Duplicate posts :(

…and I have been diagnosed. I have a million questions…do I cash in my critical illness cover?..do I take Natalizumab?..I have NEVER been so confused in my life…help!

Hi CLP,

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

In answer to the insurance question, yes, MS is covered by most critical illness policies, so if you’re going to claim, now’s the time to do it. I can’t think of any good reason not to - what’s the point of having insurance, if you don’t claim when the worst happens? Some policies have quite tight deadlines for claiming - for example, mine was three months from diagnosis. So this is not one to leave on a back-burner. You need to dig out the paperwork fairly soon, and check whether MS is covered, and how to claim.

I cannot advise whether to take Natalizumab (aka Tysabri) as I am not personally on DMDs, and Tysabri is not one I would qualify for anyway. It is known to be one of the most effective MS drugs out there, so if your consultant is suggesting it as an option, it’s certainly worth thinking about. However, it does have some rare but serious side-effects, which is why it’s not recommended for everyone automatically. I do know lots of people here have been very happy with it, so hopefully someone who’s made the decision will be along shortly.

Your consultant will probably want to get you started on something quite quickly, but that does not mean the decision has to be made today. Make sure you’ve had enough time and information to make an informed choice.

Tina

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