Home... Not a hotel, really in our house!

NJShore
NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

I was just reading the lastest news here, while laying in bed, listening to Dan snore lightly, and realized I forgot to post we are home!

it was a long day yesterday. The doctors talked with the insurance company, and the sent the scripts to the pharmacy, where 4 of 8 were rejected! How do these companies reject via computer, and dare to say no? Dan paid into his insurance for 19 healthy years, and now they have every excuse in the world! It cost me  just under 600 so far for his prescriptions out of pocket, the other half of one script will be another 200. The pharmacy gave me a deal on one... They charged me $30 instead of $750.  Because they are inside the hospital, they get a deal.. So they were nice enough to pass along the savings!... Or he would have had to stay in the hospital while we waited 72 hours for the review!  we are so fortunate that we've saved for a rainy day.. But wow that would have been an incredible spa day! (Not that I would, but I dream!)

so, I came home to messes, we had a busy fall, and I hadn't gotten everything done, but it will be done before the week is out.

i managed Dans first IV today, and he survived, unscathed from the experience. I made a big pot of chicken soup, and it felt good sleep in my own bed again.  All I can say is there is no place like home! just pray that he continues to keep food down. He's trying!

thank you all.. Now I know what is meant by first  hand what a warrior really is, and I am in awe what you have all been through, going through, or planning. And I'll be here for you too.

kari

 

Comments

  • VivianLee5689
    VivianLee5689 Member Posts: 546
    #2
    Woohoo

    Great to here you all are home.  Oh how good your very own bed can feel.  Congratulations 

  • VivianLee5689
    VivianLee5689 Member Posts: 546
    #3
    Woohoo

    Great to here you all are home.  Oh how good your very own bed can feel.  Congratulations 

  • ausrebel53
    ausrebel53 Member Posts: 74
    #4
    Hi Kari, congratulations on

    Hi Kari, congratulations on being home at last, no matter what those greedy insurance companies throw at us they can't take away the feeling of a victory. You both are real troopers and I can only hope to follow your examples of tenacity. Bet that was the best tasting chicken soup ever.

    I have sort of started the good fight, by that I mean the radiation therapy has just begun (1 week) but still have insurance issues with chemo and radiation. These doctors deal with the same insurance companies every day, one would think it straight forward to get a straight answer to a question I put to them "what percent will my insurance company pay", simple? You would think so, the radiation doc said insurance would pay 100%, so away I go and have the mask made etc. and have 4 days of radiation only to be told that insurance informed us now they will only pay 85%. The chemo doc wanted me to pay $1700 up front with weekly payments of $150 after a second payment of $250. I had a fit and said I want to change so the radiation doc put me onto someone who is part of our insurance circle, but they can't fit me in for another week which really upsets my radiation doc who sais both therapies have to be together. They really love to baffle you with BS don't they? Kari I so sympathize with what you are going through, so true, it is hard enough both of you fighting the beast without having to fight greedy insurance companies as well.

    We are all behind you guys 100% Kari and pray hard for a speedy and painless recovery, you too are great warriors.

     

    Kind regards

    Michael

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #5
    sleep tight

    Kari,

     

    Nice to hear you are at home, nothing beats the home turf.  Sorry about the insurance hassles, I think the one thing they did not cover was my beloved Magic Mouth Wash. 

     

    Chicken soup, dish me up a bowl I am hungry.  He might be slow at eating, but every little bit helps and keep him swallowing.

     

    If he is sleeping and snoring that has got to be a good sign.  Tell you what, take a load off and sleep and snore (lightly) yourself.

     

    Don’t over do it around the house, things will keep, these are extraordinary circumstances.

     

    Your Oregon warrior,

     

    Matt

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #6
    YIPPIE!!

    There's no place like home....there's no place like home....glad to hear he's resting comfortably, and there's nothing like a pot of chicken soup on the stove to make a house smell warm and cozy. 

    I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with the insurance company when it comes to the prescriptions....when you see the cost of the drugs, it makes ya really wonder who's pocket is that going into. 

    Anyway, welcome home....

    p

  • AirForce Vet
    AirForce Vet Member Posts: 25
    #7
    YEA

    Glad to see you home Kari!!!!  Hope all goes well with taking care of things at home.  Glad I'm retired military have not had 1 dollar of out of pocket costs so far.  It also helps to be 8 miles from the largest military medical center in the country.  One stop shopping for all my cancer needs.  But getting a little worried since the man in the Oval Office wants to take away retiree health benefits.  

