Newbie with private healthcare!

[yorkshire_lad]

Thanks for the tips! all very helpful

I think I'm going to speak to my dorm on friday and let him know which treatments i am aware of and would like to try, if as per usual i am beating my head against the wall then i will ask for a referral to go through private healthcare. I have read the small print on my policy and as it is a company wide policy there seems to be no ceiling on costs. 

I stopped using all my ointments and gels and treatments a few weeks ago as i thought this may give the derm a more true idea of how bad it is at the moment...... seems to have worked.

I have a feeling i will be prescribed methotrexate to be honest, seems to be the first treatment to try.

oh and yes dave i am from whitby, north yorkshire...... 

cheers 

[jiml]

Yes you are probably right about being prescribed methotrexate , give it a good try if that's the case,

It's good you have got plenty of psoriasis to show the dermatologist, don't forget to tell him how it's affecting your self esteem as well, tell him how bad you feel....then honestly there should be no need to go private...

You may find as I found with my wife that they don't cover ongoing treatment of chronic illnesses, worth checking, although an initial consultation will be covered and you will probably get to see the same guy....  

oh no not two North Yorkshire men, Dave has been looking for an ally  

[Caroline]

Don't go for methotrexate. Just refuse to take this poison !!

Well that is a nice welcome isn't it??  
I am furiously against it, have used it myself and I felt terrible. It is a cancer therapy and it is used for abortion.
Still some of us are very content about it, so there are people who can deal with it.

But reeling back, I wish you a warm welcome to our Psoriasisclub forum.  
It's a good place to be to chat with fellow sufferers.

In the mean time there are very much treatments been developed, so there is much choice for you. The best Systemics are Dimethylfumarates (Fumaderm) and Acetretin. I would stay away from cyclosporine.

If the Systemics don't work there is a whole set of biologicals like Stelara, Cosentyx, Humira, and more. There are some people on the forum who have had quite some problems with Humira.
We have steady users of Stelara and the new Cosentyx is promising.

Join us in the off topic section if you like.

Cheers,
Caroline

p.s. I am Dutch, and in that sense I can be quite more direct that you English.

[Fred]

Hello Jamie to Psoriasis Club.

I have no experiance of private health care so can't help on that. Though I would imagine they would follow the same protocol as the NHS. Creams / Light / Oral / Bio. Bio's are always last as they are still relatively new and do cost a fortune, most of the bio's are safer than a lot of the oral treatments in my opinion and give less side effects. But that doesn't mean you will be able to ask for them specifically as your insurer may insist that you fail on an oral first.

You can find more about the oral and bio treatments in the "Important Threads" here: Prescribed Treatments For Psoriasis

I would suggest you tell your dermatologist how it is effecting your life and that you have checked your DLQI you can find that here: Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI)

You may also be interested in: What is the PASI score my dermatologist uses ?

Good luck with your appointment and please feel free to start your own thread in Prescribed Treatments For Psoriasis once you know what you are trying next, it's a good way to keep track of things and your information could help others.

Regards.

Fred.

[pingu]

Hi Yorkshire lad and welcome.

Firstly I am going to try and be a voice of reason.

Any drug you put in your body is a poison. Methotrexate has a bad press and many here do not like it. However I am on it and it has worked for me, really well with no side effects, apart from i think I pick up colds a little easier. That said I am not advocating any treatment and most if not all teh people here are more knowledgeable than I am.

I started my treatment by going private and getting MTX while I waited for a dermatology appointment on the NHS. That said I feel there is a risk if you are under a dermatologist already and you get an alternative treatment from a private consultant. Also the private consultant should liaise with you dermatologist.

However, as I have said in a previous post if you are at all unhappy with your treatment regime for whatever reason it is your right to have a choice.

You are a customer of The NHS and they are there to provide a service to you as a customer. If you are not happy with that service it is you right to complain. Firstly do not take no for an answer. The dermatologist may say no but do your research so you know what the next available treatments are such as MTX or other oral treatment. Ask why they will not prescribe this and if you are still unhappy let them know that you wish to take this further. Demand to speak with the head of department.

Firstly without some knowledge you are at a disadvantage, once they know you know I have found they are much more forthcoming. It is your life tell them that you need alternatives.

Lastly I am not advocating that you over egg the pudding but the psychological effect that psoriasis can cause such as depression, not wanting to go out and the impact on your lifestyle are not things your dermatologist can easily measure. If you have to put these in your armory to win your argument.

All of the above said though the dermatologist should be on your side and we don't really want them prescribing something to get you out of their surgery but to be working with you on a long term strategy to help you have a life free of psoriasis.

[D Foster]

Hi Jamie , you are just up the coast from me in sunny Bridlington ,at last another person from Yorkshire that will sort them out. By the way Jim North and East Yorkshire , we are even precious about that as well !!!!
I took MTX for nine years plus , six by tablet at 25mg and just over three at 20mg by self injection and it worked for me in fact quite well until the side effects caught up with me. Some people don't have many side effects and some do ,I took Cyclosporine and I thought I had died and woke up it was very bad for me but again others don't have any trouble at all, luck of the draw. I think that my level of MTX was quite high compared to some and this made a lot of difference when it came to side effects, other people ,such as Caroline , are really against it calling it poison which I personally think is a little over the top as it's a bit of horses for courses .
It is a toxic substance but quite a lot of drugs are and the main thing to do is to make sure that your bloods are OK on a regular basis and don't take any chances such as alcohol with it which increases the kidney/liver damage aspect.
I am on Stelara now Jamie and it's just fantastic ,I have 99% clearance, 80% ish was the best I got on MTX , you do have to jump through a few hoops first to get onto bio's.
I have had quite a few problems with the NHS and I go to the Dermatology in Hull even though like you I am in the York trust area ,I got sorted before York took over and I am in a good position because it's a private health service that does dermatology in that area so I get really good service. I can recommend Dr Britton who works through the Spire Hospital but it's a bit to far for you to go from Whitby .
Anything I can help you with just let me know, PM me if you want.

Dave

[Kat]

Welcome! Sorry I'm late.

I can't offer any experience or advice with your healthcare as I'm in the US and our system is totally different.

[Fiftyplus]

Thanks for the fast replies! 

Sorry I meant my dermatologist is reluctant not doctor, I've sort of convinced myself that the reason he hasn't put me on humira or one of these type of treatments is the cost, hence why I thought private may be a better option.

The latest treatment I've tried was I think called puva (bathe in solution then straight onto light treatment) another waste of time. 

I have an appointment on Friday with my derm so am just going to ask for systemic treatment, which one is usually the first One to try? 

I'm guessing they wouldn't just put me straight onto the injected ones without trying others first.

Hello Lad,

You have deffo come to the best place for other options to control P...jiml and Fred are very cool and know an awful lot...looking at your post and I had that puva treatment. I felt like a leper having to bring my own towel face cloth and stuff with me to the hospital , and like you, load of rubbish.

I'm new to this site as well...and im glad I found it.

Hope to see you soon

Fifty

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