[Kerry and David]

Hi all,

I have read through some threads on medical waivers but wondered if anyone could give me any additional information...

My 3 year old son was taken very ill while on holiday in Florida in April 06. He has asthma and while we were out there he had a massive attack which was triggered by the flu. We went through a terrible time which included a stint on a life support machine. He also had plenty of drugs etc to get him better.

Despite a small dip in his chest he made a full recovery and despite having a nebuliser at home we have only used it once since the 'incident'. He has regular medication - becotide morning and night and a ventolin if he gets a wheeze, but touch wood we dont have to use it...

Its not listed under the medical waiver system but I'm guessing questions will be asked. what do you think?
Also, do you think they will want a summary from our G.P on his health now or original paperwork from Florida hospital?
Having not been through the process i'm not sure what to expect..

I have been to the doctors a fair few times since for check ups and the odd cough(its hard to not to panic and I have been a bit over cautious) but hasn't really had any medication since...

Sorry to ramble on:o I'm not very good at getting questions over in one sentance:roll

K x

[migratory birds]

Hi Kerry,

Good to hear your little guy recovered and pulled thru a scary time.

The medical reviewer will likely ask for more information if the episode needs reporting on the health form and may request a letter from his pulmonary specialist or paediatrician stating long term prognosis over the next 5-10 yrs.

Try not to worry about it and procede as planned. It seems they're really only looking to see if someone's health problems will be a financial drain on the healthcare system or put a larger population at risk (as with some transmissable diseases such as HIV and TB). In your case, it sounds as though your little guy will not. There are many citizens of NZ who also have asthma.

It's likely a summary from his GP will suffice and you will not need to submit a copy of his records from the Florida hospital. Again, they'll likely want to hear more about the long-term prognosis rather the episode itself.

[Familyofmonkeys]

What you will probably find is that it will get mentioned on the medical forms as an unusual finding (last page of form), and you will probably be asked (NZIS) to see a specialist to confirm it is all OK. There are plenty of other people who have been referred to specialists, most for over-cautious reasons. Then your medical bits get reviewed by panel doctors (who only meet about once a month) before ITA is approved. It can be a bit nerve racking waiting (especially after forking out all that money for medicals/applications etc), but unlikely to have any problems for asthma, especially as it was triggered by flu (for which you could have a vaccination now).

[Familyofmonkeys]

Forgot to add, that you will need a letter from your GP listing any medication that is on repeat. You do not need to mention any medication that is not on repeat. If you are worried, you could get GP to add comments about current health on same letter, but you are not actually required to do this.