Hi Crawfo64,
When I applied for the terminal cover on my insurance I telephoned my oncologist and asked for advice. She said she would write me out a favourable report and asked me if I wanted a copy which I said I didn’t.
I then requested a apllication form from the insurance company - they couldn’t have been nicer. It was the most depressing thing I’d ever done. It took about 2 months to get the news I’d been successful. It’s a relief but not goods news probably the only time I broke down because the reality of the disease kicked in.
What I’m trying to say to anyone is to look at your polcies and see if you have terminal cover. My oncologist advised this a year before but I suppose I jusdt hoped I was still there but as she said that why you’ve paid for the policy.
I still here and doing very well. Apart from the fatigue this disease brings.
Wishing you well with your journey and I hope its as short as mine plus I got the interest back on the 2 months I waited.
Take care
Chris xx
It might sound crazy but I am afraid to claim in case it brings me bad luck! The only thing that is getting me through this stage 4 business is the stories I read about women living 10 years plus with the disease. I truely expect to be one of the lucky ones… I’m only diagnosed about 3 weeks though so probably still in denial…
Hi Kate
Have you claimed dla yet? If you haven’t I’d strongly advise you to. I know exactly what you mean about tempting fate especially as to claim dla you have to ask your gp for a form which states that you are likely to die in less than 6 months which is a hard thing to do. At first I was absolutely adamant I couldn’t do it, but then I talked to the Macmillan Nurse and read some of the post on here from ladies who’d claimed and I realised it doesn’t mean you definitely will die in 6 months. I’m really glad I did claim now because it’s £125 per week, it’s not means tested and for me it’s the difference between keeping my head above water and sinking. It wasn’t that easy, I had to ask my gp three times before he agreed but after speaking to my oncologist he did agree and then my claim went through without a hiccup. Even the dwp know there is no way of accurately predicting life expectancy which is why they reassess your claim every three years. XXX
Chris, you’ve inspired me to try again. I think I’ll start by talking to my onc, and you never know, she might say I’m not at that stage yet which would make me equally happy. I remember saying the same thing about asking my gp for the ds1500. The first two times he didn’t say no but didn’t say yes either and I told my OH I don’t give a damn about the money, I’d be over the moon if he comes back to me and says he can’t do it because there’s no possible way I’m going to die. I’d actually got used to the idea he was going to say no and was really happy about it so it was devastating when he rang me out of the blue one morning and said my form was ready to pick up.
Hi Crawfo64,
You’re more than welcome. It took me over a year to pluck up the courage to get the ball rolling. My husband said he couldn’t do it because he didn’t want to think that I only had a year to live.
I have come to realise that this disease is so unpredictable and to make the best of what we have. I know I felt guilty goodness only knows why we’d been paying the premiers for years and never thought we’d claim.
I know I’d have my health any day of the week than this awful disease but I have learnt to accept that I’m going to die a lot sooner than I’d hoped but I try and do as much as I can while I’m well and don’t think of what the future will hold. Thats the way I deal with it and I appreciate we’re all very different
I hope you’re successful, its just one less thing to worry about.
I’m still here and enjoying life and lets hope we all have years and years to enjoy ourselves.
Take care
Chris xx
Hi
I was diagnosed with liver, lung and bone mets (along with bc) in Feb 09. I had EC chemo and tamoxifen and really good responses. There was a tumour that hung around in the liver, some in the bone and the original one in the breast. In the following November I claimed my life insurance policy under the diagnosis of terminal illness being 12 months left to live. They write to your doctor about it so its important to check it out with them but my doctor said that its difficult to know how people will respond to treatment plus if I decided to not take treatment then I would most likely die.
It was a weird day when we received the money but we have used it to buy a house and don’t have to worry about the mortgage. Not having money worries has made day to day life much easier. And of course I have surpassed the year anyway…
I think as well if you are claiming DLA then the whole issue of disability/life expectancy is something that you will have dealt with anyway.
The only thing that I have never truly figured out is whether the doctor’s letter and my claim counts as a ‘terminal diagnosis’ in relation to the constant bugbear that is travel insurance. I think not because I have never seen the doctor’s letter, have outlived the year and have not had the ‘there is no treatment left’ conversation.
Cx