sinus operation

[lapers]

Hi

Since janurary I've been suffering from the chronic sinusitis.

I realised in february this year, that there is really something going wrong with me and went to GP. The doctor said there is a problem with my sinuses and prescribed antibiotics. The tablets didn't help so I went back to my GP. Other doctor (for some stupid reason I get always different doctor when I go there) said that it's clearly sinuses that cousing all the troubles and it will clear away soon and (here comes the hammer!) that I should start chewing gum alot as it will help to clear my sinuses. Didn't help the fact I was telling the doc I'm having this problem for 2 months now. After two weeks (begining of march) I went back and a 3rd doctor (this is like a medical centre so they have a lot of doctors) prescribed me more antibiotics and steroids. Still no results. Mid march I went back desperate and asked the 4th doctor to reffer me to a specialist (I asked before but the other 3 doctors just didnt want to listen). Finally the 4th doc said "I will reffer you to a specialist but need to try some stronger steriods first. After 1.5week i was back and got refferal to NHS specialist at Hallam Hospital in Sheffield. It was end of march and I got appoitment for middle of may! 1.5 month but I thought - well atleast I'm in good hands now! I was so dissapointed.... The visit took 5min at the most. Doctor (Specialist) asked me what are my symptoms and without any scans or xrays prescribed me an operation. Bear in mind there are 4 different sinuses and the operation was supposed to be for one. The letter from NHS arrived after 2 weeks saying my operation is due 29th July (Alredy 6 months struggling with the doctors). After my operation I spent about 2weeks in bed and had completely blocked and painful nose for 4weeks. For some reason there was 2 weeks after that where the symptoms reduced about50% but generally i felt still bed and for some reason started having really blocked ears and temporal pain. Had my check up about 1.5 month after the op which i think is complete !!!INSANITY!!! - not to look if it heals properly straight after the op (I ended up with a massive ballon full of blood in my left nastral week after my operation, having to argue (with the doc that did the op) that this ballon needs to be removed, he claimed it doesnt at the begining but I read on the internet I can have massive problems if I dont remove it straightaway!). Anyways on that checkup I said symptoms cleared about 50% in the last 2weeks but I still get days where I can't see any improvements. The doctor looked into my sinuses (just the ones with easy acces the ones the op was for) and this is what he said :"I can't see anything beeing wrong with your sinuses, it's still healing up there, we just going to have to discharge you and let you get on with it". He always sounded like he's got no time for me and he wants to get rid of me as soon as possible, and every time I was about to tell him my concerns and ask about something he was either interupting me or leaving the office not listening saying "all right, yes yes yes c you later nic to meet you"

Now I tell you mr A.J.Parker working at NHS Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield's ENT clinic - YOU SUCKS and are such an ASSHOLE!

The symptoms got worse in recent days and I'm flying to Germany today to meet a doctor there tomorrow about my sinusitis. Should have done it ages ago but I was hoping that this can be sort out without the need of spending lots of money on it(since I pay 350 punds tax every month) when I'm broke and always poor. Unfortunatelly if you have no money on this planet - nobody will help you, especially NHS!

No wonder Americans complaining about the NHS - it really sucks!

I'm 25,never had problems with health in my live, but finally when I need help - they can't fix a simple thing!

Sorry for this post beeing so long but atleast now it just emphesized how bad it is with GP's and Hospitals in England.

Thank you for reading.

PS Thanks AJ - hope similar thing will happen to you one day. (I know I'm a very bitter and angry person - are you surprised?!)

[lapers]

I got back from Germany a couple of days ago after several visits in one of the private clinics there.

The diagnose was shocking!!!:

-I HAVE A BACTERIAL INFECTION IN MY NOSE COUSED BY Staphylococcus Aureus (golden staph/golden cluster seed) FOR GOD KNOWS HOW LONG, WHICH IS STOPPING THE POSTOPERATIVE WUNDS FROM HEALING PROPERLY AND COUSING ME BLOCKED EARS AND SWOLLEN GLANDS AND THROAT DISCHARGE.

-MY SEPTUM IS STILL DEVIATED (ALTHOUGH I SUPPOSED TO HAVE IT STRAIGHTEN). THE NEW DOCTOR HAVE NO IDEA WHAT NHS HAVE DONE TO FIX IT (HE SAID HE CAN SEE WHERE THE INCISION WAS MADE BUT.. NO IDEA... IT IS STILL DEVIATED!!)


-INSTEAD OF ENDOSCOPIC TECHNIC (FESS) THE OPERATION WAS DONE SOME OLD FASHION WAY (THE GERMAN SPECIALIST WAS SURPRISED HOW I WAS TREATED AS HE SAID HE WOULD THOUGTH IN ENGLAND WE ARE AHEAD WITH HEALTH SYSTEM AND WE HAVE BETTER EQUIPMENT...

