Anyone have advice for me on options for surgery? Newly arrived in Australia
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Not the welcome to Australia you wanted @Janie304,so sorry to hear . I'm in Melbourne and I went public but still used my private health as I'd been paying it for the past 25 years and only ever used it for childbirth.My hospital covered the excess and all out of pocket fees and uses the money they get from the health fund for research etc. I got a private room in a public hospital which was great and other public hospitals might give you a newspaper and discounted parking
Good luck with everything x1 -
Hi @Janie304 , welcome and sorry to hear of your diagnosis. This is a great place to be for friendly advice and to let off steam and make friends.
My story is I live in the UK and Australia (outside Melbourne) . I came over here this time for 6 months last November and should have flown back to the UK onTuesday. Due to ongoing treatment I can't fly back until later in the year.
I was diagnosed in February with early breast cancer, grade 3 and had a lumpectomy two weeks later. Presently I am undergoing chemo. I have radiation to look forward to and then 10years of hormone inhibitors.
First, you've been diagnosed in the right place. When I wrote and told one of my uk friends I had been operated on by an oncoplastic breast surgeon (she is a nurse and her husband is an obstetrician) she said the NHS doesnt use the word oncoplastic ( not sure how correct she is here) and the poor old NHS would have been a struggle.
As we are retired and self funded (we had full private health insurance all of our working lives), I elected to have the operation privately and have moved over to the public system for chemo and will now continue in the public system. For me it was very important to have my op done privately. My surgeon told me what I planned to do was quite common. I didn't see any need for my chemo and radiation to be private.
I lived in Brisbane for many years in my younger years and know the RBH. I'm sure you will be well looked after. Don't worry about being diagnosed here. You didn't ask for any of this, it's just one of those unlucky things to be diagnosed wherever you are.
I seem to have rambled on a bit , any questions please ask. Where are you from in the UK? I love Queensland and love Brisbane, Are you enjoying the endless sunshine. Winter in Brisbane is perfect. Take care and hugs xxxx2 -
Hi Janie, Im in Qld. I had no private cover, and went all public, there were a few hiccups, I found I had to advocate for myself a bit, but in the end am very pleased (under the circumstances) with my reconstruction that was all covered by medicare. I had the same Plastic surgeonall the way through and was treated with dignity. I had a few costs with travel into Brisbane for about 20 appointments at RBWH so far and parking etc Apparently there is a scheme where I could have claimed some of this travel cost but didnt bother For some reason the nipple tattoo was the only actual medical bill I had to pay for as the hospital gave me a referral to take to a private cosmetic tattooist. I dont think I wouldve had a better result under the private system, I didnt need any chemo or rads so that side of it I cant comment. All the best, I hope the news is good at your appointment. xxx1
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Hi @Janie304,
I went all public. Had a brilliant surgeon that works both private and public.
I was also accepted at a private hospital as a public patient for chemo so I could use their cold cap (our hospital doesn't have them) and did my radiation there as well., Zero costs.
I have some friends who have gone all private and have been out of pocket a fortune as they didn't realise their health fund treated theses as outpatient appointments and don't cover them. I also know some that have gone private for the surgery and public for the rest. Seems this is a pretty good option. You get the surgeon you want and don't have to fork out thousands of dollars for chemo and rads if they are needed.
The public system for breast cancer in Australia is a pretty well oiled machine. We are very lucky.
The only annoying thing with the public system I find is that as you get further down the track with follow up reviews you don't really see your surgeon for those appointments. Just the Reg's. I am thinking about just paying for my next follow up apt privately so I get to see the consultant to answer some questions.
I work in the surgical ward of my local public hospital. All our breast surgery patients are given private rooms. Our Nurse manager is very particular about this.
It's a question to ask depending on where you go and how you feel about it. The RBH does have an excellent reputation as well. Fingers crossed for your appointment.
xoxoxox2 -
Hi @Janie304 I went public with the Mater hospital and have no complaints at all. I only had a lumpectomy, radiation and now am on Tamoxifen. I was lucky and other than a stitch that didn't dissolve had no problems at all. The people at the breast clinic at the Mater are super nice!1
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hi @Janie304
i'm also originally from the UK and when i was diagnosed in november was similarly at a loss about the difference between public and private!
