongside other comorbidities with the EDS).

Full disclosure I have private health insurance so had surgery without having to wait, I was very lucky.

I’m sorry you’re having such difficulties and being unsupported, it really is both a distressing and isolating condition that nobody talks about in real life but can impact you daily.

if you do have surgery you must be SO careful after so as not to undo the work. NO lifting etc

In 1986, things were so bad that I ended up having to pay privately for a hysterectomy.

Despite the billions endlessly thrown at it, the NHS still seems to struggle.🙄