20/02/20

Quite a day today, apart from the re-scheduled Velcade shot and blood tests at Springfield. The people in the pharmacy there weren't sure about the changed date and hadn't prepared the Velcade solution in advance (I gather it has a life of only a few hours once made up) so I had to wait quite a time while they did it.

As for Prof. Gribben's "fee-limited" fees, I spent the morning on the phone to AXA PPP (insurers) and The London Clinic and established that the three other hematologists there are also "fee limited". They say that they haven't put their prices up, AXA have reduced their payment levels. And of course AXA say they haven't changed, it's the consultants who've put their prices up...

Cutting a long story short, I left for Springfield at 12:30 with no resolution and needing one by 15:00 in order not to trigger a cancellation charge if we decided not to go ahead with Prof. Gribben in favour of some as yet unknown alternative. But just as the nurse was putting the Velcade needle into my arm, I had a phone call from my Case Manager at AXA. Because all the London Clinic hematology consultants are "fee-limited" in the same way and there is no nearby alternative, they have agreed to fund all Prof. Gribben's fees fully. So that scare is now 100% abolished, and tomorrow is back to Plan A.

Huge relief. Great weight off the mind, and etc.. Congratulations to Liz Cash at AXA PPP, my new hero(ine). And now I must go and sort out the paperwork from the car service and MOT, not to mention the other pile of routine paperwork that's been avoiding attention for the last couple of days, and probably will again today. There's always tomorrow morning. Until there isn't another one...