Insurance with no scan information

Hi Shar 

I'm sorry to read that you're having difficulty getting travel insurance and, unfortunately, it can be more difficult to find reasonably priced insurance when you've had a cancer diagnosis. However, there are lots of people in this group who've got insurance and are enjoying holidays.

Have you had chance to look through the 'recommended travel insurance' thread yet, as that's where the majority of recommendations are? If not, clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there. There are lots of recommendations there so it's probably best to make a list and then sit down with a big cup of tea (other drinks are available) and start phoning around.

One thing that I'd definitely recommend that you do is to phone the travel insurance companies rather than try and do online applications. It gives you the chance to explain your husband's circumstances.

Do come back and let us know how you get on.

Thank you. So far all clear looks the best at £3,000 for an annual policy. There are a few cheaper ones but the cover we need for cruises is not enough when you read the small print. 

Have you looked at single trip insurance? It's generally a lot cheaper as there's less risk involved for the insurance companies.

Yes have looked at a few companies and the price is not that much different 

It cost us £243 for a single trip to Tenerife. I have seen your other posts about the number of cruises you do. It is always more expensive to cover cruises, so perhaps £3000 for annual cover isn't bad if you divide it by the number of holidays that you take. 

I was talking to my husband about the probable future cost of insurance for some of the places on his bucket list and he said it will be worth it and we will just factor it into the cost like any other expense. If we can't afford the insurance, we can't afford the holiday.

You also mentioned paying privately for a scan, which would be another expense which could have the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve. The only benefit I can see from doing this is for your peace of mind, but the scan will only tell you what is happening at that moment in time  whereas PSA tests will be done regularly. 

Thank you for your reply. What exactly does a PSA test show, is it able to actually detect that the cancer is shrinking because that is the question alot of insurance companies ask

Around 7 or 8 weeks after surgery the PSA level should be undetectable or below a certain level and this means that there is no trace of prostate cancer. The test has to be repeated frequently for several years to pick up any sign that the cancer has returned.

From memory reading the booklets given when my hubby was diagnosed it takes much longer for the PSA levels to drop with the hormone and radiotherapy options as they are delivered over a longer period of time. 

PSA  is Prostate Specific Antigen, which is a protein made by the prostate gland and higher than normal levels may be sign of prostate cancer. 

Even when the prostate has been removed there's a chance that some cancer cells have been left behind and although the prostate gland has gone, these cells can be growing somewhere else like the bones. I have only recently read up on this and I had wrongly thought this is bone cancer, but in fact it is prostate cancer. Hence the necessity for regular testing post treatment.

I'm not sure how chemo affects PSA levels, but I assume that frequent tests will still be required.

Thank you 

Hi Shar I was just doing my new job dealing with bits and pieces on other forums and came across your post.

As you know we have a place in the Asian half of Turkey so we have annual travel insurance. Mrs Millibob has a few issues (Medical I should add!!) 

Our travel insurance is with AllClear and cost £1.4K. We spent ages filling in forms but discovered all companies use the same algorithms. In the end we gave our local broker our full medical records and he rang round and the above was the best option. This was before my RT and I am assured it will be cheaper this October on renewal.

I hope this is of some help.

Best wishes as ever

Brian.

Thank you so much Brian. All clear looks like the way forward for us as well. They offer very good cover, especially for cruises and have good reviews. The problem we have is when we tick the box saying we haven't had a scan since diagnosis then the price shoots up by about £1,000. I am currently looking if anything can be done about this question because it seems as if prostate patients don't have further scans as it is the PSA blood test determines future treatments. So I feel this is unfair question to ask. Thank you once again at least I know we can get insurance even if it means sleepinin a life boat  sorry about the smiley faces, they just popped up and I can't get rid of them