Beck17

Hi All

I am wanting some advice on healthcare, I am moving to Sydney on the 28th December (provided I sell my house). However I am undergoing some (rather horrible ) tests for Crohns diseases on the 1st December and I wondered if anyone knows if I have a pre existing condition if I can get treatment in Oz?

I am very concerned that if they find I have crohns then they will need to start a course of treatment or operate and this will stop me going. Any advice would be great!.

Beck

Vash the Stampede

Ouch, I can sympathise with you; I have ulcerative colitis.

Vash the Stampede

The good news is that you can definitely get treatment for Crohns in Australia, so that's no problem at all.

Beck17

ohh poor you. Are you still taking sterroids?? what are you doing about monitoring it over there?

Beck17

Well thats good - but I thought that you could only get emergancy care on medicare? and private care wont cover pre exisisting conditions - then again I could just lie!!!!

Vash the Stampede

Actually, I'm an Aussie who's currently living in the UK after being born and bred in Australia (where I spent the first 31 years of my life.)

I received excellent treatment back home, and have only been on steroids a couple of times, when the condition was really bad. (And I mean really bad!)

I've had it for about 5 years now, so I'm accustomed to the regular ups and downs. These days I just knock back my Salazopyrin tablets and get on with life; no sense in letting it hold you back, that's my view.

Vash the Stampede

Not true; Medicare covers most things. Take it from a guy who became a regular at his local medical centre! When I told friends "I'm going down the local", I meant my medical centre, not the pub!

It reached the stage at which I was on first name basis with most of the doctors there!

Well, you could do that... or you could argue for some clemency! Always worth a try, I reckon!

Beck17

Oh dear - kinda know how you feel, i was sooo embarresed I didn't go to the doctors for years, it just got so ridiculous that I had to go. Still one way to keep slim!!! ha ha to be honest I feel like you and wouldn't let it hold me back but my parents are looking for good answers - as parents do! They don't even know what it is yet they think they have narrowed it down to crohns, collitus, allcerative collitus or cealicas (excuse the spellings not a doctor). Good to know that Medicare will look after me! I hope the doc's over hear are good to you. Are you planning on staying here?

Vash the Stampede

Good grief, I had no qualms about telling people about it; I was in absolute agony, and desperate for someone to do something about it!

It took them a couple of months to diagnose me, which was utter hell; I was so relieved when my GP referred me to a local specialist, who finally pinned it down. It just felt so good to know what was wrong with me!

After that, it was simply a case of "managing" my condition and moving on.

I had to pay for my appointments with the specialist - which were not cheap! - but I did receive a small Medicare rebate for those (I think it was about 30% of the cost, or thereabouts.) And of course, consultations with doctors at my local medical centre were free.

Doctors over here have been excellent; I had a colonoscopy at Solihull Hospital in April, and have nothing but praise for the way I was treated. The waiting lists are a bit of a shock, though! :scared:

I've been in the UK for 2 years now, and plan to go back home in about 2 years' time; I came here on a 4-year ancestry visa, so I have plenty of time to play with.

Got married about 3 weeks ago to a British girl, so there's a few things to sort out before we make the big move!

Fortunately she has a house over here and I have a house back home, so we reckon we'll be alright.

I hope everything goes well for you; best of British with it all!

Vash the Stampede

PS. I had private healthcare when I was in Australia; and I'm pretty sure that I managed to get it despite admitting that I have ulcerative colitis.

So you could be OK on that one after all.

Beck17

Well it really is a small world, although I now live in west Yorkshire I spent from the ages of 8 - 18 living in Solihull where my parents still live. Are you still living there? I have to have an endoscopy and a sigmoidoscopy on the 1st december! I am dreading it - will go with the sedation option!

Congratulations on your wedding, sounds like you guys have got it sussed. I can't wait to rejoin my partner he moved abaout 5 weeks ago and the distance is driving us crazy.

I did have real problems with telling people, which is really silly I know but hay I have now and they are going to sort it out. The more I talk the more I find other people in the same boat who have it controlled and are carrying on like normal - I cannot wait to be able to go to a resturant have a lovely dinner and actually enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!

Vash the Stampede

I actually lived in Acocks Green at the time; I'm now living in the Black Country, right on the edge of some lovely farmland - which is a much nicer location. We do our grocery shopping at a local farm; how quaint is that?!

I had my first colonoscopy in Australia, under a general anaesthetic. My second (in the UK) was under sedation, and I can tell you for nothing that I much preferred the general anaesthetic!

Thanks - and you have my sympathies!

I know the feeling!

Life really does get better after you're diagnosed and you work out a daily management regime.

Beck17

Thanks - I am absolutley sure it will and one day on the caost of Oz I will have my wine bar and restuarant! (and I will be able to eat all of the gorgeous food!)

I have friends in the black country near Merry Hell (as I call it) it a nice little village. I will be down there in a couple of weeks.

It does always amaze me how small this world is - my partner and I met at York college both doing a degree at night school as we were working full time, we didn't get together for a year but when we did and started talking we realised that when we were both last in Oz, we lived about four doors away from each other!

I will keep you posted about my tests and results.

Beck xx

Vash the Stampede

Cheers mate!

Ozzidoc

Hi Beck

I'm an aussie who's lived in the UK for 8 yrs, and am studying to be a doctor. I'm currently studying the GI system (from mouth to butt) - feel free to PM me with any questions u may have. By the way, I've also had a colonoscopy, as we have lots of bowel cancer in the family. I'm a real wimp, but had no problems with the flexi-sigmoidoscopy under a little sedation. (They did just look to my hepatic flexure (a specific point in the colon), not all the way around the large bowel to the caecum which they'll probably do for you).
Good luck with everything!