Travel insurance with cancer

Hi

I hope you don't mind me butting in, as I'm not a member of this group, but I noticed that you were asking about travel insurance.

Unfortunately, it can be more difficult to find reasonably priced travel insurance when you have had a cancer diagnosis so could I suggest that you come and join us over in the travel insurance group where you'll find lots of recommendations for travel insurance.

To join just click on the link I've created and once you've done that look for the thread called 'Member's Stories' as it's where the majority of recommendations from other forum members are. Depending on what type of device you're using this thread will either be on the right-hand side or at the bottom.

It is best to phone the insurance companies rather than try and do online quotes as sometimes they can refer to the underwriters to see if they would cover you when an online quote might just give you a straight refusal. 

Make sure you have all the information to hand about your diagnosis and treatment before phoning. This is a list of common questions that insurers might ask and some insurers might ask for a letter from your doctor to prove that they have given you permission to travel.

I do hope that you can get reasonably priced travel insurance and that you have a fantastic birthday and cruise!

x

Thank you so much latchbrook for all that information. That is so helpful so will definitely check it out and hopefully get sorted with something reasonable so that we can book a cruise and fantastic birthday too! 

Hi Leanne,

I’m classed as being incurable due to an inoperable 3cm mass that I have in my right pelvic wall. I also had my right kidney removed due to my ureter becoming blocked by endometriosis. As for treatment, I’m currently taking Megace in the hope that it will stop my cancer from progressing. 

Despite all of the above, I still managed to get travel insurance. Ok, it was only a trip to the Channel Islands, but it’s still classed as Europe for travel insurance purposes. I used a company called ‘Insurance With’. I think it was set up by a lady who had breast cancer and couldn’t get insurance cover anywhere. I initially tried Boots but lost the will to live - 90 mins of questions over the phone and then 4 call backs to go over my medical history again. When I spoke to Insurance With, it turns out that they are the medical underwriters for about 30 insurance companies (including Boots!). The quote took about 25 mins in total since they know what they’re doing. I should point out that they’ll only insure me on a trip by trip basis.

I’ve got everything crossed that you can get a decent travel insurance quote so you can celebrate your birthday in style sailing on the high seas with hubby!

Good luck with the trial too. I really do hope that the trial drugs continue to work for you.

Take care,

Liz x

Hi Liz,

thanks for your reply to my dilemma. So sorry to hear about your 3cm mass but I hope you are keeping well and doing ok with the Megace. I was also on that drug but only for a short time as I had to come off it to go on the trial. 
I have been in contact with insurance with and they are sending me a quote now but I have been on the phone for an hour after spending another hour online this morning trying to get a quote from them only to be turned down and asked to phone direct. All my other plans for today have gone out the window for another day but I feel as if I have achieved something and at least getting a quote now. The thought of having to repeat all this several times for comparison is soul destroying though. Interesting to know too that this company was set up by a similar cancer sufferer.

Thanks again for taking time to reply 

Take care

Leanne x

Hi Leanne,

I hope you don’t mind me asking but did you have any luck with the quote from Insurance With? We’re hoping to go on a cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary next year and was just wondering how realistic it’s going to be. But I do know what you mean about it being soul destroying when you go through you medical history with an insurance company. I feel really well at the moment as Megace is doing its job, but when I used to get off the phone after asking for a quote, I felt like I should be at deaths door due to some of their comments!

I also hope you don’t mind me asking but what trial are you on at the moment?  It’s so nice to hear that you’re getting good results from it and long may that continue. I’ve not got any MSI involvement, so I’m not a suitable candidate for any immunotherapy based trial.

Take care,

Liz xx

Hi

this is Hazel sorry to interrupt your thread , I am 17 month post radiotherapy for tonsil cancer I hadn’t 35 radiotherapy and 2 chemo . We travel to Spain and I have had “ cancer quotes “ from the following ;

travelwith.com would cover me for tonsil cancer and related things for long stay if 90 days the year do less durations  for hubby and me £380. Done all online excellent site 

Also insure and GO would cover me but nit for anything cancer related again  max stay 90 days but this is a yearly  policy  including hubby for £130. 

