I havent posted for a few weeks so I thought I would update the blog to let you know how things are going.

Physio
Well my physio isn’t going too great and I seem to have hit a brick wall. At first it was going great, during each session I would be able to bend my knee from 90 degrees to over 100 degrees. I even managed to get to 110 in one session (it was painful but such an achievement!!!) This week my knee was at 93 degrees at the start of the session….and still there by the end. I’m extremely frustrated at the moment as my leg is painful and I feel the progress I have made is reversing – I realise its only been 7.5 months since my operation but I didn’t expect my progress to slow down. Hopefully the sun will do some good when I go away in a couple of weeks, which moves me nicely on to my next topic.

Travel Insurance
I have an annual insurance policy which renews each year. I obviously had to call the medical pre screening number to advise that I had been diagnosed with cancer in the last two years. After countless questions and and what seemed like days on the phone (they couldn’t find Sarcoma as an illness at first…) they confirmed that I would have to pay an additional £76 to cover me for two weeks in the Caribbean. This is incase I need treatment relating to my illness…what I am struggling to understand is what treatment I would possibly need whilst I’m away. The tumour is gone, the radiotherapy is finished, I do not take any medication and I am not undertaking any other treatment.

I decided to do some mooching about and ended up on the macmillan website. They have a section dedicated to travel insurance so I went for a few quotes and, to my surprise, two companies wouldn’t even insure me! To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement. Don’t get me wrong, I am more than aware of situations that may arise when people are on holiday (I should know that in my job!!) and I fully appreciate that there are some risky illnesses and people may fall ill when they are away but I don’t feel that this fee is justified in my situation. I am also fully aware that the cost of medical treatment and repatriation is also extremely high and that the insurance companies have to take steps to ensure that these costs are minimised and people take responsibility for their illnesses. But I do know that had I asked the agent on the phone what I was paying for, I know she would not have been able to answer as she is not a medical expert – Her answer would have been ‘for any treatment relating to your illness’.

The sad thing is, they have me over a barrell and, of course, I will pay it….just like many other cancer sufferers who are paying over the odds to be able to enjoy a well deserved holiday, after experiencing the most devastating and life changing event anyone could ever go through.

This will not deter me from enjoying my holiday, I mean come on…have you seen the beach I will be sitting on in two weeks time????