Can I demand an MRI?

[sinkinfast]

i work for the NHS, all l can say is l rarely go home on time. i stay late often to ensure the "patients" get what they NEED.(care) l wish the money that is "docked" for financial penalties applied on the current "flavor of the month" targets was used for better staffing and equipment. Certainly the burden of the paper work, etc needed to prove the target is reached is very draining on our precious time that we could and would much rather spend on delivering care! l am not sure the money gained if the target is reached covers the cost of proving it!!! (No wonder morale is low- l hate the audits and paperwork!)

[forgottenone]

Saw this thread, was gonna offer a suggestion but never have. Likely way too late now. But there is another way you could get an MRI done. In my case, it was done using similar means yet only because my doctor suggested *I think* at the time I saw an optician because of eyesight problems he didn't have the equipment to see.

Okay, let's get to it. If, and say IF here because I don't know your individual circumstances or what is wrong of course, you went to an optician. Reason being, is that any indication of something wrong in your brain usually manifests itself *again, I may be wrong, not medically trained but going on what I've researched, been told by medical professionals* or can do in your optic nerves. It can produce swelling which is easily picked up by eye tests then, if need be, an opthalmologist.

Okay, this is a pretty drastic thing but ... it's one way to possibly get referred for an MRI if you think there is cause for concern. I only mention this from experience and how I got my first MRI. Nothing was picked up by my then GP until I got an eye test. Was referred ASAP to an opthalmologist, findings were optic nerve swelling which usually means referal for a scan either CT or MRI.

Just an idea, don't take anything I've said here as 'Gospel'. But only mention it because of how things went for me in this direction.

In fact, my optician went over my GP's head and referred me directly to the eye clinic because of her findings. Which were pretty alarming at the time. Needed seeing to ASAP. Trouble is, MRI's are so expensive as you'll know so ... there may be some general reluctance to use them.

As I said, just another idea here. And an example of how things do not always get picked up by your GP - remember they are trained in GENERAL medicine hence the word GP and are not specialists. So, if they come up against anything they've not before, had no experience of it, they can very easily overlook it or not recognise it. In my case that is exactly what happened.

No criticisms of GPs BTW but ... if something is wrong you need more specialist advice. A friend has mentioned plenty of times before now about me getting something called a 'Life Scan'. It's not cheap but is a full diagnostic of your body and any findings. It's nothing holistic but a proper procedure. Unfortunately, it's private and you cannot get it on the NHS. So I can't afford one. She's had one done. But she's also very medically trained so nows how to go about getting seen by the proper people because she has been working in the system.

Anyway, as I said, probably way too late now. But just another option.

[old_andrew2007]

Recently I've seen T.V commercials for a Company offering CT scans, has anyone else, I think its livescan, lifescan or a similar name.

andy

[majik]

I had a MRI done in 2007, i saw my GP on the friday,Consultant on the following friday and MRI on the following friday however this was private. I did hear about a sports collage/university in Birmingham doing it for like £200 quid tho as i wasn't sure my insurance would cover this at first.

[Alipeeps]

I used to work in admin for the NHS and I rarely got to go home on time either - the workload was simply more than could be done in the standard working hours and as the Trust was unwilling/unable to authorise overtime pay, we were left with the choice of continually working unpaid overtime just to keep our heads above the water or working our set hours and letting the work pile up around us.