Is private gallbladder removal worth it?

[Lilypeach111]

After a horrible bout of gallbladder pain and inflammation (I have a very large gallstone 2.13cm) the NHS waiting list I was told is 8-10months for removal.
Private gallbladder removal is very expensive but is it worth it?bearing in mind the extreme pain I am in currently it seems it would be....

I didn't go private, but have had gallbladder surgery and if you can afford it, I would say absolutely worth it

Did you have to wait long and how was your pain?

I waited and stopped all foods that caused symptoms. Lost several stone very quickly. But yes gallstone pain is horrendous.

Eta i couldn't go private so had to wait due to a medical condition I have.

I'm interested to know waiting times elsewhere in the country? I went to Addenbrookes in Cambridge and 8-10mths wait which seemed like torture

I was seen and had surgery at a private hospital but under the NHS. Could you ask your GP if there are any NHS commissioned private providers they could refer you to. I didn't have to wait too long. My daughter was referred the same and she was given a surgery date for 6-8 weeks following her referral.

I went privately because I had no idea how long it would take on the NHS. I was covered by my employer’s private insurance so it was definitely worth it for me. Apart from the shorter waiting time, things like having your own room with ensuite when you’re recovering make the world of difference.

That's interesting.i think I will ask my GP what the options are as I don't think I can wait 8-10months -even weeks would feel bad at this stage.
Is that because it was an urgent case?

How are your symptoms if you minimise fat in your diet?

I went private but because I have cover through work. For various reasons it was still 2 months from the attack that landed me in A&E. I didn’t have any more attacks in that time because I was really careful with my diet.

No we were both routine referrals. I waited a bit longer, I was referred to one of the Spire hospitals, my daughter was referred to one of the Nuffield hospitals. I'm a medical secretary at a GP surgery so I knew to ask my GP for one of the private providers as an option for my referral.

At the moment it is continuous pain rather than following eating so I'm not sure if the low fat diet will help over time but at the moment there doesn't seem to be a link

I had mine done privately (DHs company insurance) as the radiologist warned me that a gall stone was in a position that could easily block the bile duct and potentially cause pancreatitis so he recommended getting it done asap. It was worth it for me as any wait was too long once I'd been told that!

I had to wait 22 months because of COVID and my liver had started to do strange things by the end (I'd had 10 years of symptoms but it was those last 2.5 that were unbearable). Surgery was completely life changing, I still think about how grateful I am to have had it done at least one a week and it was a few years ago now.

If you can go private I would say go for it!

Ok that's helpful. I will definitely ask my GP.

You can just call the surgery and ask to speak to the secretary. The GP has already made the decision to refer so all that would need doing is changing the options on ERS to include the NHS commissioned private providers. I would say that the private providers will only accept fairly "healthy" patients. The private hospitals do not have ITU facilities so if they feel you would be too much of an anaesthetic risk they will not accept you, but a large number of patients are fine to be seen by them. Hope it goes well.

I had mine out on the NHS at the same time my BIL had his out privately . He had only had 1 attack , I had had 2 years of continual attacks and pancreatitis and had lost 2 stone as could hardly eat anything . He had a full consultation with his surgeon mentioning all the side effects , his surgeon visited after before he was discharged and 2 follow up appointments . I had a v quick consultation and no mention of possible side effects ( which I developed ) no visit on ward just a nurse saying I could go home despite me being repeatedly sick , no meds ready at discharge and no follow up , I never even knew how many stones I had or the condition of my gallbladder . My op was also cancelled twice on the day despite me being on the Urgent list , it was only done the 3rd time I’m told as there are large fines for nhs cancelling more than twice .
id definitely go private if you can , it just wasn’t an option for me .

Thank you. I am otherwise well so I will definitely ask my GP today about this.

I had my gallbladder removed privately. It was within about 5 weeks of my first attack. That was from first attack to ultrasound, CT scan and surgery done. I had 3 more attacks in that period.

I could not have waited 8 months! The pure anxiety of another attack is bad enough let alone the actual attacks.

That sounds absolutely awful and sorry to hear you went through that.
That is my fear that a long wait time could also be coupled with cancelled operations.
I'm glad you've had it out now though.it must have felt a long wait.

Mine is currently 4cm confirmed via MRI. I am self funding and think the op is around £10k. I am considering NHS but so afraid of cancellations, being treated like a second class citizen etc so I am just saving and hoping that no attacks happen in the interim. The consultant told me mine wasn't urgent because a) it's not functional due to blockage b) can't cause blockage to ducts as the ducts are blocked by the stone but there is no way to prevent or anticipate an 'attack' before removal

It's a lot to think about

I had mine out privately as after 2 hospital admissions due to complications they still weren't scheduling the surgery. Honestly think I'd have developed sepsis before they took me seriously.

I got a call 1 year after my surgery from the NHS waitlist team asking if I still needed the Op.

I did self fund, I got a loan out. Best money I've ever spent, I felt amazing immediately after the surgery - it was incredible how much the daily pain really effected everything.

For me, it was a relief when I finally got a diagnosis of Gallstones. I had been struggling with intermittent pain for years, and had been told I had IBS and to try elimination diets, but nothing worked.
I went on holiday and really ate well, had one pretty bad attack on holiday that I just about got through, then had a second the day after I got back that was so bad I ended up in A&E for morphine, and finally had a reason for the pain.
However, the NHS was not interested in a follow-up appointment as this was my first admission. Didn't matter that I had been to my GP many times over the past 5 years; I had to have more attacks before they would do anything. They didn't even offer proper advice.

I went back to my GP, who gave a small amount of advice and prescribed strong painkillers in case of an attack. As there was no way I was going to live with the ticking time-bomb of another attack needing A&E, I took the private route.

It took me 3 months from the A&E admission to having my gallbladder removed, and despite the cost, it is still the best thing I have done. I avoided a major attack during the wait, but only by restricting my diet massively and being very careful. I could have had it done within 8 weeks, but I opted for a later date (after the surgeon's holiday and a half-term).

If the money had been an issue, I probably could have managed an 8-month wait, but it would have been hard, and I would have been anxious the whole time, expecting another bad attack.

My only caution would be the facilities on site if something goes wrong when you're under a GA. DH went in for a private hernia OP, and it was only when he went under that they discovered that something was wrong with his heart. They had to bring him back round a bit quick, phone 999 and have him transferred to the NHS hospital 2 miles away where tests revealed he has atrial fibrillation. It's a very frightening process if something does go wrong, believe me.

I'm looking to get a tummy tuck at some point and have decided to use a private hospital in London that has on site intensive care facilities just in case. I've never had a GA so have no idea how I will react to it.

When I had mine I kept being admitted to hospital so I had it taken out sooner at a private hospital on the NHS

I agree with PP above about asking GP about 'Choose and Book' (different terms are used) where they may find a private pathway for you on the NHS. I had my gallbladder out within 6 weeks of referral this way (after 10 years of non diagnosis mind!).

My DH had the opposite , mind, where he was transferred to the private part of Papworth when they discovered his endometriosis required an immediate valve replacement which the NHS could not do quickly enough.