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Old 10th Jul 2006, 21:23
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Stan Laver
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Cheltenham
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WC

You would have thought so. Two aspects: first is routine med care. This is currently done by a Civ Med Practice on camp who ought to be responsible for pointing a patient at the support groups (not the touchy feely gushy drippy do-gooder support groups you might think, but hard working organisations who do some real work at providing information to sufferers and who try to ensure a level playing field when the inevitable exit from the Service occurs). They ought to be but they don't know enough about Mil Service to realise that these support groups exist.

The second is the treatment for MS, which I could have had through the RAF perhaps, but the NHS specialist who diagnosed me was happy to put me onto interferon straight away. Under his care (we, the RAF have no neurology specialist anyway), and amateurish though the NHS may be on occasion, the NHS are far more up to speed than the RAF for this particular condition. I start interferon injections on Thursday for the rest of my life; had the RAF been in charge of my care, I suspect, although I don't know, that a little quirky regulation in the medical APs about going onto interferon would have been invoked and a delay would have occurred until med cats were finally sorted out. A year away at best. Without melodrama, I can't waste time if I am going to get the protection (limited) that interferon provides. The NHS specialist directed me at the MS Society and to a Specialist MS nurse who is responsible for my routine care. However, as I mentioned, it was only a chum who put me in touch with the Mutual Support Group of whom I cannot speak highly enough.
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