As I'm sure I may have mentioned once or twice (or perhaps even three or four times), I'm going to be going to the Land of Hope and Glory, Hamburger-a-go-go Land, the good ol' U S of A, America and whatever else you might want to call it, for a whopping three months.

For a normal person, with a fully-functioning, non-diseased bowel, this is quite a normal thing to do.

However for me, and my bowel which is fully-functioning but has potential to be disease-ridden, this is not.

It means 3 months' supply of prescription medication (a total of 630 individual pills), as well as half a plane load of 'just in case' pain killers and God knows what else, endless medical forms, letters to explain why I'm transporting half a pharmacy to Carrie Bradshaw Land and the joy of finding medical insurance which will cover all of my camp counselor needs. And having to explain, "It's only Crohn's disease, I'm not dying or anything."

However, there is positive news to be told! I've found a company who will cover people with Crohn's disease, as long as they haven't been in hospital in the past 6 months or something, and it's not that expensive. In fact, they'll give me up to £5million-worth of medical care for a 90-day trip in North America and the Caribbean. All for about £75!

If you've got a wonky digestive system, too, and you can't face another quote of £10squillion, I suggest you have a look at GF Baskeyfield. And suggest to them that I get commission.

You just need to be a member of the NACC, which is a Crohn's disease charity, et voila. You can go off with peace of mind, knowing that should anything go wrong, like a flare up or even a quick dash to a doctor's if you're worried, you will be covered.

Bon voyage indeed.

Posted: Thursday 17 April 2008 13:32:28