I have been told I have to wait 6 weeks for my chemotherapy to start. Could I go private to start chemotherapy earlier? And how will a delay affect my cancer?
As I am not involved in your care it is difficult to know what effect waiting for six weeks will have but it may not be an issue so try not to think the worst. If you have a specialist nurse (CNS) you could talk this through with them. They know the type of cancer you are having and the treatment that is involved so do talk through your concerns with them.
If you did want to go privately the easiest way would probably be by seeing if your NHS consultant has a private practice so you could transfer from one to another. Do discuss this potential option with them. They may well have a private secretary who you could ring and speak to and you could also find out the time frame and the costs that would be involved.
If you decide to see another consultant altogether then this may delay chemotherapy as they would need to review all your tests and scans before they decided how to treat your cancer so the time difference may then end up not being very different from having treatment on the NHS.
We do have some information on our website about accessing private care
I can understand how very unsettling this must be for you at the moment.
Do give us a ring if you would like to talk things through with the helpline nurses. The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.
