So, in the last few weeks I made the decision to not have my spleen removed (see previous post https://spleniclymphoma.com/2013/08/23/decision-on-whether-to-keep-my-spleen-splenic-marginal-zone-lymphoma/)
and to concentrate on travelling. It looks like there might be an unexpected roadblock to that.

It turns out that most travel companies won’t insure annual trip cancer sufferers. In fact my insurance is likely to go up from the £150 a year (I used to pay) to the same for a single trip, and as I travel to about 10 countries a year this is a somewhat unexpected and costly development.

What’s ridiculous is that even though it is likely years until I need actual treatment, such as Rituximab chemotherapy, because the insurance companies measure these things by stages I’m at the worst stage, a stage 4. This is because the condition is untreatable and in the bone marrow and blood. Ironically you could be given 6 months to live and still turn up as better on the system of questions because you wouldn’t be at stage four.

Getting irritated with these online responses I called a few insurance agents. They pretty much say the same. They wouldn’t be willing to cover me for multi-trip on the basis that I’ve only been recently diagnosed and I can’t go into remission or be cured. I suppose it might crimp their wallets and statistics if I dropped dead on a trip…

I suppose being entirely neutral, it’s fair enough. Insurance companies run their sums on risk and if they perceive that I will be greatly at risk they will charge more to cover the odds, just like betting on a long odds horse. Still its irritating their models can’t seem to factor in a non-standard characteristic lymphoma! I suppose I won’t be saying that if I do have an issue when travelling, but for now its irritating. Maybe I should just not get insurance (not a great idea).

So just to list of the trips I have planned

Norway tomorrow (booked today, I love last minute craziness)
Malta (September)
India, Nepal (October)
Various weekend trips (throughout year)
China/Mongolia (March)
Southern Asia (Probably August time)

These are just the ones I have planned, last year I visited 10 countries. At £150 a trip this could put my travel costs up by £1500 a year or more.
Alternatively I could reduce the number of trips I go on, but I kind of begrudge that as I’ve already decided to give up running to concentrate on travelling. I expect I will just have to take this latest irritation on the chin and spend a little more on travel. Who knows, maybe an insurer will give me a nice regular account with them so I can just change the name of the destination.

Who knew cancer could be such an inconvenience. 🙂

Still I can’t complain too much, life is pretty good otherwise. I run my own company with my best friend and business is going well (www.Nutbourne.com). It’s challenging but also fun and because we provide both IT support and design and build office space every day is nice and varied. We also just finished our year end on a positive note as well!

I read a lot, which I enjoy, and own my own house which has fruit trees which are currently producing a bumper crop (we have three 2 litre Kilner jars with cherry vodka, Plum Vodka and cherry Rum in). All in all maybe I should stop whining about this extra money, take it on the chin and pay up to travel. After all, you can’t take it with you, can you?