Best Way to have doc know my history?

Next month, I'm having my last physical here in the US before I head to lovely England to live. I have several medical conditions that I will need care for in the UK. What is the best way for me to be sure that my new doc knows what's "up" with me? Is it best to just bring a copy of my medical file to the new doc with me? How about having my doc write a "letter" explaining what my conditions are?

I also have a family medical history of breast cancer...it concerns me that I've heard that NHS isn't all too up on preventative medicine. Am I going to have to fight for early breast cancer screening? (I'm 27.)

GOod idea to hand-carry copies of your medical records with you (just the important stuff).  I brought stuff from my oncologist/haematologist, an my rheumatologist.  That's all that was needed -- no fancy letters.  The stuff is self-explanatory.

i would keep a copy of any medical records for yourself... in case the UK practice looses your stuff.

i'd know the generic name of any meds you are on.  better yet, bring the patient leaflets included in the rx.

as for breast cancer.  a friend of mine who's 27 found a lump in her breast a few months ago.  because she had no family history/under 35, it was a long wait for her to have an ultrasound, be seen by specialist clinic.  about 8 weeks or so. 

but given family history you may be seen earlier- if you found anything.  not sure about prevenative screaning.

also- waiting times, etc are very dependent on where you are.  highly variable.

you could look at getting supplemental UK health insurance.  however, if you have pre-exisiting conditions- they most likely WON'T be covered.

hope some of that helps...

Thanks, meggles, it does help. I've been looking into private health insurance. It's kind of a Catch-22, though. I'd want it so I can be sure that I get the "attention" I need for my conditions, but on the other hand, they probably won't be covered since they are pre-existing. Pain in the bum.

An 8 week wait would put me in a mental home, if I found a lump! My English BIL found a groin lump, and it was 3 months before he was seen, 9 months before he finally had it removed. I hope that with my family history (mother, maternal aunt, and maternal grandmother all having cancerous lumps in their breasts) that I won't have to wait very long.

is breast cancer a pre-exisiting condition?  if not, and you were on supplemental, they should cover it.  best to ask LOTS of questions b/f signing up for supplemental if you are dead set on them covering something. there's a myriad of choice out there- some cover in-patient, some cover out-patient, some cover only cancer, some cover private ambulance, some give you an allowance if you stay in an NHS hospital, some ....

I would hope that since I don't have breast cancer diagnosed, that they wouldn't consider it pre-existing, just based on the family history.

Your family history should be enough to get you referred for extra screening.

http://www.gpnotebook.co.uk/simplepage.cfm?ID=x20040701055414044290&linkID=67674&cook=yes

thanks for that link.  what exactly is first degree & second degree?

aunt with breast cancer at age 45
grandmother with ovarian cancer at age 50.

should i get secondary screening?

1st degree is mother, sister or daughter (half your genes)
2nd degree is grandmother, aunt, half-sister (quarter your genes)

Sarah, not sure if this helps but my husband has a pre-existing condition that was excluded on our private insurance for the first two years. He is on medication through the NHS and gets very good care from our GP but anything else that he may need is covered through private if he so chooses. I am glad that we have the back up of private since he did have a back issue a couple of years ago and it was a 12 week wait for therapy...he used our private insurance and was seen two days later.

Regarding breast screening and/or mammograms, I also have a family history (mother/post menopausal) and didn't want to wait until I was 50 for a mammogram so I went to my GP (NHS) about 10 days ago to ask for a referral to a private consultant...he had no problems with that, gave me a name to call for an appointment and before I got around to it, I had a letter with an appointment in the post to see someone this week.

If you want extra peace of mind it may be a good idea to get private insurance. Mine is through work as many employers offer it. Another option is if you don't want to go with private insurance, you can always do a one-off and pay for the screening yourself. Yes it will be money out of pocket but I don't think its as OTT (outrageously expensive) compared to the states.


Best wishes on your move over!