I Hate the NHS!!!!

[Dannywayoflife]

I personally believe that labour are to blame for the state that this country is in including the NHS. Mind not to get in to politics but the NHS wastes so much money It's criminal! My non a&e NHS experiences have all been terrible! There seems to be so much arrogance and institutional neglect that I am really disilluisioned with the NHS.

its political from my point of view.i'd sooner have an nhs which wastes money, which it does, than none at all.which is what the tories would love.

I don't think the torys want a private health service such as the states. But I pay my tax and I don't want my money to be wasted I want bang for buck. There is huge amounts of money wasted on various public services, police, armed forces, NHS and I don't see that wanting value for my money is a bad thing.
But anyway this isn't a site to argue political opinions it's about hip resurfacing and people individual stories.

[Lopsided]

Hey, hey, Danny and Larry. Get off of this party political thing. Play the game like it always has been.

[Dannywayoflife]

Hay lop. I am trying to "play the game" but so far I'm banging my head against a brick wall. I am starting to think about a private solution though due to the quality of aftercare. Mind I am seeing mr treacy in 23hrs so I shall await his judgement on my best move forward. And go from there.

[Lopsided]

Well definitely post and let us know what he says.

If you end up having to go private, and pay for it yourself, and deal with the payments for as long as it takes, you won't be the first. And their are advantages. You can choose the best surgeon, the best device, the best therapy, the best location. And once you have had the operation, you will be able to work and earn again much more comfortably than before.

I paid for my own operation, and I think I will be back to financial stability by this time next year. Work has been so much easier.

If you do go private, Dr. Bose seems to be the cheapest of the top doctors, and combining it with a trip to the tropics is good. However, for about a quarter of the price on top (because you would not have to buy long haul tickets), you could go to Belgium and get an uncemented with Dr. De Smet.

Only go NHS if you are really confident that you will get Mr. Treacy or someone like him.

D.

[Dannywayoflife]

I do keep changing my mind on devices etc. The price I saw for de Smet tho was about £12000 I do see logic to uncemented but then I see top surgeons like mark Bloomfield and dr Bose saying it's trying to fix a problem that isn't there. I get to the point where I don't know who to believe! How did you reach your decision?

[Lopsided]

How did you reach your decision?

That was not difficult. He was the only surgeon that replied to me directly and personally, answered all my questions, was ready to do uncemented, was on the list of the best surgeons, and importantly, treated me like a human being.

First I tried surgeons over here, but did not fancy any, then tried surgeons in England. I was highly pissed off at the attitude of the English surgeons even though I was going private (have not paid stamps for twenty years). I wrote about it in a thread shortly after my operation:

http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/index.php?topic=1824.msg12997#msg12997

D.

[newdog]

Bloomfield and dr Bose saying it's trying to fix a problem that isn't there.

What if there never is a problem with cement? Why add an extra step to the surgery and add something that isn't necessary? No one is crying "The sky is falling" and trying to scare people. It's a personal decision. I happen to believe in uncemented. In a total hip replacement there is no cement used. Of course the stem is a mile long compared to HR. If someone wants cement, go for it. You have to do what you feel is right for you.

My reason for choosing my surgeon is similar to lopsided's. He talked to me directly, answered all of my questions, never was in a hurry to get away from me, either on the phone or in person. He's not a pompous ass and actually seems to enjoy talking to his patients. Check out his statistics for infection and revisions. Just some of my reasons. Good luck in your search.

[AlanN]

Hi Danny,
Stick to your guns mate, insist on seeing a different GP (you must be able to register with a different one in your area?).

I had my resurfacing done by the same surgeon as Chris, albeit privately.
However it took me over a year and four different consultants to find one confident in the proceedure.
That's the key, finding one who has done enough and is confident doing it, if they do not fit this category, inevitably they will bad mouth the proceedure.

Good luck mate and if I can be of any help let me know...where in the country are you?

[chris finn]

I had my resurfacing done by the same surgeon as Chris, albeit privately.

Hey I didn`t know that.....nice guy isnt he?? ....and he answers all questions and is very confident and professional.

[AlanN]

I had my resurfacing done by the same surgeon as Chris, albeit privately.

Hey I didn`t know that.....nice guy isnt he?? ....and he answers all questions and is very confident and professional.

Absolute top man in my humble Chris!

[toby]

My Fellow Brits I'm confused!
I thought Alan's hip was done by Mr Keene and Chris's Mr Norrish!
Does he use one name privately and the other for NHS?
Toby

[AlanN]

My Fellow Brits I'm confused!
I thought Alan's hip was done by Mr Keene and Chris's Mr Norrish!
Does he use one name privately and the other for NHS?
Toby

Oooooo...mine was definitely Mr. Keene, thought Chris's was too...sorry if I have it wrong and have caused confusion!

[chris finn]

lol.....ah well Mr Norrish is still a top guy...and Im sure Mr Keene is too  ;) ;) ;D ;D

[Dannywayoflife]

Just to update you guys. I saw Mr Treacy yesterday and he is a truly great bloke! couldnt of asked for a better guy. He looked at my xrays and read my arthroscopy report and informed me that i was as close to a perfect RS candadate as youll see. He told me that i was bone on bone and that indeed i have fai. Thae cam part is the only complicating factor as he informed me that with a cam type fai there is a slightly higher chance of nothching the femoral neck but since he hasnt had a femoral neck fracture in over 3 years he said he was confident he could do mine with no real problem!
He told me that my gp has no right to refuse to refer me to him on the NHS but said expect a fight to get to him. But with reports from Mr Treacy, Dr Bose, De Smet & Dr Gross all saying its appropriate to opperate now then i dont see how my gp has a leg to stand on!
So far i would highly recomend Mr Treacy as he wasnt at all arrogant just very plesant and willing to let me ask questions and get my points across.
I now look forward to my next gp apointment to see what he will say in a few weeks!

[Lopsided]

He told me that my gp has no right to refuse to refer me to him on the NHS but said expect a fight to get to him.

Well then Danny, tooth and nail.

[Dannywayoflife]

Yep if he still won't budge under the weight of evidence I'll go to my mp. He's really good so I suspect he'd get things sorted for me!
Mr treacy seemed to think I could be having the op in September but ideally I want it around feb next year as I don't qualify for the sick Pay from my company yet and have made some other commitments I don't want to renege on but fern that means hopefully about 7 months from now I could be on the road to getting my life and career back on track!:-)

[ScubaDuck]

Great news!  You have some great backing now that says you should have HR sooner rather than later.  That has to be uplifting.

I know what you mean about trying to plan the surgery around life.  Make sure that you have the time to focus on proper rehab and don't have to rush back.

Dan

[chris finn]

Good for you Danny.......I hope it goes the way you want.  :) :)

[toby]

Nice one Danny,
Having your hip resurfaced by Ronan Treacy (who has performed over 5000)  on the NHS would be fantastic. I think it's brilliant that UK patients can have a hip resurfacing on the NHS with such a pioneer. My understanding is that patients have the right to choose their surgeon (as set up by the last Labour Government and supported by much lip service by our current one) so I can't see why or how your GP can refuse you a referral. And with your preferred schedule of February you'll have plenty of time to take on any challenges.
So it sounds like it's all falling into place.
Best Wishes
Toby

[Anniee]

Great news, Danny!  I am very happy for you!  Mr. Treacy sounds wonderful!