SpecialistNow: Patient Story - Finding a General Surgeon

Back in August I had a terrible gallstone attack. It started with some discomfort so I took a Panadol and had a lay down but within a few hours the pain was getting much worse.

I’ve had gallstones for 30 years or so but they’ve caused me very little problems. I had maybe two gall attacks in that time but I never got the stones removed because I didn’t have any persistent symptoms or pain.

That afternoon though I started getting severe pain across the middle of my back. My husband was at work so my neighbour drove me to the hospital. They checked me out and after a few tests they concluded that my pain was consistent with a gallstone and told me to see my GP.

The next day I went to see my doctor, who gave me a referral letter to a specialist here on the central coast. The specialist had an appointment for me in 8 weeks time but it was only going to be a consult. They said there was a cancellation list but it was incredibly long so I decided to see which other surgeons I could see on the central coast.

I Googled ‘surgeons on the central coast’ and that’s when I found Healthshare’s website. I popped in all my details and got a phone call the next day. Healthshare phoned to tell me they’d found me an appointment to see a specialist in St. Leonard’s in 3 day’s time. Even though the appointment was in Sydney I was more than happy to take it. Everything went well and the doctor scheduled me in for surgery one week later at Royal North Shore Private.

The operation went perfectly. I’ve been very fortunate. I’m relieved that there were no complications or side-effects. There’s practically no scarring and I’ve had no pain.

6 weeks after the op I had a check-up with my surgeon. That 6-week check-up ended up being a week sooner than the consultation appointment I had with the specialist my GP had referred me to. In the two months that I would’ve been waiting for that appointment I’d already had my surgery and made a full recovery!

Healthshare's SpecialistNow service was absolutely fantastic. My husband and I have told so many people about it. It was incredible that I got in so much sooner than I would have otherwise – all thanks to them. The service was fantastic from start to finish.