Scott's Appt.

Btrcup

Hi all, hope everyone is doing well. Have my candle lit for Lisa as we speak.

Well Scott's appointment did not go as well as planned. We met with surg onc (Dr. Sardi) to discuss surgery for his peritoneal carcinomatosis (same surgery Lisa is getting now). They said he has many tumors in his abdomen and small bowel. We need to schedule more scans because when he did his exam, he could feel tumors and thinks they may be in liver and pelvis as well. We brought scans from Feb. 2004 (orig dx), July 2004 (when we were told he was NED) and Dec. 6 (when they operated for scar tissue). Well it turns out that he was NOT NED in July, cancer was there all along. Needless to say, we are extremely upset about this. Dr. Sardi showed us where the cancer is, plain as day. Someone screwed up big time!! He said we should have come to see him 6 months ago, and things may have been different. He is still considering surgery, but cannot give us a definite answer until more scans and blood work are done. He said this past surgery in Dec. complicates things for him because the surgeon used mesh to cover his abdomen to avoid scar tissue again, and this could trap tumors.

We are so upset by all of this. Scott no longer trusts his oncologist. And to make matters worse, our insurance (Aetna) does not like to cover this type of surgery. The office manager at Dr. Sardi's office said there is always a problem with them. We are waiting for the insurance to authorize this set of scans (CT & PET), and then once these are complete, we will have another consultation. If all goes well, we are looking at end of Feb, beginning of March for surgery.

Well thanks for letting me vent. I have such a headache right now. I think I will drown myself in much alcohol tonight! Prayers to all.

PS: Anyone know a good lawyer!!

Linda (Baltimore)

2bhealed

Un believeable!! I am so sorry Linda.

How was the cancer from July overlooked???

You have just shot an icy blast of fear into my soul. It could happen to any of us.

I can imagine the intense anger you must both feel right now. Oncologists just do not have room to F--- Up like this. 5 FU and you're out! No really, time is of the essence and if this six months makes a difference I hope you find a damn good lawyer.

I am so sorry.

peace, emily who has mesh in her abdomen too. dang.

neon356

Wow, that's disturbing about Aetna, I just signed on with them for my medicare supplemental which I'm eligigle for in March. Maybe I should consider going with a differant company.
Carl

jana11

I am so very sorry...I don't know what to say. Try and focus on what can be done now. Worry about lawyers once all this settles. DO NOT get one of those guys off the TV ads!
Put pressure on Aetna yourself. Call and get people's names who won't authorize. I think things move quicker when people are held accountable. Best of luck with all this.
jana

JKendall

Linda...UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

You know, this stuff is hard enough to deal with even when there aren't obstacles (insurance) and setbacks/failures (doctors who miss the mark) like what you've encountered. You have every right to be furious!!!

I'm not 100% sure about this, but it's something to look into: most states have some kind of an insurance regulatory board, maybe they have some sort of an arbitration service that can help you. I know when you start dealing with government agencies things can get bogged down in a quagmire, but it may be one avenue to look at. Maybe at least a threat of getting state officials involved will get Aetna moving in the right direction.

Good luck, and don't let the bast***s get you down! Let us know what happens.

Jimmy

Unknown

Linda, I agree with what others have already said. Something like this is very upsetting...especially for the ones who are right now NED...puts a big what if. Emily is right...there is no margin for error with this stuff and I don't blame your husband one little bit for not trusting his oncologist anymore. I wouldn't either. I had my doubts about Bert's first oncologist from the get-go but we were stuck with his HMO plan. When I was finally able to add Bert to my PPO plan during open enrollment, the first thing we did was go see another oncologist and a major cancer center and we've had no hesitations whatsoever since then. However, it is still extremely scary to hear a mis-diagnosis of NED.

Good to hear though that Scott's doc still things operating is a possibility...even if somewhat postponed. Hold on to that thought and work towards it.

Lots of hugs,
Monika

kangatoo

unknown said:

Linda, I agree with what others have already said. Something like this is very upsetting...especially for the ones who are right now NED...puts a big what if. Emily is right...there is no margin for error with this stuff and I don't blame your husband one little bit for not trusting his oncologist anymore. I wouldn't either. I had my doubts about Bert's first oncologist from the get-go but we were stuck with his HMO plan. When I was finally able to add Bert to my PPO plan during open enrollment, the first thing we did was go see another oncologist and a major cancer center and we've had no hesitations whatsoever since then. However, it is still extremely scary to hear a mis-diagnosis of NED.

Good to hear though that Scott's doc still things operating is a possibility...even if somewhat postponed. Hold on to that thought and work towards it.

Lots of hugs,
Monika

Linda and Scott--my heart goes out to you guys!!!!
Scuse my french but---I can't @$%!%%!@# believe that you have all this insurance crap over there!
We pay thru our taxes here for a health care systwm and anything re; surgery that is available/doable here is free. My surgery never cost me a cent(although I do pay for subsidised medications post op). Here in OZ if you need non-elective surgery it gets done--no questions.
I am so sad to hear about many of our friends here on CSN that have the problem with paying for surgery--it SUCKS!!!!!!
The fact you already have enough to worry about Linda, I find your health system disturbing.
Please pass on our love to Scott sweetie---thinkin of you guys always.
kanga n Jen