So after CT Scan and bacteria tests I am now back in England and taking:

Antibiotics, Nose spray, 2types of tablets and 3 types of nose gels which should help me in getting rid of the bacteria and heal properly.

Funny thing but here comes the best - the doctor said it is a good idea to test my blood for bacterias as this Golden Staph may infect my internal organs if it gets to my blood system in vast amountS.

I remember I was trying to arrange myself a blood tests month ago in England (before I went to Germany) at my local GP and my doctor told me that they don't prescirbe any tests to YOUNG,HEALTHY :) PEOPLE like myself and that he can check my preassure and if something is really wrong with me - it will come out during this procedure:)) So he checked my preassure and said there is nothing wrong with me.

Hmmmm so HEADACHES, FACE PREASSURE, SWOLLEN GLANDS, SORE THROATH, DISCHARGE DOWN THE BACK OF MY THROATH, CLOUDY EYES AND FINALLY ALWAYS BLOCKED AND SWOLLEN NOSE must have been just my IMAGINATION then!!!!!

Anyways I was trying to arrange myself a blood test today.. I visited hundreds websites and contacted couple of private health numbers and all that I have heard was that I have to get a refferal from my GP :)))) as to what blood test I need.. without this - no chance of getting it done privately!!!

So I will try again to get that blood test refferal at my local GP soon(he probably will advise me that I am young and healthy man again and will check my preassure haha) but do you konw what is the saddest part here... if my next visit won't work - I will have to travel to Germany again for a blood test!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............

In Germany you go to private clinics, pay some 20-30euros and you can test everything urine, blood poo whatever and however you want it.. with no refferals... and you have the results in 3 working days... in England.. you can forget it... it only happens when you have a near death expierence I think...

Will keep you posted...

[craigwalsh]

no chance of getting it done privately!!!
What an amazing ordeal! Thank you for sharing it with us here on the forum.

I also had problems getting a glucose tolerance test performed privately. My former GP referred me to the local hospital for the test where there was, at the time, a six month waiting list. I asked the GP if he could refer me privately, and he said that he wasn't aware of any facilities that did private GTT's.

That was a challenge to me! After a few telephone calls, I found that the Cromwell Hospital in London will do private GTT's, but they need a GP's letter. I called the GP, and, yes, he'd write the letter. I assumed this would take about a week, so I made an appointment at the Cromwell for two weeks later.

When I arrived in London (120 miles from my home) the Cromwell said they hadn't received the letter. I called the GP's practice, and, sure enough, the letter was "in dictation."

The Cromwell said that wasn't a problem. They had private GP's just down the hall from the reception area, and the GP's happily see people on a walk-in basis. I saw one of these GP's: he asked me more questions than my NHS GP (at the time) had ever asked. The private GP wrote the necessary slip for me to have the GTT, and he even reviewed the preliminary results with me.

The Cromwell has since been purchased by BUPA, so I'm not sure if this arrangement still exists. What BUPA won't tell you is that the referral letter needs to come from a GP --- any GP, not necessarily from your regular GP.

Please keep us posted. All best wishes to you for a speedy recovery.

[lapers]

Just got back from a private clinic in Germany after another operation.

All of the gels, tablets and sprays helped me to get rid of the bacteria I mentioned in my previous post but didn't help in general unfortunately.

I've paid for the operation about 4000 pounds in a very good, ENT specialised private clinic. From the CT scan, I had not only deviated septum but also septal spur blocking one of th sinus openings. I also had inflammation and blockage of 5 or more sinuses which needed to be removed. They also did sort out my new sinus openings using the new tehnique. In other words, they have made 2 new openings(holes) in my maxiliary sinuses in different
places then during my last NHS operation. Luckily they've said it does not disturb that the previous openings were made in England! The results should come anyway.

It is one month after the op now and I'm alredy felling better! My nose has not been blocked for 2 weeks. The mucus drainage is reduced to 1/3 of what it was but do you know what is the best thing about it - that I still have 4 stiches inside of my nose that will disolve in apprx.2-3weeks and the healing process will start really from then! So I'm hoping there will be some further improvements.

They used the FESS method to treat my sinusitis. Also they did series of blood test just before the op, to be sure I'm a healthy person before they put me into sleep and make first incision!

Compering all this to what happened at NHS... no comment. I can understand the fact they have no money to treat as good as the private clinics... but why to give people hopes, giving completely wrong diagnosis, putting them to sleep and operating on them.. hurting and cousing more suffer to another human being.. all this for what... to completely waste their time and couse even more problem as in my case?

I just feel sorry for people that can't dig the money from under the ground like I did it (got debts now at all of my family members!) to go private clinic and have to struggle over the years with NHS... and they feel even worse after this.. it's shame England.. it's a shame.

Will keep you informed...