T
Teresa UK
I would really be interested in knowing how many Brits are using this forum and how their experiences differ from our friends in the US. I wonder if we have as much control over our treatment?
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hensylee
Well-known member
We have several Brits, a Scotswoman or two or three, an Irishman - some of them will come on in........
Hi Teresa,
I live in the North West of England and I am waiting to get the results of a MRI scan which was done on 1st Feb. Things can be slow in the NHS if you are not deemed critical. I know of a lady who was admitted to hospital as an emegency two weeks ago. She needs heart surgery and they have kept her in hospital until she has her operation. I do not seem to have much input as to when surgery should be done. There are quite a few more British people who have posted on this forum with more experience of the NHS.
All the best
Martin
I live in the North West of England and I am waiting to get the results of a MRI scan which was done on 1st Feb. Things can be slow in the NHS if you are not deemed critical. I know of a lady who was admitted to hospital as an emegency two weeks ago. She needs heart surgery and they have kept her in hospital until she has her operation. I do not seem to have much input as to when surgery should be done. There are quite a few more British people who have posted on this forum with more experience of the NHS.
All the best
Martin
Emma
Well-known member
Hiya,
we're in Portsmouth , England,, although i'm not quite sure what it is you want to know. I'm sure it is slower on the NHS if a procedure is not considered to be necessary straight away and i have no doubt we have less control over drugs and treatment etc. Although, my daughter was waiting for a very necessary 2nd heart surgery for a long time, and got cancelled twice, resulting in almost fatal heart failure, so although i have great faith in the NHS now and their (mostly) wonderful staff - they have done wonders to bring my daughter to the excellent level of health she has today, I can see there are problems with it and that experience with them did knock my confidence somewhat.
Dunno if that really answered what you asked but i tried. Let me know if i didn't
Emma
xxx
we're in Portsmouth , England,, although i'm not quite sure what it is you want to know. I'm sure it is slower on the NHS if a procedure is not considered to be necessary straight away and i have no doubt we have less control over drugs and treatment etc. Although, my daughter was waiting for a very necessary 2nd heart surgery for a long time, and got cancelled twice, resulting in almost fatal heart failure, so although i have great faith in the NHS now and their (mostly) wonderful staff - they have done wonders to bring my daughter to the excellent level of health she has today, I can see there are problems with it and that experience with them did knock my confidence somewhat.
Dunno if that really answered what you asked but i tried. Let me know if i didn't
Emma
xxx
G
Gemma
Hi Teresa,
Like Martin, I'm also in the North West - my boyfriend Jim had his aortic valve replaced in December 2003.
Personally I think it has more to do with how much you want to know than what country you're in. It's easy to imagine that because all the American members of VR.com know their stuff, that's what it's like for every American. Sadly I suspect that isn't the case - there will probably always be people who are happy to just accept whatever their doctors tell them and never even consider asking what it's all about, and others like myself who have to know every little thing!!!
The one major difference I've noticed is that over here it's really up to the length of the waiting list when you have your operation, unless you're in a life-or-death situation.
Someone here once pointed out that we pay the doctors' wages - OK, maybe it's through taxes and National Insurance here in Britain rather than directly as in the US, but they work for us. That makes it a bit easier to stick up for your rights as a patient I find.
Gemma.
Like Martin, I'm also in the North West - my boyfriend Jim had his aortic valve replaced in December 2003.
Personally I think it has more to do with how much you want to know than what country you're in. It's easy to imagine that because all the American members of VR.com know their stuff, that's what it's like for every American. Sadly I suspect that isn't the case - there will probably always be people who are happy to just accept whatever their doctors tell them and never even consider asking what it's all about, and others like myself who have to know every little thing!!!
The one major difference I've noticed is that over here it's really up to the length of the waiting list when you have your operation, unless you're in a life-or-death situation.
Someone here once pointed out that we pay the doctors' wages - OK, maybe it's through taxes and National Insurance here in Britain rather than directly as in the US, but they work for us. That makes it a bit easier to stick up for your rights as a patient I find.
