Private Consultation
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hi,
Was just wondering if anyone knows how expensive it would be to have my daughter (14months) seen privately by a cardiologist?
Basically been back and forward to the hospital and the Gp since she was born and everytime its something new that they find it wrong or they contradict each other.. Im really frustrated!
We were up in OLOL again today to be told she has low oxegen levels in her blood.
last time we were up we were told she has a PDA and needs a procedure on her heart to correct it, That she was being referred to Crumlin, with their waiting list her appt isnt until March.
however, today we were back up in OLOL to be told, by yet another doctor that she doesnt have a PDA she in fact has a hole in her heart… He thinks!!
Can he send her for tests so I can know for definite what the problem is?? No course not!!Im so frustrated being told different things everytime we go to an appt and really just want to know what is wrong with her.
Starting college tomorrow and dont want to be taking time off to bring her to docs etc to be told different things so was just wondering if anyone knew the cost of a private check up and where i could find a private cardiologist??Thanks
SuzieQYou must be so frustrated. Obviously you need to get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later. If I were you I would call Temple st hospital as its closer to you than Crumlin. I would ask reception who the consultant cardiologist is. Also get his/her secretary’s name and number. Once you have those details you can start with those trying to get an app.
You would probably need a referral too. Secretaries will advise. Surely if you have the details of the cardiologist the GP would refer you ? Then its a matter of being really convincing and fighting for an app I suppose.
suzieq, i’d say you are up the walls…
think scarlett’s reply is the best advice as to what to do..
wishing you luck and hope you get an answer soon and take it from there
thinking of you
They have a waiting list in temple street too and because she has already been referred to Crumlin they cant do anything!
So it would seem private consultation is looking more and more likely! So if anyone has any information on it that would be very helpful.but mustn’t the consultant at temple st have a private practice too? If u get name maybe google it for private practice?
Or surely heaven forbid in this day and age it not a trip to UK?
What about the north? If u payin u can c anyone anytime usually cant u?
God thats terrible!!!! Ring the Department of Health or get your local TD involved…. I would imagine you can go private, but and a BIG BUT…. if they see you private they might want to continue the care private and any kind of ops on the heart would be mega bucks!
Good luckAm not sure it works like that…tell secretary you want to go privately and you will pay for a private consultation..i would just keep calling the secretary and try to get bumped up the list. You don’t ask in this world you don’t get. Its your child.
It would prob help too if you had vhi? or some other type of health insurance if touch wood surgery was needed.
I think Tayor is right about getting you TD involved, its a good route to take. If you are in Drogheda, perhaps try Fergus O’Dowd, he is really nice, he has an office in West St. His secretary is lovely too, very helpful.
Aside from that, if you are unhappy with the way you are being given contradictory information (it sounds awful for you) you can also contact a group called Patients together they are at http://www.patientstogether.com/ and they help improve the communication between HSE and patients, it might be worth checking them out, they can give good advice.
You could also try going to the media about it, maybe some of your local papers would pick up the story about what you are going through. I know its awful that you even have to think like this but most hospitals do not like bad publicity and unfortunately, if you raise the issue publicly they are much more likely to push your appointment forward
I know none of this is ideal but we are dealing with an absolutely ridiculous health system which is run very badly and we sometimes have to go to extreme measures to get the care we are entitled to.
I hope you get sorted soon, its terrible you have this stress on top of everything else.
Best of luck.
It’s really not the case that if you are prepared to go private you can get seen much more quickly and minimise your stress?
On two issues we have had recently I know that we could have waited and gone public but on each occasion asked about going privately and the diary was basically thrown open and were told ok in that case, when do you wanna come.
perhaps not like this in all fields? But surely worth an enquiry? At least for an initial consultation which might set u on what u feel is a more firm route to a diagnosis you feel you can rely on.
Aside from the obvious that no-one should be put in this dreadful position in the first place, if you could get a a private consultation with thee guy from temple st if he had his own private practice, am sure that would suit you better than the stress of constantly ringing up seeing if you can get bumped up the list when the inevitable consequence of that is that someone else gets shunted down and u r in the unhappy position of waiting waiting waiting…
Most times its quicker to go private but it can be really costly. Its maddening that so many people are put in a position where they may have to spend hundreds (if not more) of euros for what they are entitled to. I know the main priority is the care and getting the diagnosis sorted and a plan in place for it but it should not be so difficult.
It puts extra pressure on parents financially when they may not have a lot of cash to spare.
Even if you do go private, maybe a letter to your TD is in order, the contradictory diagnoses are really awful.
So sorry you’re going through this.
I did hear of someone with a similar story, but it was a Male Adult with a lump in the Breast, one doctor said go away its nothing and laughed at him, the second doctor thinks its cancer, prostate cancer can show up as a lump in the breast 😯
He was told after weeks of worry and waiting that sometimes, just sometimes if you attend A&E you will be seen quicker and as an emergency case rather then just a name on a waiting list, hence getting bumped up the list….. not nice for someone under you on the list, but you cant really worry about that, your child is your worry.
Might be worth looking intoHi, I had a similar experience recently – trying to get a consultants appointment for my daughter, even to get a private appointment in one of the childrens hospitals proved to be tough.
If you are stuck, there is a private paediatric practice near the beacon hospital in dublin, they can either arrange all the tests you need(in house), or refer you to a specialist. Give them a call, they were really helpful to me and gave me a load of information over the phone. They can be contacted through the beacon private consultants clinic and you dont need a gp referal.
Good Luck
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