to not go private for healthcare?

[rrrrrreatt]

I have a lifelong ENT issue that causes hearing loss and ear infections. T-tube surgery temporarily fixes it and when my ears heal over they remove the tubes, give me a hearing aid and put me in my waiting list for more surgery.

I’ve always been cared for by the NHS and pre-pandemic my care was amazing. I had my last surgery in 2019 but I had very little follow up care due to the pandemic. Now my ears have healed again but I can’t get any treatment. I keep getting ear infections, I can’t hear very well and my ears are blocked as the tubes are stuck.

I was seen once after months of calling but there was no audiology (they’d booked me into the wrong clinic) and I needed a follow up appointment within 2 weeks for t-tube removal which hasn’t happened.

I call regularly, raised a complaint with PALS which went unanswered, was referred to a satellite clinic who also never got in contact, etc. I’ve now been told I can maybe have a phone appointment in a month’s time. I completely understand it’s not the staffs’ fault, they’re all lovely and clearly work hard and I’m sure there’s a huge list of people like me post-pandemic they’re trying to deal with.

It’s really starting to grind me down - I’m in my early 30s and it’s so limiting being unable to hear. It makes it hard to go about my life and it’s impacting my confidence (I have anxiety anyway). We did look into getting a confidence & companion hearing dog to help me feel better about going out on my own but they understandably won’t start the application process without a recent hearing test evidencing my hearing loss. I think about another 40-50 years like this and I feel so depressed.

I’ve expressed this to my friends and family and some have said I should go private if I’m that bothered. We’re not on the breadline but I don’t think we can afford a lifetime of consultant appointments, audiology tests, hearing aids, surgeries, etc. When I said this to one friend they said I’d “find” the money if it was really that bad.

AIBU to complain but not try and go private for treatment, even though it’s making me really unhappy?

I'm not sure anyone can answer this for you. I've had lots of private cover from DHs work and it saved my life and sanity. But obviously you're within your right to wait for NHS treatment. 🤷‍♀️

In a nice way, your friend has a point, assuming she didn’t say it horribly. You’re suffering here, and while you should be able to expect the NHS to treat you and it’s outrageous that they aren’t, there isn’t anything that’s more important than your health. She probably doesn’t like seeing you struggling when she (maybe wrongly) perceives that you could afford to do something about it.

A private consultation would be worth looking into, even if just to find out how affordable it might be and it wouldn’t mean that you’re signing yourself up to a lifetime of costs for it. It can work alongside NHS treatment if you can afford it.