Gemma.
G
geebee
Gemma,
Unfortunately you are correct about the vast majority of US folks and health care. Although I think we may have more ability to choose doctors and procedures on our schedules, most people don't take advantage of that opportunity.
The members and people who come onto this website are people who are not the norm and are looking for answers they can't or haven't received from their doctors. That fact makes us more knowledgeable than the "common" citizen.
However, with the onset of the internet and forums like this one, I can foresee changes in the health system at least in the US. More people every day are taking an active part in their healthcare. That will force the insurance companies and doctors to be more open and informative as well as offering the type of care we demand.
Unfortunately you are correct about the vast majority of US folks and health care. Although I think we may have more ability to choose doctors and procedures on our schedules, most people don't take advantage of that opportunity.
The members and people who come onto this website are people who are not the norm and are looking for answers they can't or haven't received from their doctors. That fact makes us more knowledgeable than the "common" citizen.
However, with the onset of the internet and forums like this one, I can foresee changes in the health system at least in the US. More people every day are taking an active part in their healthcare. That will force the insurance companies and doctors to be more open and informative as well as offering the type of care we demand.
S
Scottie
Scotland here !
Scotland here !
I live in the North of Scotland and was born with many defects over 40 yrs ago ...I have had several open heart surgeries the first being when I was a baby and the last about 21/2 yrs ago. I have many reasons to be grateful to the NHS ..I remember my father saying that no insurance would have covered my numerous hospital stays (usually months at a time in those days ) and procedures . I have also had three children and have nothing but praise for the constant continous care I received over all the pregnancies.
However, the waiting lists have become longer , it took me a year to go from the day I was told I needed surgery until actually having it ..I remember because of the date ..I was told Sept 11th, 2001 and had the surgery Sept 10th 2002. By the time I had the surgery I was told that I would only have had about another three months to live ...did this make it urgent ?...only to me I guess !LOL .
As to care since my op..well as I live so far away from any main hospital ..post surgery care was left to my GP ..who admitted she knew little about my condition. I often felt isolated and would have appreciated meeting other people who had heart surgery.
I don't think we are told much about our conditions here. I;ve had my condition all my life and have only really found out that my heart was as badly deformed as it was by accident lately from a supply GP who was amazed that I had survived the 60's. I find the Drs and Consultants are so busy at clinics that they don't seem to have the time to explain answers to questions I may have ...I have also been told on several occasions that they would write my GP when I have asked them a question ...needless to say that has not happened. Well, they have written my GP but not answered my question.
ALL in all though I prefer to have an NHS system than not ....when I did have my surgery money was never never an issue with us ..I got the best Congential Heart Surgeon in Scotland ( so I was told ) and afterwards I got full pay for six months while I recovered .
Hope this answers your question
Scottie
Scotland here !
I live in the North of Scotland and was born with many defects over 40 yrs ago ...I have had several open heart surgeries the first being when I was a baby and the last about 21/2 yrs ago. I have many reasons to be grateful to the NHS ..I remember my father saying that no insurance would have covered my numerous hospital stays (usually months at a time in those days ) and procedures . I have also had three children and have nothing but praise for the constant continous care I received over all the pregnancies.
However, the waiting lists have become longer , it took me a year to go from the day I was told I needed surgery until actually having it ..I remember because of the date ..I was told Sept 11th, 2001 and had the surgery Sept 10th 2002. By the time I had the surgery I was told that I would only have had about another three months to live ...did this make it urgent ?...only to me I guess !LOL .
As to care since my op..well as I live so far away from any main hospital ..post surgery care was left to my GP ..who admitted she knew little about my condition. I often felt isolated and would have appreciated meeting other people who had heart surgery.
