PCOS

LegacyUser

Hi,

I'm not looking for any medical advice. I'm just wondering if anyone with this condition has gone private and whether they noticed a difference in the service/treatment they received.

Wibbs

OK folks as the lady said, NO medical advice. Stick to the question re private/public experiences. Thanks.

anucksunamun

Hi you might find this helpful http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055242144

LegacyUser

Hi, thanks for that.

I've still no new password, so have to go unreg and can't post in the TLL.

sexdwarf

The treatment I had for PCOS was nine years ago now when I had a ruptured cyst and internal bleeding. I went semi-private and the care wasn't great. I was sent home in agony after being told I was 'ovulating', only to be brought back in the next morning with a temperature of 104.

There were no follow-up appointments to see how I was getting on after the surgery. I recently discovered from my doctor that I was supposed to be given a course of anti-biotics after the surgery to protect against anaerobic bacteria, and I never received this or any follow-up care whatsoever. So as a result he says he would have concerns about my fertility. But this was a good few years ago. Perhaps things have changed.

LegacyUser

Hi Sexdwarf,

Sounds like you've been through the mill. The general consencus seems to be that people are not happy with the treatment they received for the condition. This is why i'm considering going private, though I don't fancy handing over a shed load of cash and all the aggro of getting my medical files unless I know it's gonna be of some benefit.

Electric

I went public, my GP referred me to the endocrinologist and laser therapy unit in St James and I have to say the care has been excellent. My advice would be to talk to your GP and see if you can get a similar referral.

My treatment has been ongoing for years and one of the reasons I discounted the private/semi-private route is the cost.

LegacyUser

Electric wrote: »

I went public, my GP referred me to the endocrinologist and laser therapy unit in St James and I have to say the care has been excellent. My advice would be to talk to your GP and see if you can get a similar referral.

My treatment has been ongoing for years and one of the reasons I discounted the private/semi-private route is the cost.

I've been seeing an endocrinologist for the last 2 years and have not once seen the same doctor at my appointments. The service i've experienced is atrocious and to be honest i'd say I could have the hospital for negligence over a certain incident. I have been getting lazer privately and it's brilliant.

anucksunamun

I was told that I had to decide whether I wanted to have kids (at 30 my chances would be halved, I'd have a 6% chance apparently, thats less than a year away now.. it was 2 years 8 months on that day) and if I decided not to that the pcos could be treated with just the pill. And that was all I was told. And this devastating and live changing news was told in the same tone as 'on the news tonight...'
I said I do want to have children, and they said you'll get an appointment in the post that was one year and eight months ago!

I tried to ask my GP a few times for help regarding it, or getting me follow up appointments... He essentially ignored me, and said they will send one out to you eventually, your on a list, you will have to wait.. I rang the hospital, same answer.. so, here I am with a ticking timebomb for a womb.. and a deafening biological clock.

I genuinely believe this is treated as a minor thing by doctors, or is it just as I'm a medical card patient now?

Electric

I think I must be the lucky one so. My GP has always taken this seriously and I've always dealt with the same consultants in St James both for laser and endocrinology. The care that I've received has always been excellent and it's kept what could be a very distressing and difficult condition manageable.

Not sure if I can the consultants here so I'll send a pm but I would definitely talk to your GP and push to be referred to them.

Electric

anck su namun wrote: »

I was told that I had to decide whether I wanted to have kids (at 30 my chances would be halved, I'd have a 6% chance apparently, thats less than a year away now.. it was 2 years 8 months on that day) and if I decided not to that the pcos could be treated with just the pill. And that was all I was told. And this devastating and live changing news was told in the same tone as 'on the news tonight...'
I said I do want to have children, and they said you'll get an appointment in the post that was one year and eight months ago!

I tried to ask my GP a few times for help regarding it, or getting me follow up appointments... He essentially ignored me, and said they will send one out to you eventually, your on a list, you will have to wait.. I rang the hospital, same answer.. so, here I am with a ticking timebomb for a womb.. and a deafening biological clock.

I genuinely believe this is treated as a minor thing by doctors, or is it just as I'm a medical card patient now?

