Have just got out of hospital awaiting results - should I go private or stick with NHS till after Dx?

[magso]

I have just spent 11 days in hospital and am awaiting test and biopsy results after an acute episode of breathing difficulty. I do not know what the working Dx is but should have an appointment with the consultant in 2weeks via the NHS to discuss the results and ongoing treatment.
DH has private medical insurance. I am the main carer for our sn child but also work p/t when not ill. Dh usually travels away from home a lot but had to care for ds last week so missed meetings etc. He thinks I should see the consultant privately. However I worry that if the results show a condition that requires expensive treatment (eg oncology) or falls into the insurance exclusion of 'chronic' disease we may find ourselves unable to find the cash especially as I will not get paid.
What would you do? Should I stick with the plan to see the consultant in 2 weeks,( perhaps going private if covered once/if we have a Dx) or try and see the same consultant privately - perhaps a little earlier?
How easy is it to chop and change if the money runs out?
I believe passionately in the NHS, and feel it is very good in acute situations. The only difficulty in hospital was the lack of communication so a private consultation may help with that.
My brain is still a bit fussy and your advice will be welcome!

magso - what a worrying time for you. I had been having treatment privately for a chronic & permanent neck condition. I was able to stay with the same consultant when I asked her to transfer me onto her NHS list. Not all doctors offer private treatment, however, if yours does I would try to get an earlier appointment - but your tests may not be ready and you still may have to wait 2 weeks to be seen! I fully understand the frustrations in the NHS about trying to get to speak face to face with your coonsultant! Also you may not have to pay privately for 'expensive treatment'. If it was a case of requiring oncology therapy these treatments are usually done without delay.

In a nut shell - here's what I'd do...

Find out if your Consultant has a private list and what is the waiting list. If it benefits you any then go ahead and book it!

Speak to your Con regarding Dx and treatment options.

Find out what treatments are required and whether going privately would be of any benefit (eg quicker/more choice). Is it possible to move from private to NHS if necessary?

Enquire from your Insurance about what's covered and any limits on your claim.

If you have insurance you may as well use it - that's what it's there for.

But hoping you don't need it... hope you get well soon.x

Thank you for your logical advice and taking the trouble to reply. ( as you can tell clear thinking and spelling seem to have suffered due to my fuzzy brain!)
Right - consultant does see private appointments so I will see if I can organise it sooner. I could do with being told what they think may be wrong and what they are doing to rule out other possible Dxs.
It is worrying - especially with a sn child who will always need support and could do with a healthy mummy.

Magso - We had a relative who was having trouble having his symptoms dx last year. We ended up researching the UK expert in the field, and checking he did private and NHS work. The relative was in to see him within a week, and correctly diagnosed within a month; his first NHS appt for start of finding a dx was meant to be three weeks after this - 2 months after alarming symptoms! Consultant said him going private had saved his life; turned out he had cancer. Under the new NHS patients charter, he was able to transfer to be treated by the NHS under his new, fantastic consultant.

Based on this, my advice to you would be to see the consultant privately if there is an advantage in doing so (2 weeks is already a short wait; he may well only do private work once a week, so in reality getting an appt sooner might be a non starter anyway.) Then again, you'll potentially get more time with him if you see him privately.
If he gives you a dx privately, he can still then treat you on NHS if treatment isn't covered under your insurance plan.
If you are unhappy at any stage with the dx, or with the consultant himself, then you could research which consultant locally to you is best, and see him/her privately for dx, then switching to NHS. You have a right to state where you want to be treated - I would be opting for a large teaching hospital. (also as divedaisy says, you should talk to insurance company NOW about what would and would not be covered.)

Hope this is a bit helpful and not too confused!

Also magso - is there any support options available to you for helping you with your sn child? Would you be able to speak things over with your social worker/support worker to find out if there is any short term immediate help solutions out there to ease your burden?

Sometimes you just need to concentrate on yourself - it may sound selfish, but you need to get better so you are able to look after your loved ones too. I hope your DH is able to try to juggle his work to help you out more - most employers are sympathetic - maybe your DH is entitled to some special leave??

Thank you hedgie and divedaisy. I will look into support options - especially if the Dx is a demanding one. Unfortunately Ds has been off school sick so I am shattered today and haven't acheived much. Could not get appointment with nhs consultant privately but may be able to get one with a colleague.

sorry to hear you've been so unwell. is it just the consultant availability or the test results meaning the 2 week wait? just that if the test results are going to take time anyway, you may as well stick with the original appointment.

I think it is the test results that are awaiting.