Waiting Times

[Lucille]

Hello

Can anyone tell me the average waiting time for a diagnosis? Having spent 8 months trying to get a doctor to take my concerns seriously and then waiting two months for an initial assessment, we had to wait another two months for the brain scan and now I've just been told we'll have to wait another three to four months before we can discuss the diagnosis. It's so frustrating! Is there any way I can speed this up? I know everyone has a need to be seen but I can't believe it's taking so long.


Thanks for any views you can offer!
N :¬)

 

[BeckyJan]

Hello there -- it took us 18 months from the time the Consultant first said she thought he had AlzD - it had taken some 6 months to see her after the referral from GP!!!! During the 18 mths there were 3 or 4 mini 'tests' - after that he was prescribed Aricept. Nothing much has happened since although it is now nearly 3 yrs since that initial diagnosis (occasionally I am told he may also have Vascular Dementia but no one seems to know). Its a long haul - be prepared Best wishes BeckyJan

 

[connie]

Hello Natilie, I guess we were lucky. After seeing the consultant in June, we had diagnosis the following January.

However we had been five years trying to get anyone to take things seriously.

Just try to live life as normally as possible, and do all you can whilst you can. An official diagnosis cannot change your attitude to the illness, so live for today.
Connie

 

[Lucille]

Thanks all

Reassuring to know that it's not just one particular part of the country. And Connie, I agree with you, I suppose a diagnosis isn't going to change anything, but I want to feel I'm doing everything I can. And then what?!! Hey ho.

Must crack on, have an essay to write ... keeps me sane (ish)!

Natalie

 

[maggier]

Sorry, I know this won't make anyone feel better but thought it would be good to say something good about the NHS for once.

Even though we knew mum had not been well for years we covered it up until October 2005 when we alerted mums GP because of her behaviour and sudden loss of speech (which has mostly come back except she forgets a lot of words) within a couple of weeks she had an appointment with a Neuroligist at the local hospital who thought she may have had a series of mini strokes. In December 2005 we contacted the GP again because mum seemed to deteriorate and started seeing things and having hallucinations/delusions and within 2 days we had intermediary care set up with carers coming twice a day at first then dropping to once as we got ourselves sorted out.. Since then she has had a visit from the geriatric psychologist at home, who the next day faxed a request for a prescription for medication to the GP for us to collect. She has had an assesment by social services, an ECG, a range of blood and urine tests and she has an appointment for a brain scan on 23rd March so all in all all this has happened in the last 5-6 months. Not bad eh!

 

[Lila13]

It does seem a long time to wait.

It was only last October that we realised my mother's condition was serious, she had a brain scan when she was in hospital in October-November, they said then that her confusion was "just old age", and fever from the UTI.

I am not sure when she got onto the memory clinic's waiting-list, but they said we'd get the results in 2 weeks.

 

[Linda Mc]

Diagnosis

My husband saw the Dr on a Wednesday late January, had an MRI scan the following Monday, then saw the consultant Feb 21st, followed by full day assessment early June then put on Aricept.

Follow ups July Aug and Sept with consultant then Oct memory clinic and now seen every six months at memory clinic.

So no complaints here in N Wales.

Linda

 

[Áine]

Although it was a bit of a nightmare at the time, I guess dad was fairly lucky. I started really pushing for help about October last year, and at first we went down the route of possible Parkinson's and got tangled up in that system before being referred to psychiatrist. He then waited about 6 weeks for a CT scan and couple of months after that for apt with psychiatrist and diagnosis. So he was diagnsed with Lewy Body dementia on 22 Feb this year.