Hi all, I currently live in Houston, Tx and have been reading this post with interest. I worked in the NHS for ten years prior to moving here so understand NICE well. My husband is the Myeloma patient and is treated at MD Anderson, a renowned hospital for cancer treatment. It is true that new drugs are available here but there are many hidden costs. My husband achieved VGPR with Revlimid, first line treatment. When he started to show an increase in para proteins, he was placed on Carfilzomib which bought him down some and then has just been through STC. I have lost count of how much money we owe in medical bills, I could paper a room! Expected cost of STC is over $250,000. People regularly go bankrupt here for having a medical condition through no fault of their own. The cost of drugs is astronomical! There are other problems too, vacation time is standard two weeks paid, any other time I have needed to take off to care for my husband has been unpaid, this soon adds up. STC has been unsuccessful, we are waiting to see what the next step will be. The only thing I know is that it will be costly with all our out of pocket costs. Just a view from the other side of the pond!
My family is all in the UK and we are hoping to move back there next year, We need our support network to be closer and as the years go on, I miss the UK more and more. I never thought I would miss the NHS as much as I do! Good luck to you all on this crappy journey we have been given!
Kim
