Financial support for endo?

[Bramble_B]

Might be a cheeky question, but does anyone know if there's a charity that provides money for endo sufferers? For private medical bills, mobility aids, tens machines, vitamins etc.

I've seen a lot of awareness-raising initiatives but nothing to help us once we get a diagnosis.

It would even be great if there was a charity that retroactively helped with diagnostic bills, like private laparoscopies and consultations.

So essentially looking for an organisation that helps us take the financial edge off so we can quickly get to diagnosis/treatment without losing our whole life savings. Any help finding something would be greatly appreciated!

[SunnyHappyDaisy]

This is a really good question Bramble_B !

The amount I have had to pay for the pleasure of this horrible disease is ridiculous, Some financial help would be such a good idea, even if it's just for the amount sanitary products we have have to use!

[SavageGold]

This is something that leaves me helpless. Because of this condition I cant work a full time job so my finances are less than other people, and because drs and nurses try to fob me off I spent my own inheritance to pay for an mri to be taken seriously. And because of what this condition does to my body i cant get life insurance for my mortgage, and i was turned down for health / income insurance when I set up as self employed.

It would even just be nice to get the value financially of the education I missed back, plus the cost of the pain killers plus top up the day a week I cant work.

It would be nice to sue the nurse who keeps refusing to give me my Depo on time and keeps ruining my life. And it would be nice to sue the gynae that took me off the list for surgery. These set backs last years at a time.

Sorry for the rant. You make a very good point.

A single loan company that specialises in loans for endo warriors to get diagnosis, or to get into stable financial position before then making sustainable repayments after a crisis. What a brilliant business idea. Im pretty sure thats what paying taxes and national insurance is meant to be.

[DutchVanderling in reply to SavageGold]

I agree to a greater extent, however the paying taxes is more for the NHS when it comes to help (and believe me when I say I’m very much in the same boat as many here when it comes to that), re: loans business wise it has to be financially viable, so repayment after a diagnosis positive of Endo means the recipient is technically in a worse position to repay as they are more of a risk to business for needing time off work or no longer being able to because of ops and employers etc, and if you don’t receive an Endo positive then you’d be expected to repay as normal but with the risk of needing to pay for more diagnostic checks and investigations to discover what it is.

While I agree in theory, purely from a business perspective (which charitable orga also have to behave as) it just doesn’t seem like it would make much sense to them.

The only way to really make this happen would be to apply through local councils for grants and they’d point us to the NHS for surgeries and medical help, anything else would be through local charities for help with bills and medical equipment.

I’d recommend anyone struggling to pay bills to look at local council initiatives as well as going to their CAB for any advice and advocacy. It’s scant help but also sadly seems the most realistic

I find it very sad that we are placed in this position to start with. I’ve had to fight thirty years to get anywhere near being told it isn’t all in my head and a boat load of psych meds thusly. It’s vile and feels discriminatory.