I'm sorry I don't mean to belittle your condition but why didn't you contact your GP again when you hadn't received an appointment after a couple of weeks? Have you tried going to another GP? If it were me I would kick up such a stink that they would be happy to refer me to someone else and have me off their hands!

anucksunamun

Electric wrote: »

I'm sorry I don't mean to belittle your condition but why didn't you contact your GP again when you hadn't received an appointment after a couple of weeks? Have you tried going to another GP? If it were me I would kick up such a stink that they would be happy to refer me to someone else and have me off their hands!

I'm sorry perhaps I should have said repeatedly asked and rang, and was given the same answer by three different doctors in the same practice.

Electric

Ahh that puts a different spin on things. Is there no other practice you can attend (sorry I'm not too familiar with how medical cards work)?

anck su namun

anck su namun wrote: »

I'm sorry perhaps I should have said repeatedly asked and rang, and was given the same answer by three different doctors in the same practice.

Well, go to a different practice. It's madness to just accept bad treatment. I'm not blaming you, but I've learned over the last year that you just have to keep going until you get what you want. My GP last year said she didn't think I needed a scan, so I let it go. Six months on, I now have a serious condition, and still I was told I'd be waiting another six months for a scan. I went back to the doctor and asked if there was any way I could be seen sooner, and he gave me details of a hospital with a shorter waiting list. I also looked up private clinics - I'm not Miss Moneybags as a full time student with a part time job, but my health is my ultimate priority. Could you perhaps borrow money from a friend or relative, do you have anything you could sell to cover the cost? The truth is that doctors just don't really care, it doesn't affect them. I really have learned this the hard way.

anucksunamun

Thank you, you are both right, I had gotten to the stage where I felt I was in the wrong and being annoying

anck su namun

anck su namun wrote: »

Thank you, you are both right, I had gotten to the stage where I felt I was in the wrong and being annoying

Yep, it's disheartening, I know. I literally had several doctors roll their eyes at me and basically give me a pat on the head and tell me to stop worrying. It's hard not to be intimidated by doctors - you figure that they must surely know what they're talking about and have your best interests at heart. It's hard to believe in yourself when you're being told you're a hypochondriac/overreacting.

Electric

anck su namun wrote: »

Thank you, you are both right, I had gotten to the stage where I felt I was in the wrong and being annoying

You're not being wrong or annoying and it is hard not to feel disheartened but there is help out there it's just a matter of finding it.

As Ariella Blue Toupee said don't accept bad treatment you know something is wrong so keep looking for a doctor who knows what they're talking about and is prepared to help you. At the end of the day your health is the most important thing.

Think about going private, I know it's expensive but sometimes it's better than waiting for things to materialise in the public sector and if it eases your mind and gets you better results, then why not?

LegacyUser

Electric - Do you get Lazer treatment for free?

Electric

Oopsydaisy wrote: »

Electric - Do you get Lazer treatment for free?

Yes.

I won't lie I was waiting about a year to get seen in St James but I've never looked back since. I've gone to private clinics and to be honest St James better not because it's free but cos their laser is more powerful. In the private clinics I'd gone to the limit of their machine and it wasn't doing anything.

I've gotten great results in James', it hasn't cured it be any means but it's much more bearable and has done wonders for my confidence.

Going public hasn't cost me anything, going private cost me nearly €200 a go!

LegacyUser

Electric wrote: »

Yes.

I won't lie I was waiting about a year to get seen in St James but I've never looked back since. I've gone to private clinics and to be honest St James better not because it's free but cos their laser is more powerful. In the private clinics I'd gone to the limit of their machine and it wasn't doing anything.

I've gotten great results in James', it hasn't cured it be any means but it's much more bearable and has done wonders for my confidence.

Going public hasn't cost me anything, going private cost me nearly €200 a go!

How on earth did you manage that, i've spent a fortune on lazer treatment and my health insurance won't even pay anything towards it.

Electric

Oopsydaisy wrote: »

How on earth did you manage that, i've spent a fortune on lazer treatment and my health insurance won't even pay anything towards it.

My GP referred me to the laser unit in St James. As I've said the waiting list was about a year. I then had an appointment with the consultant (not sure if I can give his name here but if you check out St James website you should find him). He was lovely really understood the effect it was having on me and was happy to treat me. That was 2-3 years ago. It hasn't cured it but has made the world of difference.

Could you go back to your GP (or maybe a different one who would be sympathetic) and ask for a referral to this clinic?