MRI arthrogram

[Janet]

Thanks Dee. Have you made any more enquiries yet about an opinion on a PAO or THR?

Kate - I think I'd put the possibility of needing a PAO right to the back of my mind, as I didn't think my hip was that bad - the FAI and tear were significant, so I just assumed they were responsible for the pain, and thought once I'd had surgery, it would be fine. As you say, I think it has now become very unstable and the acetabulum has now become more shallow due to the pincer impingment being removed.

My other hip shouldn't need a PAO, as I have coxa profunda in that one (deep socket), but I will certainly ask Mr Fern to have a look anyway. Mr Ashworth thought that one could be fixed with a scope. I spoke to Mr Ashworth's secretary, and the referral is being done through my GP using the choose and book system. However, since I've had such trouble in the past trying to organise appointments, I've actually booked a private appointment with Mr Fern on 17th September. He is away in August, so I think there won't be any NHS appointments for some time. However, the lady I spoke to (not sure if it was Sara) said it was no problem if there was an NHS appointment sooner anyway. I did wonder about seeing how soon I could get an appointment with Marcus Bankes or Johan Witt, but it would be much easier to stick with Truro, so I'll try to be patient. It's just hard when it's so sore. I'm starting to struggle at work now, but I've booked a day off a week throughout August, so that should help (moan over!).

Janet x

[oscarsmum]

Janet, I replied to you on Rayrays thread but if you go privately they are at the london clinic which is really easy to get to from the main stations, just 5 mins in a taxi.

[oscarsmum]

I just checked with a friend, she had a 5 week wait to see him privately, then another 5 weeks for an Arthroscopy(she only had that as she hadn't already had that or an open, I didn't need to have another one) and PAO 2-3 weeks after that.
Hope this helps
Kate

[Rayray]

Hi Janet,

I don't know if this helps but Mark Norton told me in March that the NHS lead time from referral to surgery at The Duchy was 17 weeks. They don't stop the clock (as Torbay did for me) while waiting on tests and so this is the maximum wait or it was in March.

[oscarsmum]

I just heard from someone that she had a three month wait with Witt privately between diagnosis and surgery,when l I only had 31/2 on the NHS. It made me think as more and more people have private health insurance is the waiting time not that different now, compared to a few years ago when you could get done privately almost immediately.

[Dee34]

Thanks Dee. Have you made any more enquiries yet about an opinion on a PAO or THR?

sorry to hear work is becoming difficult Janet - at least like you say if you can work one day less a week that will help. I continually thank my lucky stars that I decided to take redundancy last year and now have my own business, working from home. I definitely would have needed much more time off had I been having to drive at least an hour every day each way and I'm lucky that I don't actually work full time now. Downside is no private health insurance covering pre-existing conditions !!

So I've written to my GP asking to be referred out of my NHS area to either Mr Witt or Mr O'Hara and saw my GP the other day to get an update on progress. He's been copied in on an email that intimates they (the local health board) will refer me to someone in the area who apparently has experience of a range of surgeries - hmm - will wait to see what that brings but I doubt there's anyone with similar specialisms here.

I'm going to give it until I get back from hols (end Aug) and then hopefully they'll have decided either way. I suspect I'll end up seeing one of them privately which I know I can arrange pretty quickly but it will be self funded as my new private health insurance won't cover it. I also know it will run to more than just a consultation (xrays etc) which all adds up so I'm not in a big hurry from that perspective. Although I wonder whether if I got a referral for the other hip with my insurance, whether I could have a specialist look at both ?

I also have the option I suppose to ask my OS (who I see in September) to refer me via the NHS to one of them which he might do.

Roll on the 17th Sept for you, or sooner if you manage to get an earlier appointment.

Take care,

Dee x

[Janet]

Hi all

Thanks Kate and Rayray for your input regarding wait times. I agree Kate that you might not necessarily have surgery that much quicker whem going privately these days, although I think Rayray is the exception due to the Torbay system! I'd have to have the surgery (if needed!) on the NHS anyway, as my husband and I discussed it and thought it would be a huge sum of money to part with, when it is possible to have it on the NHS. I just wanted to have the initial consultation privately, as I've had trouble with the orgainisation of NHS appointments in the past, and also it feels like you have a lot more time for a proper discussion privately. I will still consider an initial NHS appointment if I can have one fairly soonish, as I don't know if the clock would start sooner ie. when the referral is received, even before the appointment. If I go privately, would the clock only start once I'd had the appointment, even if the Duchy still receive the referral prior tho the appointment? I know at Torbay this doesn't matter, as the clock only starts there once you're actually put on the waiting list. I'm going to ask Sara at the Duchy about it once I've had the choose and book info. through.

Dee - I hope you get somewhere soon with it. It sounds rather complicated! It does sound like a good bet to ask your OS to refer you to someone, although maybe that would take longer. Let us know what happens. It's good that you don't have to drive so much now - driving for that long each day would have really set your hips off! Maybe you could have a private appointment initially, and then asked to be referred back to the NHS for any X-rays/scans and actual surgery. That's what I'm planning to do - I'm sure you can do that, but maybe check first.

Take care all
Janet x

[oscarsmum]

One word of warning, when I saw my scope surgeon I saw him privately in the December, he agreed I needed surgery but I couldn't afford it privately (insurance only covers left hip). I then had to wait until the end of March to be seen in his NHS clinic, then could be put on the waiting list for surgery, which was another 6 months later. It would have been quicker in that instance to have not had the private consultation and gone straight for the NHS one (as that would have come up in February).I don't know if that is typical, but I know of someone who had the same thing happen with O'Hara so it could be.
One thing in Witts favour, I have never had to wait for more than a few mins past my appointment time, and both times wasn't rushed at all,saw both him and his registrar and both appointments lasted at least 20+ mins.
Kate

[Rayray]

Janet,

I have just checked an email I had from Sara Norton as I asked about having surgery on the NHS at The Duchy. It implies that the wait is from the point of referral (she even offers to organise this with my GP) and so the date of your appointment is irrelevant and should not delay surgery any further.

I had my surgery privately using a fixed cost scheme which was much cheaper than the private cost quoted in Torquay who wouldn?t even offer a fixed cost. Because I was way out of time from referral to surgery (78 weeks!!) our PCT eventually agreed to cover the NHS tariff cost of the surgery which was an enormous help. This could be an option if your surgery should get delayed for any reason as there was a High Court case where a lady claimed because the PCT were out of time and they need to reach their targets.

[Spam1]

Hi Janet,

Glad things are finally moving forward for you and hope you get in to see Mr F before sept, but a word of warning, his waiting times are long even privately (he seems to like holidays)...

Just out of interest for you, my PAO cost £10,000 in total, that was for the op and hospital stay, then if you add in the consultations, Xray's and MRA/CT scans too its up at £12,000. I'm lucky that my insurance company paid for me (and they do add a bit on if its insurance paying not self funding). It's currently about £165ish first consultation, plus £101 for Xrays from the Duchy.

Also, I had screws removed as a daycase on the NHS, after I saw him (privately) for the first time and that just went straight through with a wait of 6 weeks - so perhaps he is not so strict as to need an NHS appt or that possibly could have been because it was just a simple daycase procedure?! might be worth clarifying with Sara/Fiona.

xx