Surgery abroad : Patient stories

If you are considering going overseas for surgery, then why not find out about other people's experiences of treatment overseas. These patient stories supplied by our featured hospitals and clinics provide examples of the kind of surgery and treatment for which UK patients have gone abroad. (For patient stories about cosmetic surgery, visit this section).

They are real stories of real people. Each story provides an indication of how much the surgery would have cost in the UK, and what was paid for surgery abroad.

Spinal surgery in Latvia 27 years ago Christine Hilton had a lumber spinal fusion (bone grafts only, no instrumentation) after breaking her back and with an excellent surgeon...
Torn rotator cuff operation in Latvia Stuart Howie LLb(hons), MSc, MCIOB, MAPM, AIEH from Coventry slipped and fell, dislocating his shoulder in March 06. Although it went back under his...
Meniscal surgery in Norway Mr T.M. Birch had meniscal surgery at Scanhealth, Norway. "I first became aware of the existence of Scanhealth when searching the Internet for...
Knee surgery in Norway Fiona Dods travelled to Norway to have knee surgery with Scanhealth. "From the moment I walked into the hospital with its shining wooden floors...
Herniated disc surgery in Belgium Mr S. from Scotland, contacted the Centre Neurochirurgical de Bruxelles through the Private Healthcare UK website seeking treatment for left leg...
Knee replacement in India Mr Brian Troughton, from Stafford, had been experiencing severe pain in his left leg for quite some time but had been told by his doctor that the...
Hip Replacement in India Paul Webster went to India for hip replacement through The Medical Tourist Company. “We are very pleased with the assistance you have...
Heart surgery in India Bob Gallagher [featured in The Sunday Times] went to India for cardiac ablation through The Medical Tourist Company. Cardiac ablation costs...
Gastric bypass surgery in India Ellen Nathan went to India for Gastric Bypass surgery through The Medical Tourist Company. “Thank you very much! My trip and treatment were...
MRI scan and treatment in Norway "I asked my GP what he'd do and he said he'd go to Norway" The Western Mail in Wales tells the story of Valerie Adams, an adult education...
Obesity surgery in France Sam Evans, aged 30, from Bristol had a Gastric band operation in July 2003 after reaching the lowest point in her life as she weighed 196 kilos and...
Dupuytren's hand contracture surgery in Belgium “My name is Hayden Pitt, I am a self employed electrician and suffer from Dupuytren's hand contracture disease. I informed with my local...
Prolapsed disc: Microdiscectomy in Belgium Jenny started to experience backache in February 2006. By mid-February the pain had progressed down her left leg. Despite taking pain killers and...
Hip resurfacing surgery in Belgium Sharon Coles, aged 47 had a full hip replacement on her left hip in the UK. When her right hip deteriorated she was devastated to be told that there...
Bilateral knee surgery in Malta Mrs Ann Thomas, 66, from Wales had not walked properly for three years, her knees locked and stiff legs made moving around very difficult. She...
MRI scan and treatment in Belgium Hit by a JCB while driving, Ms KC felt frustrated with her Irish surgeon who wanted to treat her with acupuncture. A normally healthy person, the...
Shoulder surgery in India Mr Mark Carr, a paraglider pilot from the UK had been experiencing severe shoulder pain for several years but his x-rays kept coming back as...
Heart bypass surgery in India It was one of the most critical decisions George Marshall had to take in his life. The 73-year-old violin repairer from Bradford, UK, was suffering...
Birmingham Hip Resurfacing operation in India Mr. Henry Stevens is a professional polo umpire, horse trainer and polo manager who lives south of London. He had been suffering from severe pain and...
Knee replacement surgery in Belgium Mrs JM, aged 70 from Teignmouth, Devon, was having difficulty walking and had already waited considerable time for diagnosis. She was devastated to...
Knee arthroscopy operation in Belgium Mr S, a 45 year old Engineer went to Belgium for a knee arthroscopy operation with Direct Healthcare International but when he returned to the UK he...