Appointment wait

Hi there
If you wanted peace of mind you could think about paying for a mammogram privately. At least then you would not spend the next few months worrying . There's nothing worse than having something hanging over you like that.
Sarah

With Covid impacts the waiting lists seem to have fluctuated greatly across the last year. In September I was seen in Dublin within the recommended time frame, and at the time my GP told me there were no delays.

There is no harm in contacting a private clinic about costs, and if they are within your means, asking your GP to refer you.

I think a mammo can cost 150-200ish. If you have health insurance it may cover some of this.

It might be worth asking your doctor if something inconclusive did show on a mammo that needs further investigating, what wait times you face switching back to public for follow up.

Private follow up such as ultrasound and biopsy would be more money, so good to plan ahead for additional costs or waits.

It is hard not to worry, I hope it turns out to be nothing of concern.

Hi there, just to give some perspective... my friend and I both found breast lumps in September. Not sure if mine was marked as urgent but I had previously had a cyst drained. My doctor advised waiting list would be just as quick with public system but it took about 3/4 weeks. My friends appointment isn’t until 18th of this month in the same hospital.
We both went public.
Unfortunately they couldn’t do my mammogram and ultrasound that day and I had to wait a further 3 wks for those appointments and ended up having a biopsy done that day also.

I started my chemo/ surgery/rt journey yesterday.
They advised me that they were starting extra weekend clinics to try help the backlog off appointments but not sure how the new covid rules are affecting this.
Hope things work out for you!

Hi all, thank you so much for the advice. I have an appointment with a doctor tomorrow and I have asked specifically to be referred to a private clinic for the scan. Thanks so much again for the advice

Hello Cal89,
Did you get a private appointment fairly quickly? I am thinking of going that route.

Hi Cal,

Just wanted to say it's lovely to hear your good news, and that it was worth it to get peace of mind.

We can all do with some positive vibes :-)

Ari

I'm so glad you got seen quickly privately and everything is fine.
I found a lump at the start of December and my doctor referred me to breast clinic early January. The clinic responded to doctor advising her that referral was accepted and that I'd be seen with 6 weeks. I rang the clinic last week and was told it would be a year! I'm going back to my doctor in the morning and am going to request a private referral. Theres a strong history of breast cancer on my fathers side of the family and I'd be an anxious mess waiting a year to be seen!