Fingers crossed for the MRI wiskas. Also, a quick question. Generally, your out of pocket max is just that, a maximum. After that your services should be completely covered and you should pay nothing at all. Are you sure that wasn't your deductible you hit? Because if it actually is your out of pocket max you shouldn't be charged.
I reached my deductible back in June. Insurance under Obamacare is one big scam. And the policies are sketchy at best. My bank accounts are nearly depleted. It's time to see about the Oregon Health Plan and medicaid for the few months I have before Medicare kicks in on December 20. edit: It turns out that Moda is not tabulating all charges I have paid. None of the $200/mo for meds and the$1700 co-pay for the Brochoscopy and biopsies. . They still claim I have $2000 left on my max. They are not forthcoming about their figures at all.
More good news. The suspected metastasis in my lungs when I got the thoracentisis, was not malignant either. This puts me at stage 3A/B instead of stage 4. Cancer only in one lung and center chest cavity, no spread! I may qualify for surgery. I'll know after my next oncology appointment on Tuesday. The referral to the surgeon will be made then. I may have that consultation as earl as next week. Then we'll go through a cost/benefit analyisis to see what's next. In other news, my sister came over to help me install my Starlink system. No more 3 MBS down and .75 up. Speeds vary but will get better with more satellites deployed.
The news today is encouraging. I was called by my oncologist on Sunday. We went over the good news from the last two test and I'll be skipping my appointment with him and am already referred to a cardio-thoracic surgeon. This will save a few days of waiting to take the next step. The consult with my oncologist makes it sound like I am at stage 3A which is really good. The 5 year survival percentile is 32-36%. Far better odds than I had last week. Of coarse, the surgeon has the final say over if I qualify for the risky surgery or not. I have a lot of questions to ask so I can do the cost/benefit analysis for myself IE: chemo/rads/ surgery or chemo/rads alone. The deciding factor will be what the increase in percent will be at 5 years with surgery compared to just chemo and radiation therapies. Both would be combined with immune therapies and maybe clinical trials. I'm nervous, but at the same time more encouraged than I was last week.
Well....there isn't going to be any surgery. The doc said I wasn't healthy enough to withstand it. And if I did, I'd be on a ventilator and breath through a trachiotic fitting for the rest of my life. All for very minimal gains in 5 year survival rate. So, It's strait on to chemo and radiation therapy. Probably next week. I see my oncologist on Friday.
Shit, just getting caught up on this, Wiskas. I hadn't logged on here in a while but a few different people I know just went to Oregon and it made me wonder how you were doing. I'm no oncologist, but stage 3A sounds a lot better than stage 4. Hang in there, buddy. Fingers crossed here in Florida for you.
Great to hear from you Shabaz! Yeah, it was nice when the tests came back supporting no metastasis. I have to admit that I've felt like crap for over a year now. I can't remember what it feels like to be normal. In other news, I'm a prisoner in the house because of hazardous rated air quality from the Rum Creek Fire. At times, you can't see more than 100 feet. The level 1 evac starts a mile to the west.
Well, this next week I get set up for 6 weeks of daily radiation treatments preceded by more lab tests and imaging. There will also be chemo at the same time. I'm not looking forward to this.
Yes, the whole deal sucks. It's wasn't part of my 5 year plan. But what's a person to do other than put on the big boy pants and trudge through it. The waiting....it's almost the worst part. It has taken over a year to get to the point of nearly having a treatment plan. We're not there yet, but it's close.
Wishing the best for you old man Hope ya have some local herbage to help with the nausea and appetite.
I may need to indulge in those types of meds. I have 3 dispensaries within 1 1/2 miles form my 1020. We'll see if and when the radiation oncologist finally get with the program here. I hate the waiting.
the bad: More tests and CT's! Sonnuva biatch! But the radiation oncologist wants better images to pinpoint the rads. the good: I qualified for financial assistance from the local hospital system.
Update: It has been an interesting and painful 4 days. I went in for a follow-up appointment with my oncologist on Friday. Next thing I know I'm being transported to the big hospital 40 miles away. My tumor doubled in size and my right lung had severe pleural effusion. Then there's the superior vena cava thing. Or SVC syndrome. Meaning, the tumor nearly completely cut off the vein that returns blood from the upper part of my body back to the heart. I had to have a baloon followed by a stent shoved from my groin up to my heart. They don't put you out for that. I felt everything. Yeee-ouch! Since Friday, I've had 2 X-rays, 2 CT's, 8 blood tests, A SVC stent, 4 doses of Dilaudid (whoopeeeee), and 2 thoracentiisis. I was so glad to get released to go home last night. Today I start radiation and get a port for chemo. This will be the beginning of 6 weeks of daily radiation. I'll find out what the chemo schedule is going to be in today's visit with the radiation oncologist. I look back on the last two years and realized that I never considered that I may ever have cancer, or need an oncologist.......but here we are. It's getting real guys. FYI: 4 days in the hospital and the bill exceeds $60,000.00.....yup, that's a lot of zeros.
I got my schedule for the chemo and radiation treatments. I have 30 radiation appointments and 7 chemo appointments starting tomorrow. I go in for lab work and education today, chemo tomorrow for 6-7 hours and radiation on Friday. On some days there are up to 3 appointments counting evaluations and follow ups. Filling out my advance directives and powers of attorney really hit me hard. It's not something life prepares you for.
Oy, through the ringer mate. Best of luck for the chemo and the radiation wiskas. I have friends who work in medical physics; it's incredible what they can do with targeting radiation nowadays.
Thanks for wishing me luck. I had my first radiation treatment yesterday. The apparatus was impressive. I sit for 7 hours of infusion chemo today. There may be a complication having to do with not having a port installed yet. We'll have to see how skilled the ladies are at hitting a good vein.I have to go to the big hospital in Medford to have a port placed on Monday. The cancer is so aggressive that the oncologists scrambled to get treatments started super fast. There are complications with scheduling as a result but they are getting ironed out. I'm going to be busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest through November 5. No day offs and all the preventative things I have to do to prevent infections. My immune system is going to take a huge hit.Then we get to start immune therapy. Man, where they went up my groin to insert the stent is all bruising out now. It looks like I've been kicked in the jewels......really hard. This is quite the journey. Not one I chose, but it's the one I have.
Day 2 after chemo+radiation and I don't feel too bad. I've been warned the the real rough side effect happen in 2-3 doses. I may even look like a real life ghoul by Halloween.....
update: day 3 after chemo and I feel like hammered shit. In 2 days, I get to do it all over again. yay! Meanwhile I get radiation every day in between.
My Lord! it's October already! I've been fighting this battle for a year now. Day 2 2nd dose of chemo and not so bad. My heart rate dropped yesterday after chemo and I ended up spending 4 hours in the ER hooked up to all these monitors. Well, 2 chemo's down, 7 to go with the last two three weeks apart with triple doses. Only 25 more radiation treatments to go, The oncologist was really optimistic as to the progress of zapping my cancer with the radiation. Well , I have all week end to recover and then we get to do it all over again. I did manage to get the funds to buy a motorized fold up chair though. At least I won't be a prisoner in my own home ans can get out and do some outdoor stuff. It's light enough to lift into the back of the suv with a little help. https://www.discovermymobility.com/...g&utm_term=1101201650725&utm_content=Products
