Hi I have recently had stemcell transplant and I'm now at home recovering. My first week I was feeling nauseus although I was never sick it did put me off my food however that has now passed and I'm eating normally. The fatigue has took me by suprise but dealing with that one day at a time .Another side effect is constant pins and needles in lower legs and around midriff .I hopefully look forward to my 100 day recovery January 8th any advice would be appreciated. Also can anyone recommend a company for travel insurance many thanks Dave
Hi Dave Geordiedancer and a warm welcome to this corner of the Community although I am sorry to see you joining us and to hear about your journey so far.
I am Mike and I help out around our various Blood Cancer groups.
I don’t have Myeloma but for some context I was diagnosed way back in 1999 at 43 with a rare (8 in a million) incurable but treatable type of Cutaneous T-Cell NHL……. eventually reaching Stage 4a in late 2013 when a second, also rare (4 in a million) type of aggressive Peripheral T-Cell - Not Otherwise Specified NHL was then presenting so although my blood cancer ‘type’ is different I most definitely appreciate the challenges of this journey rather well...... especially as I have had 2 Allo (donour ) Stem Cell Transplants (SCTs)
My first SCT was in June 2014, that failed so I went back and had a second in Oct 2015 and I am now just over 9 years out and had no further treatment...... although had to deal with the post SCT left-overs (See my story)
You may find this ongoing post........... Life after a SCT - A Survivor's Guide that is in our dedicated Stem Cell Transplant group very helpful.
A holiday sounds amazing but being post SCT you may find getting affordable Travel Insurance will be a challenge and at times the price quoted could be higher than the cost of the holiday and some people do find that no Insurance is being offered.
I personally had to be 2 years in remission and not on any treatments before I could get any price (and that was with my consultant saying I was clear to fly a good 18 months before) but these decisions are often all down to cancer types, treatment, prognosis and the resulting risk factor put on by the insurers risk assessment. Being post SCT you are very open to serious infections due to a reduced immune system so this was seen as a high risk factor for insurers.
Comparison sites tend to use the same algorithms so getting a clear price can be difficult and it’s not that unusual to be turned down or told to call the insurers.
It is actually more effective to call a few insurers directly as this means that you have answered all the questions correctly and in doing this a suitable policy can be offered and price given.
Full disclosure is always advisable as in the event of you developing any issues this can reduce the risk of an insurance companies wriggling out from paying out.
As a Macmillan Volunteer I can’t be perceived to recommend any companies but do have a look through the link below…….
……… that is an ongoing discussion thread (do go to the bottom of the thread and hit the >> to take you to the newest posts) in our Travel insurance group as it's where the majority of recommendations from other forum members are.
Always around to chat.
