Private Health Treatment, anyone do it/done it?

[Mej]

I have had a dodgy shoulder coming on 3 years now and it is serioulsy starting to annoy me as it is always hurting like a toothache that never goes away.

I have had endless amounts of physio, 2 steriod injections, MRI Scan and key hole surgery and it is still not better.

Prob with the NHS is they are always in a rush and are saying that is all they can do pretty much, im determined to get it sorted as im only 22 and dont fancy this for the rest of my life so i thought about going to see a private specialist as maybe they would have a bit more time and i could get some better examinations. But its a fair bit of cash i think to go down the private route so i wanted to see if anyone has had any experience with it already.

Im starting to think that if i have to i will just get a loan or something to cover the costs.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

[Bri w]

Got it. Used it for dodgy shoulder/back/neck/hip. The service is brilliant in so much as you get seen quickly, and usually by someone better qualified.

However, for me I still have a dodgy shoulder/back/neck/hip but to be fair I was pretty mangled and banged up anyway.

If I had the choice I'd still go private.

Originally Posted by Bri w

The service is brilliant in so much as you get seen quickly, and usually by someone better qualified.

You do get seen quicker. The doctors are the same though, and a doctor will treat a private patient virtually how he would a normal patient. By this, I mean you're not exactly going to see a registar in a private setting, and you can choose the private doctor you have. However, very little happens in this day without a consultant's input, and most consultants are pretty darned good at what they do. I presume the op's keyhole surgery would probably have been done, if not at least guided by a consultant.

Originally Posted by Mej

Prob with the NHS is they are always in a rush and are saying that is all they can do pretty much

You've had the scans, and the keyhole surgery. The NHS don't usually fob people off for being in a 'rush', and if they told you that is all they can do, by all means seek a second/third/fourth doctors opinion, but private health care doesn't perform miracles. It just jumps the line, and you get a nicer room and hospital stay.

Anyway, hope you do find something/someone that can help. May I ask the nature of your shoulder problem? Is it bike related?!

I'd say go for it.
Even if you only get an initial look by a specialist, you can still go NHS for treatment based on information you've 'bought'.
I suffered for 15 years with pain and restricted movement in a dodgy shoulder, my GP said I was getting old, that's what happens!
I was only 26!!
My company offered private medical insurance which I took up.

Once I went private, they took X-rays at the first meeting. Even I could see what the problem was, before the specialist saw the X-ray. An operation to carry out sub-acromial decompression on the shoulder fixed the problem. After 15 years of problems and pain I was fixed within a couple of weeks, the feeling was fantastic, no pain and complete movement.

My partner also had a shoulder problem, and went through all the physio, and injections on the NHS which had no effect.
She didn't have the insurance, so she bought the diagnosis privately, and had the treatment on NHS.
It may be different now but the NHS seems to like keep trying multiple cheap fixes that don't always work, when for me, the X-ray (although expensive) would have provided the answer straight away.

Originally Posted by Reckless Rat

I suffered for 15 years with pain and restricted movement in a dodgy shoulder, my GP said I was getting old, that's what happens!

In this case perhaps, although the OP has already had an MRI scan and keyhole surgery, so he's made it to the referral stage. Private may well be useful if you have a douche of a GP, but then the cheaper solution there is to usually change GP's.

Well anyway, if you can afford it, go for it. See what happens, it can't get any worse, and if you don't mind forking out for a 'potential' treatment then no reason why not.

edit: Oh and if treatments are not working in the NHS, it's usually down to the condition/patient response to drugs and not a case of public vs private.

[Bri w]

Originally Posted by thulfi

edit: Oh and if treatments are not working in the NHS, it's usually down to the condition/patient response to drugs and not a case of public vs private.

What I had done privately was no different than what would have happened via the NHS, only I didn't have the 13 month wait.

Same Consultant, albeit in a nicer setting, but still MRI'd in the same scanner. Physio in a nicer setting, and a lot quicker too - but still as painful.

The other thing was he appeared to have time to tell you nexactly what was going on, and going to happen.

[Biker Biggles]

You need to do some homework and see if there is a better treatment available private.The NHS is fine unless you are coming up against a cash limited treatment.There have been some high profile cases recently around cancer treatments that cost loads which NICE has refused to NHS patients.
Similarly note how top sports types recover from major injury in a few weeks and are back at the next Moto GP when you or I would have a different and very much slower treatment at the local polyclinic.