Why is the NHS so inadequate? And why did nobody tell me?

[pigleto]

I have been having a bit of a nightmare with the NHS recently. After the NHS breast clinic misdiagnosing my breast lump as a cyst and then as DCIS I finally went private and found that I had a full scale stage three breast cancer which had travelled to my lymph nodes.

I went back to the NHS to organise some chemotherapy but before I started treatment I thought it would be a good idea to get a second opinion. Luckily my family has a fair bit of money and my uncle in law offered to pay for me to visit the Mayo Clinic so I flew out here to america.

So here we are and they have proscribed a different form of chemotherapy which they claim has a 6% increased survival rate over that offered by the NHS. I really don't want to spend the next four months in the states, but I can't ignore the statistics. What am I supposed to do?

The treatment is £2000 more than the one offered by the NHS and it is currently going through NICE. But not fast enough to help me.

Can I just recommend that you all get private health insurance if you can at all afford it.

Basically because we only pay 20% tax

Pigleto, I've been wondering how you are since you posted about your results - how crappy, I would be angry too.
I suppose I'd take the best percentage I could, without having been in your position (yet - who knows)
Is it feasible to stay out there for the treatment?

is it possible for you to pay the £2000 difference - must be cheaper than staying out in the states.

Of course I can stay here if I have to. My parents have offered to sell their house, come to that I have enough equity in my house. I can take ds out of school and he and dd can come over and stay with me in one of these little apartments that they have at the hospital. Dh has already practically chucked in his job so that he can be with me. My chances of survival are low enough that an extra 6% is worth any amount of trouble.

It would all be a lot easier if I could just pay and be treated in the hospital at the end of my road. It is also unbelievably unfair that people who can't afford this literally die for want of £2000.

Poor you pigleto.

I had the opposite experience. I went for an MRI at my local private hospital to speed things up and they told me I had a back injury and refused to listen to my other symptons. The NHS found the (cancerous) tumour and said there was absolutely nothing wrong with my back. I think the NHS is patchy but sadly so is British private health care as it is regulated so poorly. Sadly my DH's health insurance does not give me free choice about where I am treated. I will be unlikely to go private again. It just does not guarantee better treatment. And there are no safeguards.

As for chemo, I think every doctor has a different view of what treatment is best even without NICE being the slowest most bureaucratic system you could wish for. A lot of new treatments are genuinely not proven but our system of approvals is outrageously slow.

I hope your treatment is the right one. Can you manage in the US without your family there? My loaded step brother offered to pay for me to go to a top US hospital and I just didn't want to be away from home or have my treatment in different places. It's a tough call.

I've just read your posts on the other thread, Pigleto, and am glad you are getting the best treatment.

To answer the question about the NHS, at least the NHS is open to all, unlike America's health system. Many poorer people in the US have no health cover at all. My ds lives in Los Angeles, where he knew a fit, healthy 24yo guy who recently died of pneumonia because he couldn't afford health care.

Bets wishes with your care.

I am really really sorry about your diagnosis and what you are going through, Pigleto.

Best wishes.

Really sorry to hear that pigleto Hope all goes well.