You hear a lot about early detection and treatment

[Alloverthegrapevine]

for cancer making such a difference but how urgent is urgent?

DH has a tumour the same size as his kidney, on his kidney. The scan that detected it is now 4 weeks old and confirms that there is no cancer elsewhere but it has attached to a vein, which makes the proposed operation to remove it more complex.

This means it can't be done at our local hospital and he needs to be referred elsewhere. He's been told today that he should "hear from" the other hospital within 2 weeks and then they will schedule the op.

This seems like a long time to deal with something that is time critical to me. How critical is the time taken? What can change with a tumour like this in (say) 2 months?

Essentially, it should be done immediately and if you were using private health care it would be. Unfortunately, the NHS is massively underfunded and that means things take longer than they should. I'm sorry to hear about your DH and hope he hears from the hospital quickly and things get underway soon.

They'll be getting it done as fast as they can - there's a lot of people who have been queued up due to the conversion over to covid isolation wards and back again, but things are happening - my own next appointment for something dodgy has just come through after being cancelled for covid back in March.

DH does actually have private insurance but he's not sure if switching now would actually speed anything up or not?

Many NHS trusts have actually halted routine cancer screening programmes eg bowel cancer screening.

if he has private insurance then yes i think it would be worth activating. there are various chemo drugs that the NHS won't fund due to cost but you can have privately - for breast cancer at any rate. what my friend with breast cancer did to switch to private was phone up the NHS hospital and find out the names of consultants doing private work so she could track them down via the local private hospital.

Indeed,money talks. Those who can afford it are more likely to live and suffer less. Its as simple as that.

Most private hospitals were taken over by the NHS in March. Not sure if that's still the case but I wouldn't cancel the NHS referral as it could well end up being quicker.

Ring up the private insurance and get it done via that, OP. Your insurers might have a list of approved practitioners that you can use. Start with a call to them and do check your policy documents- you don't want to accidentally fall foul of their terms and end up footing the bill yourself!

So an extra couple of weeks really will make a difference?

How quickly would you expect to be able to have the op, if done privately?

DH is concerned that it could actually take longer while the private doctors repeat some if the work that's already been done? Also that it might not be possible because of Covid and that he'll lose his "place" in the NHS queue if he voices an intention to go private.

I'd ring the private healthcare and see what they say. Many will actually give you money for using NHS services instead when you're eligible for private, so it might be worth doing regardless of whether you end up using it.

Sorry to hear about your husbands health must be very scary for you both and hope you're doing well.

You won't lose your place in nhs queue unless you ring them and say you want off the waiting list. You can engage with private health care if you like. You may find the consultant us the same one he's under at the NHS anyway as they often do both. However re surgery at a private facility I'd think carefully - what are their arrangements if your husband becomes ill on the table - is there an ICU for example.

Private can be quick and could probably get the investigation results from the NHS or indeed repeat them quickly privately. This will all be costly - speak to your insurers as to what they will cover.

Lastly as others have said many private hospitals are doing nhs work at present and may not be able to take your case! Best calm round a few and find out what the art of the possible is

However nhs wise they won't let your husband come to home by the delay there are stringent checks to prevent this.

I recently contacted Nuffield health to enquire about their 360 health checkup and was told theyve suspended them. Why jusy why have all the health services shut down? There is no need for it.