Requesting a lap -how long do you have to wait?

**emma83** · January 29th, 2008, 04:37 PM

Hi Ladies,

I booked my appoinment with my FS for Monday 9th where I am going to request a lap to check for endo as my symptoms are similar. My question is, once a lap has been agreed on - how long do you have to wait before it is performed? A few days? A few weeks?? A few months??? Is is performed in a hospital? Is it performed under general or local anaesthetic?

Your input is really appreciated!

**nic** · January 29th, 2008, 04:41 PM

emma,
At my first FS appointment, he said he was going to do a Lap and booked me in for exactly 2 weeks later.
Done under a general, as day surgery, but was told I could have to stay overnight depending on what they did.

Nic

smiles4u · January 29th, 2008, 04:58 PM

... It's been 4 years since I had my LAP but I think from memory I only had to wait 2 or 3wks to have it done at a private hospital. I think public hospitals can take longer ???

The operation only took 30mins for me BUT can take longer like up to an hour if the Doc feels there needs to be some cleaning the pipes as they call, ... and more to do... !! I came out feeling G8 after the op, they gave my pipes a clean whilst in there !!

Was done under General & was a day only procedure (I was home before 2pm). You truely don't need to stay over night (if it's available for you at your hosp) )unless you feel you have a very long car trip to get home. I just had the front seat laid right back & my trip home was only about 20mins from the hospital.

My sis-in-law was under for an hour at a public hospital. She had more going on & had lots more for them to look at inside then my situation. She was terribly sick after the op. I think she waited about 2mths to get into the hosp for her op.

I took only 4 days off work BUT I wish I had taken longer as the specialist :doctor: had originally suggested. Like maybe 5 or 6days.

My sis-in-law took my advice & took 5days off work and she was so glad she did.

The scar is very small, but I chose to NOT help to fade the scar as I was hoping when I would eventually fall pregnant I would in the future SHOW my child that it's a scar of LOVE to show how much I wanted them & what I would go through to have them.

ALL THE BEST

& DON"T WORRY OK... IT WAS THE EASIEST OP I HAVE EVER HAD !!

**emma83** · January 29th, 2008, 05:08 PM

Hi Smiles4u & Nic,

Thankyou for sharing your experience...do you happen to recall if the cost of the procedure is covered entirely by medicare/ private insurance? and if not what your out of pocket expenses were?

Cheers
Ems

**nic** · January 29th, 2008, 05:12 PM

Emma, I think I have done another post on here with our costs? will see if I can dig it up for you?

Nic

**Laranna** · January 29th, 2008, 05:14 PM

Emma, I went private for my lap and had to wait about 3 weeks (basically when the gyno had a free spot to do the surgery). It was a general and is usually only day surgery but I ended up staying overnight because I was under for more than an hour as they found severe endo and the gyno wanted to see me the next morning.

I took two weeks off work (it was around easter time so got a few public holidays in between which stretched it out). I am sooo glad I had the time off to recover. I suggest having at least 1 week.

I'm with Medibank Private and all I had to pay was $200 hospital excess and about $35 out of pocket for the anaesthetist. Everything else was fully covered.

**desist** · January 29th, 2008, 05:16 PM

Hi Emma,

My doc wanted to book me in for the next day! But I waited a month or so just to suss things out a bit. As what Nic said, day surgery under a general at the surgical centre.

I don't know how long the op took, but I was in recovery for about 5 hours and took 4 days off work. They would only provide a medical certificate for 1 day so you may want to ask about that. I had to drive 200km's to go back to work and there was no way I could have done that within the first few days.

All the best

**nic** · January 29th, 2008, 05:26 PM

Emma,

Surgeon was $572.30 - this included the follow up visit to him a couple of days later. Also had to pay a booking fee of $200, of which none was claimable from medicare. My initial consultation with him was $180 also.
Of the $572.30 between my health insurance and medicare, I had no out of pocket, as I had taken the quote to my health insurer before the surgery.

Anaethetist was $626.40 that's with a 10% discount for paying early. I think I was around the 100-200 mark out of pocket for this one? Probably closer to the $100

Surgeon had someone helping out, another $99.13 - I was out of pocket about $30-$40.

Private hospital bed fee and theatre fees for the day stay was $1014. PHI paid all of this - we have no excess/co-payments.

Pathology was $146.70 - I can't remember what we were out of pocket for this if it was anything at all actually?

