Hi Songbird68

Sorry, you find yourself in this position. I would be looking for a soft tissue surgeon., 

Thanks Magpiemaggie,

Great suggestion. If I look up soft tiisue surgeons on BUPA it brings up sports injury and orthopaedics specialists. The sports injury seem to be more injecting injuries as opposed to removing lumps and the orthopaedics are into hammer toes  and ingrowing toenails - hip and knee replacements, elbows and wrists. Goodness this doesn't look very promising at all!  

Hello and thanks for your post,

 I am sorry to hear about your situation and the wait for your surgery.

You may find it helpful to look at the information written by The Royal College of Surgeons about how they define a general surgeon. Have a look here

We can't recommend a general surgeon but if you decide to stay with in the NHS then you will be allocated one at your local hospital who has performed this type of surgery before. 

If you decide to go down the private route then you could always give BUPA a ring. They will be able to recommend a list of general surgeons near you. You can then google the names that you have been given and you can see the types of surgery that they have performed in the past and how long they have been practising for.

It can also be helpful to talk this through with your GP as they may well be aware of different general surgeons both NHS and private in your local area.

I do hope that this helps.

All the Best,

Catherine

hi songbird if you have a number you can call why not give them a ring and ask what type of surgeon you will be being referred to I presume they will know , then you could check if there was one available through bupa x

Thanks for your help Catherine,

I am just going to see how long the wait might be on a non-urgent op before I do anything. Always good to have a B plan - as I have experienced a super long waiting list before - and ended up going private. Last time I looked local hospital were stating waiting upto 104 weeks for surgery in non-urgent cases - don't think I want to wait that long - especially when the lesion is not identified. That said I haven't spoken to anyone there yet - and hopefully an initial chat is not too far away.

Hi Poppy,

The last time I used Bupa I researched the consultant I was going to see, and I was hoping to do the same this time round. The general surgeons that are on their books in a reasonable commuting distance tend to be stating that they do certain areas (such as upper GI) and nothing else. I guess this is why I am starting to worry that I'm not going to find anyone to do ths! Am hoping I get to speak to someone on the NHS side soon - then I will make the call to Bupa if the time frame is too long for my sanity!

Looks like it's an orthopedic surgeon you're looking for. Maybe this link will help

Thanks Magpiemaggie 

That's  really helpful ! I have used them before, so that is a very good possibility! Lenny the lump needs to be gone!

Yep - Lenny needs to be evicted, 

Hi Magpiemaggie,

Got an appointment for 16th March - so I am OK with that. Not so far away and it does mean I am not having to repeat any tests - although my hubby pointed out they may have left it to do another ultrasound to see if Lenny lump has grown any in 3-4 months. I did find a surgeon through the link you sent who could fit the bill if I did go down the BUPA route - but for mow I think I am good with my NHS pathway. It's always good to have options!