I also have high blood pressure kept in check with one tablet daily , for the cancer I am on ni other medication and see ent consul every 3 months .

hope this helps

Hazel x good luck with your ongoing treatments 

Sorry made typo error it seems Insurewith.com who would insure me not travel with ,brain freeze moment.

Hazel x

Leanne4. Not directly related but what type of cancer was it and did you have lymph node removal with original treatment?  Were you officially in remission before the recurrence and then did you have symptoms that made you think it might have recurred? I was diagnosed with stage 1a grade 3 last year and had total hysterectomy and radiotherapy..and given all clear. I am currently in remission and was hoping with it being stage 1a, I had good chance of beating it. Don't want to overlook possible recurrence symptoms. 

Hi Nightingale19,

my cancer was endometrial stage 1b grade 2 and I had a total hysterectomy but no lymph nodes were removed because of the stage. I had chemotherapy and radiotherapy and then went to see my oncologist for the first check up after treatment finished. I had problems with my bowels since radiotherapy but no other symptoms. She was not going to do a CT scan at this stage, I was just told to be aware of any side effects and I said I would not know if I was having side effects when I was already having stomach problems. My sister was with me at this appointment and between us we convinced her to do a CT scan soon. This was December 2018, I had finished radiotherapy end October. The CT scan was done in March 2019 and showed spread to the para aortic nodes and the left clavicle nodes.  I was really shocked and then had to have a neck node biopsy and then wait 6 weeks to have it confirmed that it was metastasis. So to answer your question, it was not actually a recurrence as I had never had the all clear before this point. I was told that I hadn’t responded to chemotherapy and would not be suitable for any more chemo or radiation or surgery. I was only offered Megace to take orally to try and control it but was given a prognosis of 1 year at that time which was last April. I did start on Megace but then found a trial which I have been on since June and now my nodes have shrunk in size by over 2/3.

I am sure that with you being a stage 1a, yours has been caught much earlier and was much smaller, that this will not be the case with you but I understand your worries as we all probably worry about recurrence. Just be reassured that mine was not a recurrence, it had just not responded to chemo but I can’t understand  why the doctors don’t scan at the end of treatment to ensure that the cancer has responded to the chemo. If I hadn’t insisted on getting a ct scan then I am convinced that further down the line I would have been much more advanced. 

Please try not to worry but if anything does not feel quite right and your gut instinct tells you, flag it up with your oncologist as soon as. I was just very u fortunate but feel very blessed that I have been given another chance, even though it’s not a cure. Hope this puts your mind at rest. 
Hugs Leanne x

Hi Liz,

I did eventually get a quote from insurancewith but like you I had difficulty doing this online. Took me over an hour to answer over 100 questions which were at times repetitive and ambiguous so I probably caused confusion as I then got told to phone the company as they couldn’t give me an online quote. I didn’t have the option to phone before as no number available. When I eventually got through after on hold for 30 mins, I spoke to a very nice lady who decided to go through all the questions again from scratch so I completely understand your frustration, but it was worth it in the end because I did get a quote for £99 which I thought was very reasonable and gives me full cover ( a cruise needs extra cover as you may need to be airlifted off the ship etc) so that is the total cost for both of us for the 7 days with an excess of £75. I haven’t actually tried for any other quotes because as you say the questions are so intrusive and time consuming. We have since found a cruise we are hoping to book tomorrow it the dates are slightly different which will require another phone call but I’ll get my husband to sort that out! We’re still going to Norway but the insurance cover is for Europe. Hope that helps? My cruise is just for a week so it may vary depending on how long you are away for and how far away you are going.

My trial is based on immunotherapy and is called TSR-042. It does now have a name but I can’t remember it offhand but i had to be MSI high to be eligible to go on it. I also had to come off Megace for 4 weeks before starting the trial.

Im pleased for you that you are feeling well on the Megace and hope it continues to do it’s job for as long as possible by which time there may be something else you can try. Meanwhile I hope you manage to get yourself insurance and have that cruise next year for your 25th wedding anniversary! 

Best wishes

Leanne x