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Private CT scan?

A.B
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Hello everyone,

I'm currently going through the diagnosis process for suspected lymphoma. All started in Feb with abdominal & back pain plus few enlarged lymph nodes. I had abdominal ultrasound which came back clear and also blood tests which are normal. In April I saw a consultant at the hospital who sent me for more blood tests. These came back clear so on the 8th of May I was referred for an urgent abdominal CT scan.

Rang today to chase as not had the letter yet and was told the department is very busy and I might need to wait until the end of June for the scan. It'd make it 7 weeks from the referral date.

The wait is horrible but what I struggle with the most is the pain. I have two little children and I struggle to look after them. Today I was in tears several times from the pain. I am willing to pay for a private scan however I don't know if it would change anything apart from me knowing if there is something there. Would the hospital honour the scan? Would it speed anything up on the NHS side? The consultant's secretary wasn't very helpful and said she can't comment and it's up to me if I want a private one. I don't want to end up having two identical scans.

I would be grateful for any comments/advice on this. Thank you

Aneta

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    Hi A.B. Welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear about wait you're having for a CT scan.

    Although going private sounds like a good option, I would urge some caution.  

    Unless you know exactly how the consultant wants your CT scan to be performed, there is the possibility that the private scan may not capture either the exact area of the body, or may not use the desired contrast injections.  

    A CT scan uses X rays, which are safe enough in the context of a single scan; however if you have recently had a prior scan in one part of the body then the radiographers would be unwilling to re-scan the same area so soon after the first scan.  So you may end up in the ironic situation of paying for a scan that provides the wrong information, and then being refused a second scan because of the extra X-ray exposure this would involve.

    Now, I'm sure these issues can be worked-around, but it does mean that it's not quite as simple as you might expect.  If you want to go ahead, then at least discuss with the private provider whether they can liaise with the consultant to get exactly the scan your consultant requires.

    However, perhaps an alternative is to discuss with your GP whether or not your scan can be provided at a different NHS hospital with a shorter waiting list. Of course you will have to travel further but this might be a viable option and of course it would be cheaper. 

    Good luck.  Please tell us how you get on because your feedback helps us improve our answers to questions like this. 

     

  • Offline in reply to telemando

    Hi telemando,

    Thank you for your advice.

    I have rang the secretary and asked to be referred to a different hospital which they couldn't do. I also explained that I'm considering paying for a private scan but they said to put it on hold and they will chase the radiology. Today I got a phone call as there was a cancellation and they booked me in for Monday. I am so pleased. 

    Thank you again for your help 

  • Offline in reply to A.B

    Hi A.B

    I'm so pleased that my advice helped. I hope that your scan will provide all the answers you need, and the result is good news.

     

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