Bupa is our private healthcare fund and they were great. we called them up (several times!!) and they explained the difference and how it all works. they seemed to particularly understand how the Aus system differed from the UK, and so explained it really well. i also found the finance booklet from the cancer council very useful (let me know if you'd like me to dig out more details about this).
coming from the UK it can seem odd at first to ask how much services and treatments cost, but I have found that all the medical secretaries and reception staff really helpful
good luck navigating it all! i'm happy to answer anything directly if you think i can help.
lvlw
xxx
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Everyone has put the 5c in so I will, too! I had full private health cover (but was considering dropping it due to the expense. I went private for surgeon and both ops. My surgeon was understanding about the gap as were his anaesthetists so I paid almost nothing. The hospital was private and I paid $50 per day for 5 days. I'm now doing chemo through a private clinic. There was a gap for the initial consultation with the oncologist - treatment is considered in-patient day surgery so is fully covered. I will have radiation through the public hospital as the health fund covers little if any of this.
Also check with your health fund about any prostethics or bras they may cover. You get $400 every 2 years from Medicare for each prosthetic.
Your health fund may also cover things such as exercise rehab programs and specialist physio. Also check out GP Health Care Plans for psychological counselling.3 -
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. Once I know what the recommendation is for treatment I can call BUPA to ask what is available and work from there. Does anyone have any suggestions for questions to ask when I return to the BreastScreen clinic on Monday?0
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Thanks Romla. I have ordered the book and hopefully it will arrive this week.
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Hi Mira,Mira said:Hi @Janie304 I went public with the Mater hospital and have no complaints at all. I only had a lumpectomy, radiation and now am on Tamoxifen. I was lucky and other than a stitch that didn't dissolve had no problems at all. The people at the breast clinic at the Mater are super nice!
Did you elect to use the Mater or was this your local hospital? I live in South Brisbane and this would be my closest hospital if the allocation is by geography.0 -
@Janie304 My gp chose the Mater for me, she said it was good and it was. She had to do a referral. The surgeon that did my lumpectomy was awesome. Originally I saw her registrar and was told they thought a mastectomy was my only option, but then the surgeon came in to check and worked out a way to do the lumpectomy so that I have no scar.
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Thanks Mira. I will see what I am offered tomorrow.1
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Below are a couple of links to help you find your
way around the forum and also how to find a breast care nurse and how to order
a MY journey Kit if you haven't got one yet.It can be a a whirlwind when we first get a
diagnosed.... Breathe and take it one step at a time.The what and how thread.
http://onlinenetwork.bcna.org.au/discussion/14879/the-what-and-how-thread/p1
Breast Care Nurses
https://www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au/OurMission/OurNurses/FindANurse.aspx
My Journey Kits and other
resources.https://www.bcna.org.au/resources/
BCNA Helpline 1800 500 258
If you have any questions, concerns or require any further information
or support please call 1800 500 258. The Helpline is open Monday,
Wednesday and Friday from 9 am till 5 pm EST and Tuesday and Thursday from 9 am
till 9 pm EST.1 -
Hi @Janie304, I hope you're well through this difficult time and I'm sure you will be well-taken care of. It is great to hear lots of positive experience about the public system since the private one is very expensive.
I am in a somewhat similar situation since I was supposed to move to Australia in April (I had packed, moved out, searched for an apartment in Sydney with my husband, etc) but I had to cancel everything 2 days before flying when the biopsy results were announced. I'm currently doing radiotherapy and we're still hoping to be able to move to Sydney in September.
But we're trying to figure out the costs of my ongoing hormonal treatment and the follow up checks to know if we could afford it. Since this is a precondition, I won't be able to get cover from any private insurance.
All the best for your treatment. Take care!1
