Snazy

Just wondered how many amongst us are on the dreaded waiting lists.
Got a call while I was on holiday, message left from the hospital informing me a date had come up, for Jan 30th.
Called back, within minutes as you do. No reply. Left a message.
Next day, called up, no reply, left a message (all at £1.50 a min from Dom Republic)
3rd day I call up, they had not called me back......

"oh thanks for getting back to me" the voice says" "Unfortunatly that date has been cancelled now!"

Doh!

However, she has put me forward to have it done privately now. Just not sure if thats meant to speed things up. Waiting to hear from the new hospital now for a date..... fingers crossed its soon.

OllyK

Well the father in law got bounced from list to list for 10 years before he got his replacement knee op. HTH

Snazy

TEN years !!

A friend bust his knee over Xmas, has just been in to have it pinned etc.
Thats shocking mate.

Hopefully I will have good news soon.

Tam the bam

I'm waiting for yet another op on my throat, but they wont do it till I get an ecg and they feel my heart is up to it, I've got an open appointment from my GP a week ago and still not went to it Surgery sucks *** and I'm avoiding it like the plague, probably not the best thing to do but I hate being in hospital!

Snazy

Not good dude, what a messed up bunch we are....
The first time I go to a decent hospital and its day surgery!! doh

Mate went in for a knee op a few years back , room service for him and all guest, loads of perks!

Tam the bam

What do you need surgery for? if you don't wanna say it's cool

Snazy

Naaa its all good. Its for tennis elbow or tendonitis. Over the last week its become VERY painful again, so its good timing if the op is soon.

Battling between sides of my body. Rest my right side, to allow the shoulder and back to get better and I have to use my left arm (with tendonitis) which inflames that.
Other way round, rest the left elbow, and the right side starts playing up.
At least with the left made good, the right side will stand a chance to heal properly, and maybe I can actually do a days work.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

One of the main reasons I now pay for private healthcare !

I was ill a few years back, and the GP didnt know what it was ( could have been a number of serious things, or something fairly minor, but was having quite a major effect on my life as I couldnt work half the time ) so referred me to the hospital. I got an appointment to see a specialist 16 months later ! Thing that took the P was I could see the hospital from where I was living at the time, so they could have phoned me any time if they had a cancellation and I could have been there in 2 minutes.

I'm sure they just give long waiting times hoping you either die or get better in the meantime sometimes.

Snazy

Mike, quite ironic but my employer has just introduced BUPA for us all, but will not cover this lol.

Sadly with a few pre exisiting conditions, the premium for me to currently take out private cover would kill me. But I AM going to get it at some point soon.

As for the waiting times, as this is non life threatening it gets the lowest grade possible, so its a wait wait wait, oh and keep taking the painkillers at the same time.
Im hoping that going private on this will speed things up a little now. Before the end of the month would be excellent.

MikeCardiff

iTrader: (2)

It is different for me as I'm self employed, so if I get ill and cant work, no money would come in. The premiums for my cover are pretty high, but it covers me for pretty much everything, plus I have loss of income cover so if the worst happens I know I'll be OK.

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

i had a jab in my elbow for Tennis Elbow at xmas and the pain went immediately

i couldnt even open lids as my arm was so painful. the doctor said that it would never get any worse than it had been. told me to rest it for 2 weeks, like yeah, i can manage with just my left arm, not

Snazy

Cortizone?
I have had 4 courses of it now, and sadly the pain comes back within 6-8 weeks Hence we are on operation grounds now.

As for managing with one arm, thats what caused my right side to go wrong lol. Got used to it now, so having use of both arms properly again will be quite strange.

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

sounds similar to me, my left thumb has started to be really painful lol. i am waiting to have a metal splint attatched to my back, listen to this...

i am to have a steroid jab in my spine to help with the pain. i went for my pre op assescement this week so the needle in my back then i was told that its a 2 month wait just for this, i am really p1ssed at this

then when i am put on the list for the op its a 14 week wait

the whole system is pants

Snazy

Not great is it

But I guess there are worse systems out there..... somewhere.

hope your jab has sorted you out once and for all.

ScoobyDriverWannabe

Me dads had problems with his back for years. But over the last year he has been pretty much crippled & can barely walk or do anything for that matter cant even use hands.

They kept on giving him cortizone injections & sending him for physio but just made matters worse.

They eventually referred him too a spechialist, but that took 8 months of waiting too get an apointment.

Forgot the name of the condition but the spechialist basically put it as the nerves travel from your brain in a tube & branch off too your arms legs etc.

On me dad the tube is getting caught somewere around his neck and it is being gradually severed. Spechialist said if they dont operate within 3 months it will completely break & he will be wheel chair bound.

Sounds like quite a nasty operation aswell they have too go in through the neck which could also affect the vocal cords.

He saw the spechialist the fri before xmas & we still havnt heard anything back so still waiting for a date to operate.

