My son is 12 and has suffered with a mild form of epilepsy called partial seizure disorder for the last 9 months or so.
He's under a consultant who we see every 4 - 6 weeks. The medication, that he's been on since we first became aware of his illness, controls the symptoms and we've been told that theres a very good chance that he'll either grow out of it or will live with it under control and should therefore lead a full and normal life.
I'm worried that we'll only find out if his illness will be problematic to our visa application late on. Both my children (I also have a 16 year old daughter) are so excited about the possibility of living in Oz, that it'll break everyone hearts if the visa falls flat on its a##e
I know there's quite a few members on here with medical backgrounds and would really appreciate it if anyone could give me any information
if its any consolation I suffered with the same thing when I was 15 to 18. I was prescribed drugs to control it which made it difficult for me to think. I gave up taking the drugs because of the side effects and through trials, discovered how to control it, or avoid situations that triggered or made me more vulnerable. I was banned from driving for 6 years from my last seizure.
Its now 18 years since my last seizure and I lead a normal life, though I'm always on guard to avoid another seizure, it hasn't gone away, I know that and I have had a few narrow escapes.
Although I haven't got that far in the visa process, from what I've learned it shouldn't be a problem.
Location: From Bury,Manchester To Jimboomba, Brisbane
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Hiya due to a liver complaint we were dubious as to how the medical would go ,our agents really didnt know what the answer would be ,but told us before doing TRA and Dimia to do the meds first ,albeit theres a possibility of having to re-do them because of the time scale but at least you know before investing a few grand what the outcome of his medical will be ,,i really thought i would be doomed but im here now so dont give up and try to stay possitive.
Cal x
I do know how you feel as it was my biggest fear that we would be rejected on ehalth grounds too.
I have had epilepsy since I was 14. My daughter also has had epilepsy for the last 3 years (I can't even begin to tell you the guilt for that one).
However, she hasn't had a fit for 2 years now and the consultant has just said she can come of meds once we are under the care of a neurologist in Australia who can oversee it properly as we won't be here long enough for someone in the UK to do it.
Plus when we went for our meds we took a copy of every letter that had been involved between our GP and consultant concerning the condition. It is on the meds form to do that anyway (we found it easier to get those through the GP by the way as the consultant didn't see any reason to get them to us within the period we needed - they arrived 4 weeks afetr the meds!). The woman we saw said that everything would be okay with the information provided and we were passed for our meds. We got our visa last night so don't worry.
I am epileptic and have been for 7 years, I had no issues with my VISA. I was diagnosed at the age of 28!!
HAve also just been granted permenent residency!
Joanne
hi,
moving over to perth from the uk in october. We have permanent residency. Wife has controlled epilepsy. Will my wife have to pay full prescriptions costs in oz, or is there any relief for repeat prescriptions, as i can imagine this is going to be quite an expense compared to free drugs for epilepsy in uk.
Whatever the situation, there is no turning back for us.
Hi Dan, A very dear friend of mine suffered from epilepsy for about 3 years of his life from the age of 17 - 20, I remember the time well as we were all at the time having driving lessons. He has not had not suffered since and is in his 40's now.
I do hope that your son grows out of this as it must be worrying for you all. I cannot see that Australia will not let you into their country because your child suffers with epilepsy, would it be a case of as long as you were willing to pay for your sons medication then the migration would be o.k. still?
Keep us updated on anything new you may find about this?
moving over to perth from the uk in october. We have permanent residency. Wife has controlled epilepsy. Will my wife have to pay full prescriptions costs in oz, or is there any relief for repeat prescriptions, as i can imagine this is going to be quite an expense compared to free drugs for epilepsy in uk.
Whatever the situation, there is no turning back for us.
rgds
mark 46, rose 45 and becky 17
Hi Mark
Filling a scrip in Oz costs about $29 per drug prescribed, as opposed to about £7 per drug in the UK.
Drugs in Oz are dispensed via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. After the first $900 or so in pay-outs during the calendar year (from you to the pharmacist) the PBS Safety Net kicks in for the remainder of the calendar year. The effect of the Safety Net is that the cost per drug comes down to about $5. At the start of the next calendar year, the same rigmarole begins all over again.
Run a search on Google for the Pharnaceutical Benefits Scheme, I would suggest.
Thanks for all the replies .....loads of great support and advice. I really appreciate it.
Dan
Hi Dan
Run an Advanced Search on British Expats, usng "Epilepsy" as the key word and searching the Australian Immi section of the forum. You will discover LOADS of threads about this which should work wonders to help to reassure you.
