2ww... how long really?

I was called by my GP today 24 hours after having abdo/pelvis USS for abnormal bleeding.

She said she is referring me for 2ww for gynaecology due to USS findings. 

Also, that I need a 2ww referral to urology as they found a complex cyst on my kidney.

In reality, how long a wait should I expect? Are people being seen within 2 weeks? Receiving appointments within 2 weeks? Or is is potentially weeks/months due to backlogs etc? 

  • I had a 2ww to urology because I had a tumour found on my kidney, I was nervous as hell and keep ringing urology to see if they had an appointment for me yet and they kept telling me no! In the end I got a letter through the post telling me I had a telephone consultation which was dated exactly 2 weeks since my referral. And this was during early covid so you'd probably get face to face appointment now, but thankfully they told me on the phone that it was a benign tumour called a angiomyolipoma but I'd need 6 monthly scans because they can grow and burst and you'd bleed to death. I'm actually not even being monitored now because all my 6 monthly scans shown it hasn't grown at all and it's only 8mm. Also from that same first scan I was told they had found something on my gallbladder and also both ovaries so I was also referred to gyne. Turns out I have endometriomas on both ovarys and had to have one ovary removed. 

    Hope this helps a bit

  • I was referred to gynae on the 2 wk pathway last year. I was told to ring after 2 weeks if I had not heard anything. I got a phone call from the hospital on day 11 with an appointment for day 15. My first appintment was for the ultrasound and hysteroscopy and was on a Saturday. In Dec I was referred on 2wk pathway for the pancreas/liver, had a letter within a few days with appointment for the MRI 2 weeks exactly from the referral date. 

  • I was referred on 25th June to 2ww gynae and am still waiting. I have been told the wait is up to 20 weeks. I've complained to PALS and am awaiting rhe outcome of a complaint to ICB. I also wrote to my MP yesterday. Its my sons wedding this week and I was really hoping for answers before then.

    I really hope you have a better experience. From reading here it seems that this is unique to my area. 

  • Thanks for your reply. Glad to hear things are going well for you. 

  • Thanks for your reply. Out of interest which area are you in (if you don't mind me asking)?

    I've already received an appointment from urology, less than 24 hours from referral! Will have my first consultation next week.

    Wonder if gynae will be a longer wait though? 

  • Have you got the NHS app? There is a tab for appointments, you click on hospital appointments and there are 3 sections,  1 for referrals and one for appointments. Under referrals you should see a status update on your referral. My info said if I didn't hear from them from a certain date, that I should phone. I think all hospitals use the app. For the breast clinic, I saw my GP on a Wednesday, on the Saturday I got my appointment phone call for the following Thursday. 

  • Hiya it should be that straightforward but in my case it told me to ring by a certain date ..when I rang I was then given the 20 week wait news. My referrals then disappeared from the e system. Pals told me they move them to the hospitals internal booking system which I can no longer see. I'm in Manchester area and it seems to be a problem with the 2 hospitals that service my postcode sadly.

  • That's awful.  I am just over the border in Staffordshire. I hope you don’t have to wait that long, I know the waiting is awful.

  • Thank you - yes the waiting and worrying what if is absolutely driving me crazy. I just keep trying to push it far to the back of my mind.