Angiogram privately

busiscoming2

Hi does anyone know roughly how much it will cost to have an Angiogram done privately, and whether you have to pay for a consultancy first as well?
We are in Kent if anyone has any recommendations. Thank you.

TAG

Last year it was roughly £2k with Bupa. Don't know about the counsultancy fee though.

money-penny_5

I specialise in this field in the NHS. - It usually costs approx £1,500 - £2,000 depending on where you get it done. I would expect there would be a charge for a consultation beforehand. If you are paying out of your own pocket, my advice would be to wait and have it done on the NHS. They have to prioritise you anyway if they think you are "higher risk", and if anything were to happen in the time you were waiting, such as your symptoms got worse or you had prolonged chest pain then you simply need to call the paramedics and be admitted (most times they will then do it while you're in hospital or give you some priority). I would give this advice to anyone wanting to go privately, unless they have medical insurance which will pay out, in which case then go for it.

busiscoming2

Thanks all. Money-penny the reason I asked about having it done privately is that although most of the Drs at the hospital my husband is in at the moment keep saying it is what should be done, his actual consultant (who is in one of the vascular teams) doesn't seem to want to do it, in fact he wants nothing to do with him, it was a surgical dr who admitted him as his consultant wouldn't!

money-penny_5

Is it a vascular angiogram (vessels in the legs, kidneys etc) or coronary angiogram (of the heart)? Also could you be a little more specific about your husbands symptoms, and also is he in hospital at the moment or is he just having clinic consultations. Hopefully then I'll be able to advise you a little better.

busiscoming2

Hi It is his left leg and stump, he had a forefoot amputation in 1994, he has buerger's disease. Everything was fine until end of last year when he got a pain in a toe on right foot, dr referred him to consultant, one of his team prescribed Nifidepene, he only took 4 tablets, but from taking 1st tablet he got bad pain in left knee and all the side effects listed! Since then (29/12/06) he has been in chronic pain. He had a course of Iloprost in March, that made no difference except two weeks later he developed peeling skin on stump and two sores appeared which have grown. The Consultant saw him in April and said the pain was neuropathic, didn't know why/what the sores or peeling was and to go away and it would heal up. He has been on morphine, gabapentin and many more, but nothing has worked. I have called out drs on call and been down to their and AE many times with him, nothing has changed. Last thurs I took him back to ae and he was finally admitted although his consultant refused to admit him, a surgical dr did, he has since been seen by the critical pain consultant. Since April he has had 3 courses of antibiocs (drs have thought there maybe an infection). He had an xray last tue as they may have been stray stitch or bone infectn, nothing showed up. He had a scan after the Iloprost (14/03) which showed an anuerysm behind left knee.
Since he has been in hosp the drs all say he should have an angiogram, but nothing is forthcoming and as his consultant is the one to do it, he has to give his consent. The consensus seems to be it not a neuropathic pain.

Sorry to ramble but it isnt easy to explain.
He is in the Medway Maritime in Gillingham, Kent

ceebeeby

Hi busiscoming.

My advice would be to request an immediate change of consultant if you don't think you are being treated appropriately. If your husband is still in hospital ask for the hospital complaints officer / manager to visit you at your husbands bedside and state your concerns.

You will have to sign a statement.

If you don't want to take it quite this far, you are also entitled to a second opinion which you can request to be totally independent from the first.

Big hugs

Savvy_Sue

Another option is PALS - Patient Advice and Liaison Service. Every hospital should have one! Less than a formal complaint, but a way of saying "I don't think this is right, please can we sort it out."

money-penny_5

Yes, I agree with the above comments, to request a second opinion from another Consultant is completely acceptable and I have come across many people who have done this. Also PALS is really good, even if it just means that your worries are heard and someone with a good insight into this condition can deal with it appropriately and keep you fully informed of reasons why decisions have been met. Ultimately they need to do something for your husband, it is not right for him to continue being in so much discomfort.