In contrast though a few years ago he went too the hospital for a stress test on his heart. He had too do them anually due to problems with angina etc.

After he finished the test he was put in an ambulance and sent too Newcastle Freeman hospital & put on a high dependancy ward, 3 days later they performed a Heart Bipass.

2nd time he had too have on though he was on a waiting list for around 6 months.

Tidgy

if you can go private aka bupa or something like that do it.

my mum had both her hips done about 5 years ago, she was waiting for ten years to have them done cos of her age (they only last 20 years max), she finnaly was gonna get them done due to sleeping for an hour a night max everynight cos of not sleeping due to pain, 19weeks wait

went down bupa route, 2 weeks later she was under the knife, and the other thing is its the same surgeon/consultant who did the op at bupa that she was seeing at queens medical centre in nottingham and who would have done the op on the nhs

rob878

i'm waiting for a knee reconstruction, snapped my anterior cruciate in november, had an MRI 2 weeks later, got the results from my club Doc at the start of December and now waiting to see the surgeon and find out when i will have it reconstructed.

Leslie

I have tendonitis in my right arm when I lift it high or stretch it. It is idescribably painfull when I set it off! Is it possible to get it sorted somehow then? Had enough of being sliced up now though!

Les

Snazy

Tennis or Golf elbow mate? With your arm at 90 degrees to your body, is it the top or bottom side hurting.
I have re-triggered mine swimming in the sea while away, agony does not describe it.

You can have cortizone injections into the joint, which can have a painful reaction, but work long term for some.

I use a gel/neopro support for mine, bought in the USA when I was there last. Helps a lot too.

Leslie

Its the top which hurts. The doc gave me a cortisone injection and it helped for a while as you said-Maybe I had better ask for another one then.

Les

gotmashed

I was told the waiting list was 2 years for my opp 3 years ago which is to replace/weld 2 disc's in my spine which are causing all sorts of problems like no feeling in left leg 90% of the time, hips feel if they are grinding when moving lack of rest pain no matter what i do been signed off work for 2 years and that alone is driving me mad i was told last month that the waiting list is 4 years. The thing is i dont like leaving the house as when my leg is playing up i look like im trying out for the funny walk from the monty films.

Snazy

Yeah just keep in mind that your only allowed 3-4 in total before the risk of weakening and snapping the tendon occurs. Learnt that thanks to some students in the room while I was there

Fingers crossed I will be able to tell you how the op went soon.
A friends wife had hers done about 5 years ago, (op) and is still fine.

L3OUDGIRL

i am waitin for loads of treatment just isnt happenin

had to massive inecjtions in me hip joints and to in me back

Snazy

Doh, not good hun. Know you aint been feelin good for a while now

Les, meant to say, top is Tennis

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Don't you have to live as a woman for 2 years first regardless ?

Snazy

Very good lol

Cheek.

L3OUDGIRL

ya hun been ages now well i got run over 6 year ago now by that police car and they still dont know whats wrong with me

Mark A

iTrader: (1)

I work in the NHS so know first hand the reason for many delays. My advice to anybody on a waiting list is;

This can be a bad time of year to wait for operations because a number of hospitals will have "over performed" and done too many operations, therefore the budget holders/commissioners (PCT) will not pay for any more non urgent operations. The answer is to complain, explain to your GP (First) that this is effecting your work and that you will have to stop work.

2nd If your GP does not contact the Hospital and make you an urgent case then write to the PCT explaining the above. You will need to bang on about loss of earnings, feeling depressed and general the world is ending but it should get you somewhere. (Always write)

3rd Do your research, use the internet, ring up and ask about waiting times. The NHS claims to function as a business, so treat it as such.

Final when booking your operation with your GP, as about "Patient Choice" you should be give three options of treatment, 2 NHS and one private.

Google NHS 18 weeks

And remember every operation has a set tariff (HRG code) so its in the interest of hospitals to treat you

Mark A

Snazy

Nice one Mark

mykp

Dont get me started on waiting lists.

You wait to see the specialist once you've seen him you wait to for the operation and then finally you get to the front of the queue.

I went in hospital on Weds for a minor procedure, arrived about 10 mins before requested and get signed in.

1:50 minutes of sitting waiting before I am called in for the procedure, so I am now sat in a small cublicle half naked, I wait for a further 40 minutes before the doctor comes in with a pile of paperwork, and proceeds to ask me a zillion questions which takes a further 30 minutes. Then I need an anesthetic which takes another 20 minutes to take effect. then the doctor arrives again, swish with the knife, and again. Done in less than a minute and ten minutes after that I'd finished my cup of tea and was walking home.

And I waited 8 months for that!

and the aftercare? "we'll send for you" says the receptionist. "How long will that be?" asks I.

"About 8 weeks, but if you need help sooner go and see your doctor" !!!!