Reviving this old thread. Applying for Australian visa, wondering about continuity of care.
I was diagnosed just in the last couple of years with psoriatic arthritis. I trialed 1 DMARD for 4 months, the other DMARDs were medically contraindicated in my doctor#s opinion, and then I started the Australian equivalent of Brenzys. It works great, I'm functional again.
I know I will fail the health exam based on the cost of the biologic, but I'm allowed a 4007 waiver based on my spouses visa status. Here's the glitch- If I don't get continuity of care, ie, hitting the ground running in Australia with a new rheumatologist and approval for etanercept, I'm not going to be able to work because I'll relapse. If I walk into a job interview on crutches in my industry, I have no hope of getting a job. If I don't get a job, I won't be able to contribute to my share of private insurance so that I'm not a burden on the Australian taxpayer (and my spouse). It's a catch 22 or a spiraling negative feedback loop.
Do any of you previous commentators have an experience once you got to Australia on continuing with biologics? Does anyone else have any idea if I'm going to be able to get continuity of care, and how to go about that? Or am I facing 6 to 9 months of relapse on DMARDs, and possibly then rejecting the biologic protein molecule that was working, because I've built up antibodies to it while off.
Thanks
