First appointment done

[foreversarah]

Sorry that I haven't posted about this sooner, my appointment was last Thursday, as a tragedy has fallen on my old school which has impacted on my village and surrounding areas fairly heavily.

Anyway. I think the appointment went fairly well. The psychiatrist seemed a little bit odd but I only have to see the counsellor/therapist for a few weeks which is good. A fair bit of the session was used going over my long medical history which was fine. Apparently having a recent history of epilepsy may cause issues with hormones but another patient who is also epileptic was recently cleared for hormones. I thought my kidney condition as well may cause some issues despite being told my kidneys will not cause me any issues for at least 20-40 years but apparently that's fine.

One thing that did annoy me though was later on in the appointment was assumption over me and my family's financial position as he knew of the school I went to and that it is a private school. It was rather presumptive and a tad rude but never mind. He had said that I will have to go to Charing Cross eventually but the waiting list for that is 7 months and I would rather not wait. So I might just look at the possibility of going private if possible.

In talking about private care he also mentioned Dr Richard Curtis. Before the appointment I had only really heard is name but have looked him up since. The newspaper articles I found are rather worrying. What are other people's opinion of him? Also, are there any other doctors available with whom I can go private as I don't want to be limited to the choice of one.

Thanks.

[Jessica Merriman]

I can't help with your question, but just know you have support in all you do from across the pond. It takes bravery to do what you are doing and I hope it is not to long before things pick up speed. Here is a BIG HUG for your day!!  Your U.S. Sister, Jessica

[Shantel]

There are several Brits here who have gone the private route, be patient and you will have some responses I'm sure.

[FTMDiaries]

Congrats on your first appointment, and I'm sorry to hear about the tragedy in your village.

Now... 7 months to get in to CHX? In my experience - and the experience of many others here - that's very optimistic. Not only could the wait for your first appointment be much longer than that, but the gaps between subsequent appointments can also be very long.

I haven't used Dr Curtis myself, but like you I have read positive and negative stories. I prefer to reserve judgement because I've never met him.

Another one you might want to research is Dr Stuart Lorimer, who is one of the doctors at Charing Cross but also runs his own private practice in London. I've only had limited dealings with him but I found him pretty helpful. I'm going the NHS route myself.

[foreversarah]

If that's the case, I'm going to have to seriously consider going private. That might mean a fair bit of begging the parents! Definitely don't want to wait 7 months or more. I agree judgement is best reserved as it is very subjective and we don't know each individual complaint in detail.

I'll look up Dr Lorimer as well as consider Dr Curtis then. If I do go with Dr Curtis that may mean holding back the fact that I did an undergraduate dissertation in medical negligence for my Law degree!

Also, thanks Jessica!

[MaryXYX]

It took me nine months from talking to my GP to attending my first appointment at Charing Cross (CX).  Then five months to the second opinion, and another three weeks for the letter about hormones to arrive.  I've recently completed the two years RLE and I'm OK to move on to the waiting list to see the surgeon.  That is, unless the surgery is no longer funded, which is quite possible.

The two years would still apply if you went private, but the delays after that could be shortened.

[FTMDiaries]

If I do go with Dr Curtis that may mean holding back the fact that I did an undergraduate dissertation in medical negligence for my Law degree!

It might be very interesting for you to investigate the allegations against him and make up your own mind. I don't know all the facts of the case (obviously) but it seemed to me that some of the allegations might be questionable.

In a way, it's kind-of like my attitude towards TripAdvisor: people will complain about all sorts of things, but are they the kind of things that I would be concerned about? If so, I won't make a booking; but if not, it might be worth a shot.