I went to see a private consultant recently, for whom I ticked the spec very well when it looked like I was going to have to wait until December for an SI joint injection via the NHS pain clinic who over a 7 month period have done nothing else to improve the situation.
I had previously seen one of her recommended physios so there was a bit of a historical connection.
It cost £225 and was worth every penny and made me feel a lot better about having a back up if I needed it to (it became apparently that I was likely to wait only until August instead but injecting is a bit of a stab in the dark as I don’t have a proper diagnosis (I have been in the system since Jan 2018, experiencing the issue albeit previously more fluctuating since 1997ish :p) which was referral to gate keeper consultant, sent to MRI sent to pain clinic september 2018.
Consultant well aware am self-funding and would not take an expensive diagnostics route if we don’t have to, agreed with SI joint injection not being daft, (phew) and gave steps she would do next (with gives me info I can push with).
Left with 4 point plan:
she checks existing MRI (she wants to know why they haven’t done pelvis too)
I see her other recommended physio just to double check nothing has been missed.
I checked with hospital where they were planning to inject as this info had been like blood out of a stone
and when.
And to keep in touch and not give up (which frankly I do get close to being, sometimes people manage to convince me it is now screwy neurology, then something pops up that makes it clear that there is likely a physical source)
I have a long trail of physical therapists behind me, the latest being the pain clinic physio who suggested we give up when it was only making it worse :p. I am well aware that the pain clinic consultants also come from an anaesthetics background not MSK if there is a structural albeit it complicated/not obvious cause.
So from my recent experienced I would do it, I kind of wish I had previously but I already have to access psych help privately + physio adds up etc and I just didn’t have the funds.