I think I was under for almost an hour, and they couldn't remove my endo for me as the FS was worried about damaging my uterus. I went down in the morning and the FS was to visit me at 5pm, think he turned up closer to 6 though. Think I was out of there around 7pm.

Goodluck

Nic

**Willow** · January 29th, 2008, 06:04 PM

I had both of my laps done through the public system - the first time through our local public hospital (with the women's outpatient clinic), and had to wait 5 weeks for the surgery (I needed a cyst removed, so a bit different from a diagnostic lap).

Second lap was done through my private FS but he did it for me on his public patient list at the public hospital (because he is a lovely man and knew we didn't have PHI at that time). Had to wait 4 weeks that time.

I didn't have to pay for either of my surgeries as they were done at public hospitals.

My first lap was horrendous and I was under for close to 4 hours. I needed 3 weeks off work (but probably 6-8 before I fully recovered) but was told that it ended up being a pretty complicated surgery, I lost a lot of blood, had to have drainage tubes in etc etc.

Second one was a dream in comparison (this was only diagnostic with a few adhesions removed) and I was back at work 4 days later.

**emma83** · January 30th, 2008, 12:24 PM

Hi Ladies,

Thankyou so much for all the information - I feel a lot more knowledgable about it all now, and a lot less worried!!

**Mum0809** · January 30th, 2008, 03:01 PM

I had to wait about 2 weeks to have it performed in a private hospital. It was performed under general anaesthetic. I had top hospital cover with my health fund and all costs were fully covered.

**MrsB26** · January 31st, 2008, 07:46 AM

I was the same as Jo, 2 week wait, day surgery at private hosp. No cost to me as my health insurance covered it. I had it done on a monday and was back at work on light duties thursday afternoon.

**mollycat** · January 31st, 2008, 07:54 AM

i only had to wait a couple of weeks, and that was my choice, my gyno would have done it earlier. i have private cover, and there was no cost to me, except if i had to stay overnight. I have had two laps done both in the same private hospital a couple of months apart. I also had one previously many years ago in the public system, and i think there was a couple of months wait for that but can't really remember.

I also took the remainder of the week off (i'm self employed), and my gyno operates on tuesdays so that gave me almost a week to recover.

**karmakhameleon** · January 31st, 2008, 08:07 AM

Hi!! I'm not sure about waiting time but I do work in Private Health insurance and might be able to help you.
If you go through Private with Private insurance, it's just when the doctor can get you in next. They don't generally diddle you around.

If you have insurance(PHI), please ask your surgeon/FS if they can give you the item number for the surgery. This is the number that tells your PHI, hospital and doctors the EXACT surgery you are going to have.
Make sure they tell you that you are fully covered, and if not, what aren't you covered for.
Also, while you are on the phone with PHI make sure of your cover for Pregnancy/ Obstetrics and related conditions. Just to make sure

.
Sometimes PHI will cover a lap for just gynae but not P/O related due to the cover you have. Always the best to check with them before any surgery.

Your PHI will be able to tell you the excess you will need to pay to the hospital. They will pay (if you are covered), of the surgeons and any other doctors fees, 25% of the schedule fee and Medicare will pay 75%. Anything else is just like when you go to the GP and is called gap. Gap can vary between doctors and sometimes they charge you nothing!! However, they MUST inform you of this before you go under.

You can also ask your PHI about Access Gap. This is a scheme where the fund can pay towards the gap fees charged by the surgeon/doctors if both parties participate. If you are elligible, ask the doctor!!

If anyone needs any more info on PHI, just ask!!

**emma83** · February 14th, 2008, 01:27 PM

Hi Ladies,

Well I went in for my visit to see my surgeon today...am booked in for my lap next Wednesday. She seems to think that it is very likely I have some endo and advised me that while they are in there if she finds a little she'll "blast it". If there's more I'll have to go back for another op to have it removed. She's also going to do a pap smear while I'm under the anaesthetic since I'm almost due for one and at least I'll be asleep which is a bonus.

Also found out that the entire procedure is covered under my health fund which is a huge relief!!

**Willow** · February 14th, 2008, 03:30 PM

Good luck Emma!!

smiles4u · February 14th, 2008, 03:41 PM

All the best Emma, ... So sorry I did not get back to you earlier (yeh, I had about $150 out of pocket ... in private hosp) !!

That's so g8 you have NO expenses

No need to worry Emma it's an easy Op, ... Treat it like ya going to have yourself a nice little nap, LOL

Let us know how you went ok