Seeing a Rheumatologist Privately

Please let us know how you get on. Remember emphasis how this impacts on your mental health and daily living.
Good luck with your appointment.

Good advice from Marydoll on the need to emphasise, rather than minimise your physical and emotional problems .

I remember how exhausted and low in mood I was 12nyears ago, before biologics changed my life. My consultant told me recently how clearly she remembers this. My biologics were weekly, then every ten days, now reduced to every 14 days - I’m doing well and hope you get the right diagnosis and treatment

Starof1972

Just wanted to thank you all again. Having thought everything through and discussed with my family, I made initial enquiries with Nuffield Health and will have an appointment by the end of next week. Best wishes to those who are struggling.

Hope it all works well. I certainly do not blame you at all for trying to cut the waiting time by using the private sector. I would do the same in your situation.

But I hope you agree it shouldn't be this way. We have a three tier system now. HHS on massive waiting lists, a foot in each camp to cut waiting time but back on NHS, and private.

A friend of mine in her 80s recently had a severely embarrassing and debilitating condition, that left her homebound on her own. 2-3 years waiting list! Her son who is not at all well-off and with young children, had to borrow the money to pay for her to be operated privately. Over £10.000 and within 2 weeks. It just should not be this way. And many Consultants encourage this- as it is VERY very lucrative.

Wish you all the best.

How could anyone disagree that the difficulties facing our nhs shouldn’t be happening
The wait lists aren’t the fault of consultants

Very much a mous operandi for some Constultants, and has been for a very long time.

I know this, as I expect do most people

Of course I wish things were different and I realise how fortunate I am to have the means to be able to go down this route.
The decision I have taken is that I shall pay for the necessary scan and x-ray to tie in with seeing the consultant but just to have my questions answered as to how regularly I should be monitored if I am deemed to be in remission of RA will help me enormously. I want to be able to take as long as I need to explain my worries. Indeed, I want to see this year as a turning point and get on top of this relentless pain.
Once again, I appreciate the input you have all provided.

Claremont

Monica 'You do not have to stay in the private system once you have a diagnosis and since almost all private consultants work in the NHS as well.'

I understand why people feel so desperate in the current climate. But this is illegal and so so wrong. The two should be totally separate, and private consultations should not lead to being picked up by NHS, and on priority list.

This post was a simplification of a complicated situation. DD was on the list, but had nearly died, and I mean that quite literally, as a result of the incompetence of her GPs.

The private consultation recognised that her condition was potentially cancer and the consultant put her on the Cancer pathway, like her, he had no confidence that her GP was capable of doing so, even if requested.

Unfortunately some GPs and practices become well known to hospitals for their incompetence and hospitals have ways of working round them.

Many years ago we cared for an aunt who was admitted to hospital terminally ill and when the hospital were querying why her problems had not been picked up earlier, asked us what surgery she was attached to, and when we told them, rolled their eyes heavenwards and muttered something about killing more patients than they cured.

It seems odd to me that you were taken off medication because you were in remission. Surely it was the meds that kept you in that position.
I am in remission on Methotrexate and biologics, but when I had to discontinue during breast cancer surgery and radiotherapy the RA symptoms returned. The biologic is a miracle drug as far as I am concerned, even stops the pain from OA in my knees.
I hope you get satisfaction soon.

M0nica that must have been a dreadful time for you and your family. So many times we hear of similar situations these days.
shysal, that is something else I want to discuss! My OA is medicated but nothing to keep RA at bay which is why I worry about not being monitored for background joint damage. I was very recently bereaved when I had the last appointment with the consultant and just left the room in a daze. After a few weeks I was actually delighted to think that the disease was "in remission" and thought no more of it until symptoms began to niggle again and I read up more about it. I myself know of patients who are still prescribed DMARDS whilst there is no sign of active disease so I do need answers.