I don't think we are told much about our conditions here. I;ve had my condition all my life and have only really found out that my heart was as badly deformed as it was by accident lately from a supply GP who was amazed that I had survived the 60's. I find the Drs and Consultants are so busy at clinics that they don't seem to have the time to explain answers to questions I may have ...I have also been told on several occasions that they would write my GP when I have asked them a question ...needless to say that has not happened. Well, they have written my GP but not answered my question.
ALL in all though I prefer to have an NHS system than not ....when I did have my surgery money was never never an issue with us ..I got the best Congential Heart Surgeon in Scotland ( so I was told ) and afterwards I got full pay for six months while I recovered .
Hope this answers your question
Scottie
T
Teresa UK
Just being impatient
Just being impatient
Thanks for your replies. After discovering I had a problem, I was keeping positive as I knew it was something that could be dealt with, but despite the GP writing to the hospital some weeks ago, I have yet to get an initial appointment. It's the potential delays in the NHS system that bother me most, and I wonder about quality/range of tests and treatment being dictated by budget. I have plenty of experience of hospitals (too much!) as my parents and sister were all chronically ill for many years - but they had private medical insurance, which I don't. Things happened so much quicker under the private system. I think I'm just a bit down that something needs to be fixed but no-one is in a particular rush to sort it out! I suppose everyone feels like this when they need medical help.
Just being impatient
Thanks for your replies. After discovering I had a problem, I was keeping positive as I knew it was something that could be dealt with, but despite the GP writing to the hospital some weeks ago, I have yet to get an initial appointment. It's the potential delays in the NHS system that bother me most, and I wonder about quality/range of tests and treatment being dictated by budget. I have plenty of experience of hospitals (too much!) as my parents and sister were all chronically ill for many years - but they had private medical insurance, which I don't. Things happened so much quicker under the private system. I think I'm just a bit down that something needs to be fixed but no-one is in a particular rush to sort it out! I suppose everyone feels like this when they need medical help.
G
Gemma
Teresa, you reminded me of something which I'd forgotten about - Jim's GP referred him to a cardiologist at our local hospital and he was seen fairly quickly - I think maybe a month after the original referral was sent - but he had the appointment date not long after his GP wrote.
BUT, then his cardiologist referred him on to a specialist cardiothoracic hospital for his surgery, and after 2 months we discovered (by phoning the surgical hospital) that they hadn't received anything from Jim's cardiologist. Eventually Jim's dad spent about 2 hours on the phone ringing the cardio's secretary and sorting most of it out himself!!
The moral of the story is - keep pestering them! It's all too easy for a referral letter to get lost - especially if it only goes by post rather than your GP ordering any specific tests which maybe would be computerised - so I'd suggest you phone the hospital you've been referred to, ask for the cardiology department, and ask them to find out if they have your details. If they don't, get back onto your GP and ask what's going on.
Having said all that, the quality of medical care Jim received was excellent. His surgeon and registrar were very helpful and answered all our questions fully - we spent about 2 hours there at his pre-op visit just talking things through. And I don't think he's been denied any necessary tests because of budget constraints. It's just unfortunate we have such a disgraceful postal system.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Gemma.
BUT, then his cardiologist referred him on to a specialist cardiothoracic hospital for his surgery, and after 2 months we discovered (by phoning the surgical hospital) that they hadn't received anything from Jim's cardiologist. Eventually Jim's dad spent about 2 hours on the phone ringing the cardio's secretary and sorting most of it out himself!!
The moral of the story is - keep pestering them! It's all too easy for a referral letter to get lost - especially if it only goes by post rather than your GP ordering any specific tests which maybe would be computerised - so I'd suggest you phone the hospital you've been referred to, ask for the cardiology department, and ask them to find out if they have your details. If they don't, get back onto your GP and ask what's going on.
Having said all that, the quality of medical care Jim received was excellent. His surgeon and registrar were very helpful and answered all our questions fully - we spent about 2 hours there at his pre-op visit just talking things through. And I don't think he's been denied any necessary tests because of budget constraints. It's just unfortunate we have such a disgraceful postal system.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Gemma.
