Travel Insurance for us?

[pberggren1]

only 6 weeks until i fly out whoo

Where are you going?

[Natalie]

Where are you going?

Hi pberggren Im going to New Zealand to visit my Best Friend and hope to meet some family I have never met before really looking farawd to it .. I bit nervous about flying but I will be fine once I'm up in the air and I have no trouble with my ears .

[pberggren1]

Flying is lots of fun Natalie. You will love it.

[drz]

Flying is lots of fun Natalie. You will love it.

And Phil recommends meeting new family members too, don't you PHil? (smile)

[pberggren1]

And Phil recommends meeting new family members too, don't you PHil? (smile)

Of course I do.......lol I just forgot........lol But flying is fun, trust me..........lol And yes, meeting my new sis and her family was awesome. And they have invited us to stay if I feel well enough after the implants.

[marta]

Hey Natalie,

I just flew over from Edmonton to Hawaii (1.75hrs + 5.5hrs) no problems. I have tubes in both ears and my eustachian tubes are not functioning and didn't feel anything different on the plane than before all this schmozle. Not sure if your situation with your ears is anything like mine, but if it is then there is nothing to worry about. Have a wonderful trip - it is SOOOOOO good for the brain and the overall healing process.

[Natalie]

Thanks Phil and Marta I know im goin to LOVE IT and I will be hooked and will want to do it annually . Marta that is What I wanted to hear Positive story's of flying with similar ear problems as mez I will give a full report of my Trip when I return with photos . I get my Airfare tickets and insurance tomorrow , Then Its counting down the days Whooooo .

[mishb]

Have been looking in to Travel Insurance again because we are thinking of travelling to the US (again) towards the end of this year.
As mentioned in this thread, I did travel there before diagnosis in 2009 without any troubles, and in 2010 travelled to Fiji after diagnosis (but pre medication) without any troubles although my ankles were swollen and painful for a few days after we got there.

I spoke to a friend of mine the other day who is the National Manager of a large travel insurance company over here and even though it is beyond, even his pull, to get travel insurance for me, he asked me this very easy question. Michelle, what if any, would be the potential troubles with you flying 15 hours to the States and when you are over there?
He said, you have to ask yourself this question and if you can see no possible problems occurring then you should be fine.
He also then said that it would be harder to get full cover the the States than anywhere else purely because of the costs of medical assistance, if required.

Arrrrgh, I didn't know what to say to him, I wish I had a crystal ball but I don't. He said think about it, hard. He said, what about your ears, what could they do, what about your joints etc.
When I got home, the first thing I thought about were blood clots, dvt, ear pressure.

I did have symptoms in 2008 the first time we went to the States and I didn't have any problems at all, so with this reasoning (touch wood), now that I have a diagnosis and under medication, I should not have any problems ..... right.

What do you all think the answer to my friends question would be?

[Al]

Michelle, I can't tell you about the vagaries of insurance, but I can say this about potential problems: Long haul flights are, indeed, challenging for those at high risk for clots, though this can be minimized on larger aircraft that permit walking around. In lieu of this, certain exercises help immensely, as does keeping properly hydrated (air travel dries you out in a big way). As for ear pressure, it is the number of hops, more than the distance that is the problem, though, if you souffer pain on takeoff, another 14 hours is not a lot of fun. I am no fan of decongestants, but if you tend to be clogged up anyway, I would ask the doc for a recommendation.

The only other thing I can say, not knowing about the specific insurance plan, is that you need to make sure your credit card is is good shape. Med facilities here, should you need them, typically would ask for cash payment if they do not have a relationship with your insurance, and you would have to be reimbursed on our own later. (That, by the way, is how it would be with us if we pulled up lame in, say, Canada.)

Al

[mishb]

Thanks Al, that's interesting to know about the payment side of things.
I do have a very good credit card that hasn't been used for years and it does offer free travel insurance but nothing for pre-existing conditions.
I hope I never have to use it ever ever ever.

I could only foresee possible plane troubles but nothing whilst on the ground. Although, I could fall out of the teacups at Disneyland.
Who knows, I may not get any troubles what so ever and then get hit by a bus on the way home. (I always use a bus as an example because that's the type of insurance I underwrite)