Booking in for a Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy as a Public Patient, how?

[PumpkinZulu]

I have an appointmet to see me gp tomorrow to discuss having a Laparoscopy and Hysteroscopy. I recently had a pelvic ultrasound which showed that I was ovulating (first cycle in 6 months!). My doctor then diagnosed me into the frustrating 'unexplained infertility' catagory and told me that she recommends I see a FS or gyno as they will be ableto do more in depth tests to check for tubal blockages and endo.

So I have been umming and ahhing about it and decided what the hey, I'll do it. I want to book in as a public patient as we do not have PHI and cannot afford private. From what I understand I could be waiting for six months, but at this stage we don't really have another option. So my question is, what do I do I mean, do I ask my gp to refer me to a gyno (she is a qualified ob-gyn, so maybe she will be able to bypass sending meto someone else for the referal) a d then they will send me to a hospy?

Has anyone had a lap and hyst as a public patient? How long did you wait? What were you out of pocket by (my gp bulk bills, I have a health care card). What was the surgery/recovery like? TIA

[Trillian]

I had my first one done as a public patient. I got a referral from my GP to a gyno and at that appointment he gave me the forms to fill in and send to the public hospital he worked out of to book me in for a Lap, hysteroscopy and D&C. You basically just fill them in, send them to their admissions department, they will send you a letter confirming they received it, roughly how long you can be waiting for and then you just wait till they send you a letter with your operation date etc. I would look into how much it will cost you to go private though if you really didn't want to wait. You may be able to work it out so you only have to pay the gap and have them claim direct from medicare.

Oh, I forgot to say that I booked in during May and had the surgery in November of that same year. I had to pay zero - everything was covered. The recovery time will vary from person to person, how much endo (if any) they find and also how long you were under the GA for. The average time for a lap is 30-45 minutes. Have a search of the endo boards and you will find responses from those of us who have had one about what to expect etc. My two were very different recoveries. First one was great, but the second one was a lot longer

[Bengal]

Hi Pumpkin

I had a Lap and Hysto through Mercy Hospital as a Public Patient, in Heidelberg, referred by my private FS. Funnily enough the procedure was done by a FS who later did a FET for me at our IVF Clinic.

I only had to wait 4 months, and mine was exploritory (sp) . They were fantastic and I didnt have to pay a cent which was a nice change.

I know where Yarraville is, your FS might suggest the RWH in Carlton, if the wait is long there, ring Mercy as well.

The recovery for each patient is very different, I didnt find it too bad

Good Luck

[smiles4u]

i'm not much help with the hospital subject as i went private hosp with health insurance but believe me i was still a whack of money out-of-pocket ... and my referal was via my Gyno i was already seeing as i too had ' unexplained fertility ' ... BUT i just wanted to mention with recovery i didn't listen to my GP & Gyno as they suggested taking a week off and i took 4 days off but ended up going to work not feeling great that day (which i had stitches taken out that morning with GP before going to work) and i ended up going home the same morning i arrived at work. Otherwise recovery is pretty good and healing was super quick, can hardly see a scar

I was only under for 30mins and could eat a horse when i woke whereas my sister who had similar OP was under 1hour and she was vomiting not long later but that was cause she had a reaction to the drugs but she was told that's not common.

Anyway, all the very best & hope all turns out great ... it's a good feeling as my Gyno said " Gave your pipes a good clean " ... and then you feel more hopeful for a bubba to come

[PumpkinZulu]

Great responses and info, thankyou wonderful ladies I am pretty nervous about having surgery, but i will feel better knowing a) there is no endo/scarring/blockages or b) that they have removed/fixed/treated endo/scarring/blockages and we can keep trying. Will do a search for lap and hysto stories.

[feeb]

PZ do you have a good GP who can refer you to someone??

They will either refer you to RWH or sunshine.

[PumpkinZulu]

PZ do you have a good GP who can refer you to someone??

They will either refer you to RWH or sunshine.

Feeb, I have a really good gp, she's an ob and she used to do shared maternity care with the RWH, so hopefully she can just refer me directly :fingerscrossed:

[smiles4u]

I am pretty nervous about having surgery.

I promise you it by far has been the ' easiest ' (for a better word) surgery i have ever had *i'm serious* , so don't put too much worry into it ok! Treat it like a different way to go about having a great sleep but lol you won't remember having that great sleep !! You will be really SUPER fine, it's easy surgery for these Docs as i was told

[Floweryfields]

I was originally put on the public waiting list for lap, etc, it took nearly 6 months for me just to get a confirmation letter to say I had been referred and was given an appointment date for a consultation. At the consultation they decide whether they feel you should have the procedure and then you go back on the waiting list again for a surgery date - all dependent on how serious they determine you to be and what rating they give you.
I ended up paying a fortune but going private as I was sufferring a tonne of pain from endo and decided I wasn't waiting any longer.

[Trillian]

Try not to be worried about it. It really is a simple procedure and they do it all the time. it is the only way they can find out for sure what is going on in there. If they are going to check your tubes for blockages, then they will use a dye as well. I'm really hoping that this is all you will need and you will be pregnant very soon afterwards

[PumpkinZulu]

Thanks Trillian Well doc has sent off referal, she said if I don't hear from the hospital in a month to call them. Oh, it's the RWH.