Which would you chooose 6 weeks wait on NHS or next week private?

[Katymac]

DH has chronic asthma

In 1993 he had his first & worst asthma attack and was very ill for 15-18 months then gradually got better until he had about half of his lung function

He has been medically retired since and has had better bits (very few) and worse bits (very few) - it's just been nice & the same with an occasional chest infection.

But this last year it has been bizarre - he has now had 12 lots of a/b's & 3 lots of steroids in 12 months

So we are off to see a consultant - which way?

I think I am avoiding going to bed

Go get some sleep Katymac

Hope the appt. with the consultant goes well.

but she sounds a bit scared, crunchie.

i don't know, i can see it.

some good friend of MIL, the husband, he was supposed to wait 8 months for PET scan about his prostate cancer to see if it had spread.

he was really freaked out. i mean, it was cancer.

so we all had a whipround and sold some stuff at car boot sales so he could pay for the £800 scan and i did some pub quizzes with a couple of academic pals to help.

i dunno. just, it was charley, you know. he's a good man. we didn't want to see him and his wife waiting when it pained them so much and already dealing with cancer. he's only 64 and they've adopted their grandson.

we felt so bad because those people they worked so hard all their lives. and they were stuck waiting so long for proper care.

luckily, it hadn't spread.

i know. it (the system) just pisses me off

My dad went private for some scans when he had breathing problems having waited months (and had several scans cancelled via the NHS). In fact the NHS didn't work at all for him. He saw the consultant, then made a second consultants appointment, in the meantime was meant to get a scan. The scan didn't happen before the consultants appointment and the consultant said there was no point seeing him until he had had the scan. IN the end the consultant told him to go private if he could. So he had the scan privately and then saw the NHS consultant who was able to diagnose pleural plaques. God knows what will happen if he needs a future scan (pleural plaques can progress).

ep I know of course she is worried, I guess I meant in general IYKWIM..
Hey I pull strings too My bro is a Dr and I pulled teh biggest strings when I was ill, so totally understand, but I see the otherside (He is pure NHS) and see when it works (My mum) and cannot fault he care me and my family have had when needed IYKWIM>

PS EP - Good luck and take care (shan't put a hug as they make me want to vom!!)

Sorry I was such a wuss yesterday - I am feeling a bit stronger today

Much as I am in favour of socialised medicine (and I've seen the different models first hand in my job), I took DS to a private consultant to get to the bottom of his lung problems.
Within 2 weeks of seeing the consultant he had had allergy tests, adenoid x rays (to see if he was in a reinfection cycle), seen an ENT specialist to assess his adenoids, had audiology tests for the glue ear caused by the adenoids, started new drug regime which was explained in total detail with reasoning, was on chest physio to clear the lung collapse that reassesment of his nhs xrays showed was the actual problem. Then had followup and tests to make sure that other possibilities were covered off. Given consultants mobile number to call if we were in any doubt, and given a plan of what to do in the future. It had taken 5 months to get the GP to admit there might be a problem...
Couldn't fault it at all, and the continuity of care was excellent cos the consultant actually knew us, and was the one getting things done for DS.

Wish I'd paid private, and in future would be very likely to go private if in same situation again.

I was told I'd have a 6 month wait, I actually had a 9 month wait, then a cancelled op with another 3 month wait after that - so a year iin total. All the time I was in pain. And I'd have had same consultant, everything.

So I have no hesitantion in syaing if you can afford it, then yes, go private and get it done quicker.

If you can afford it, and you don't have to suffer for it in other ways, go private.

DS2 has a whole string of medical issues, and we were told he had glue ear. We elected to go private. DH rang up the consultant on the Friday, he had an appt on the Monday, and the op on the following Thursday.

All went smoothly, and now he can hear.

We got a letter from the NHS last week inviting us to call for an appt - I made an appt for him to see the dr (same one who did it privately) for January - who knows how long we would have to wait for the op on the NHS (were told by the audiologist the wait was "endless").

I have a chronic health condition, and I have been seen once privately, but for this issue I agree it is better to stick with the NHS - I have been seen at the same hospital for almost six years, and they saw me safely through two pregnancies. It would have cost a huge fortune privately (and no insurance would have covered it), and I doubt very much I could have got better care especially in the pregnancies, anywhere else in the world...

go private

Does he feel physically/mentally up to a 6 week wait? If not, then go private.

so sorry to hear your husband is unwell, V.Stressful for all of you. frankly if you can go privte hope all goes well. best wishes