scrubbedexpat097

If for some reason you don't go back to England to sort out your problem you might want to check out the Baylor School of Medicine in Houston. They have some very good doctors there and are renown for their work on Macular Degeneration (I know that's not your problem).

Good luck with whatever you do.

dukeynorton

Thanks, I'll bear that in mind.

lisag8070

IMHO I'd go home (as long as your Ok to fly), not only will you have Moorfields on your doorstep but you'll have your Girlfriends support as well as your family's, and they'll be there for you every step of the way...
Good luck and hope everything turns out OK.
karma sent

dukeynorton

Would you go for good, or just until you could get it sorted, one way or the other?

Jerseygirl

Only you can decide that. Make a list of the pro's and con's of being a student here and whatever you'd be doing in the UK.

dukeynorton

I dont think I will go home for good as that is not what I want, but I think I need to go back for at least a couple of weeks to get a consultation and go from there. If it turns out to be something that needs long term management on a regular basis, then I would have to rethink it of course.

Thanks for the advice.

penguinsix

http://www.visionrx.com/library/reso...thospitals.asp

This is a list of the best eye hospitals in the US. #15 is in Houston. The best on the list is part of Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. You might want to ask your specialists about the relative merits of one in the US vs. Moorfields.

That said, a great deal of your recovery and comfort on this is going to be with what you feel comfortable with. If you feel Moorfields is your best bet, then going anywhere else is always going to leave you with a 'what if' feeling, especially if the prognosis is less than 100%.

If you have your mind set on Moorfields (and there is nothing wrong with it--great place) I would encourage you to do one thing before you leave: get the best possible opinion you can over here. Consider it the 'second opinion' you get first.

The one other thing I'd recommend is trying to get ahold of someone, perhaps a specialist at Moorfields, and see if they have any recommendations as to who to talk to here in the US. It could be they met some people, or have co-authored some research, or perhaps had someone study with them or something. Might be worth seeing what they have to say before flying back and dealing with the NHS issue.

dukeynorton

That is exactly what I am doing. I will not go anywhere until I have spoken with some of the consultants there. I am hoping that they will take a lot at some of my images and then perhaps take it from there. I have of course heard of the John Hopkin centre but the cost can stack up here and that just isn't an option for me. I would much rather cut my losses here if I had too, it's crazy not too. Having said that, if I can get a good recommendation from someone in London, then I might consider it. But I think you touched on it though when you said it is what you feel comfortable with; I'm just not sure I trust most of the doctors here, for whatever reason.

Jerseygirl

As an international student don't you have to have compulsory healthcare insurance? My daughter is a student in Canada and we have to purchase the university's insurance even though she is covered by our insurance.

NC Penguin

Er. OP is studying in the US and your daughter is studying in Canada. Different countries may have different rules.

Jerseygirl

I know but it makes sense for international students to have healthcare insurance...but there again millions of USC's don't.

NC Penguin

I searched for current clinical trials on your condition. I didn't find any trial searching for participants but I did find this-
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00345228?order=1

Have you looked for studies on the topic on Medline? If you found any, where are the researchers located? Any in TX?

penguinsix

Almost every university in the US requires students to have healthcare, and many schools offer extremely low cost policies to their students.

Jerseygirl

Now that makes sense.

penguinsix

It's the same reason Americans have problems with NHS doctors. They're all fully qualified, but you want someone who has an understanding of not only the medical conditions, but also the cultural issues that go into 'bedside manner' and some knowledge of your post-recovery options (i.e. a GP in your home town vs. whatever you would have in the US).

My wife and I left Hong Kong to have our child, not because we weren't getting good care from the medical staff we dealt with, but because we wanted to be 'back home' in an environment and culture we were used to. The last thing we wanted to deal with was 'reading between the lines' of a different health care system.

In the end, your own comfort level will be as important in the recovery as many of the other factors that go into your choice of hospital for this procedure.

Good luck with your decisions.