the Bristol Team = Dr Greenslade, Mr Wong, Mr Patel

[spikehades]

I have had a consultstion on saturday, and i thought that i should report for everyones benefit.
Dr Wong is a very genial man, and has an active interest in PN. He is a surgeon with many specialities, including endrocinology and hernia repair. He also does various other operations on the pelvic area.
He was trained by the Nantes team headed by Dr. Robert, and works with Dr. Greenslade (anesthisiologist) and Mr. Patel (neurosurgeon).
He is expectedly very surgery oriented, and the team perform the TG method. They also remove some nerve supply to the obtrator internus to let the muscle atrophy some what in order to provide more space for the pudendal nerve.

This is good news as now there are officially two teams who deal with PN in England, one in Bristol and the other in London.
After examining me, he is fairly confident that I have PN and is going to speak to Dr. Greenslade with regards to performing nerve blcks on me. he says that it is beneficial that I have only had symptoms for 1 month.

Hopefully now that there is growing awareness in the Uk medical community regarding PN, that more people will get diagnosed early, and therefore have a better prognosis.

[A's Mommy]

This is excellent news! Perhaps, Mods, you could research these physicians more and consider adding them to the list of providers for the UK or Bristol area?

Spread the word!!! Let's take the shame out of PNE!

Christmas blessings,

AM

[calluna]

Thankyou spikehades, this is very interesting. I live not far from Bristol, and if I still have PN next year (the nerve may heal, I do hope it does, coming up on 18 months now) then my GP has said that he will refer me to Dr Greenslade, so I'm interested in any news about this team. I knew that they were doing nerve blocks and getting good results, which is not so common, but I didn't know they were doing surgery.

I do think that there is very good awareness of PN here in the UK. I was diagnosed very quickly. My GP knew what I was talking about, straight away, and the team at Bath RUH Pain Clinic have dealt with it before 'quite a few times'.

Did you have to wait long for an appointment? And are you being seen privately or through the NHS?

[Mod4]

Spikehades

Would you mind posting here the contact information for Dr Wong and other doctors that you are seeing so that we can add them to our list of doctors.

[calluna]

Frenchay Hospital details are here. For appointments, a GP referral is needed.

This is for the NHS of course. I believe that Dr Greenslade does have private patients, I have no idea about Drs Wong and Patel.

[calluna]

Google is my friend here - and here is Dr Greenslade's page, based at Nuffield Health St Mary's Bristol, which certainly sounds like a private hospital.

I'd really like to know how long the waiting list is, to see Dr Greenslade on the NHS. (Just out of interest - I am still hoping that my PN will heal.)

[helenlegs 11]

I had a private appointment with Dr Greenslade in August and he quoted a 6 months wait for follow on treatment with the NHS. Infact it only took just over 1 month and a lot of that delay was because my referral to Dr G was refused at first.
I was told by the man who actually makes the referral funding decisions in my area that the important wording in the GP's letter requesting funding for a referral is EXCEPTIONAL. Make sure that your own GP makes your PCT aware that there are few/no options for necessary treatment other than this requested one and that the circumstances are EXCEPTIONAL.
Take care,
Helen

[calluna]

I shouldn't have too much difficulty getting a referral should I need one - at least I hope not - as we are quite nearby. Our local hospital is Bath RUH, and for some things a referral to one of the big hospitals in Bristol is routine - for instance my husband has regular appointments at two different hospitals in Bristol.

I will make sure to pass on what you say, to my GP - it could make all the difference! Bath Pain Clinic have told me that they don't recommend nerve blocks for PN as they haven't had much success with them - Dr Greenslade's team has been getting good results, from what I hear.

[Mod4]

Thank you Calluna for the link to the doctors information, I will upload this tomorrow to our site for other patients.

[helenlegs 11]

It would seem that a referral to Bristol pain clinic and DR G are exactly what is required Calluna. Because they are taking an interest in pelvic conditions they do offer pudendal nerve blocks as you know, Dr G has been doing them for a while (2 years was quoted) and then surgery is available if all else fails. Are the Bath lot saying that because pudendal irritations and entrapments are difficult to locate and treat they are giving up?
While many people can manage their lives with medication, many can not. What alternative are Bath offering you ?
The best of luck with any future treatment, might see you in the clinic someday. Dr G did tell me that they had excellent MRI facilities at Frenchay too, a 3 T scanner was mentioned but I have no idea if it would be available for a pelvic scan or if the software they have and radiologist is up to a concise pundendal report. Might be worth asking that question though.
Take care
Helen