  • AirForce Vet
    AirForce Vet Member Posts: 25
    #8
    ausrebel53 said:

    Hi Kari, congratulations on

    Hi Kari, congratulations on being home at last, no matter what those greedy insurance companies throw at us they can't take away the feeling of a victory. You both are real troopers and I can only hope to follow your examples of tenacity. Bet that was the best tasting chicken soup ever.

    I have sort of started the good fight, by that I mean the radiation therapy has just begun (1 week) but still have insurance issues with chemo and radiation. These doctors deal with the same insurance companies every day, one would think it straight forward to get a straight answer to a question I put to them "what percent will my insurance company pay", simple? You would think so, the radiation doc said insurance would pay 100%, so away I go and have the mask made etc. and have 4 days of radiation only to be told that insurance informed us now they will only pay 85%. The chemo doc wanted me to pay $1700 up front with weekly payments of $150 after a second payment of $250. I had a fit and said I want to change so the radiation doc put me onto someone who is part of our insurance circle, but they can't fit me in for another week which really upsets my radiation doc who sais both therapies have to be together. They really love to baffle you with BS don't they? Kari I so sympathize with what you are going through, so true, it is hard enough both of you fighting the beast without having to fight greedy insurance companies as well.

    We are all behind you guys 100% Kari and pray hard for a speedy and painless recovery, you too are great warriors.

     

    Kind regards

    Michael

    They do go together

    Don't want to be a busy body but your rad doc is correct.  You NEED to have both Chemo and rads at the same time.  Chemo does nothing to kill our H&N cnancer.  It sets up the cancer cells for the kill by the radiation treatments.  Tahtnis whyntheynneed to be done together.  This is something you need to get fixed ASAP.

     

    regards

    Joe

  • NJShore
    NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
    #9
    AirForce Vet said:

    YEA

    Glad to see you home Kari!!!!  Hope all goes well with taking care of things at home.  Glad I'm retired military have not had 1 dollar of out of pocket costs so far.  It also helps to be 8 miles from the largest military medical center in the country.  One stop shopping for all my cancer needs.  But getting a little worried since the man in the Oval Office wants to take away retiree health benefits.  

    Dear Vet,

    first let me say thank you for your service and support of all of our freedoms.

    secondly, I'll try really hard to not get started. But I think our government should really take a hard look at the way they say thank you To those who served them... Hoping to still be proud to be an American if healthcare lessens for those who have worked so hard for it.

    and thanks, it's great to be in familiar surroundings.

    Kari :)

  • AirForce Vet
    AirForce Vet Member Posts: 25
    #10
    NJShore said:

    Dear Vet,

    first let me say thank you for your service and support of all of our freedoms.

    secondly, I'll try really hard to not get started. But I think our government should really take a hard look at the way they say thank you To those who served them... Hoping to still be proud to be an American if healthcare lessens for those who have worked so hard for it.

    and thanks, it's great to be in familiar surroundings.

    Kari :)

    NJ Shore

    If the country wants an all volunteer military then they are going to have to pay for it!  I accepted a much smaller monthly pay for the promise of life time  pension and medical care if I served at least 20 years.  I fought 8 different conflicts my last tour was in Iraq.  Getting shot at is GREat FUN.  Basically I could have tripled the  amount of money I was making in the military working for Boeing.  But took the long view that what was at the end of my service was worth the loss in pay now.  If the citizens of the USA choose to revoke the benefits promised their warriors.  They better reinstate the draft,  because nobody would make the military a career for nothing.  I love my country and would have layed down my life for it.  But love of country only goes so far when you have a wife and children to feed.  I know this not germane to this blog, but sometimes I feel that civilians truly do not have an understanding of what their service personnel do or go through during a 20 year career.  I think every young person graduating from High school should serve at least 2 years in a branch of he military.  That is what is required in Germany and most European Countries.  

    Regards

     

    Joe

  • ausrebel53
    ausrebel53 Member Posts: 74
    #11
    Chemo and Radiation together

    Yes Joe,

    I appreciate your input and yes I agree radiation and chemo should be done together sadly I am in the hands of others in starting chemo late. I simply don't have the money up front thr first chemo doc was asking forand the second chemo doc couldn't fit me in earlier at short notice. I pray your medical benefits continue, my brother-in law is a 20 year Air Force veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq who along with many of you service people desrve to have the govt.s end of the bargain held up as you have more than held up your end.

    Again Kari, enjoy your home time and hopefully your prescription issues will be resolved, boy insurance companies like to hit you from every direction don't they?

    Kind regards

    Michael

     

     

  • NJShore
    NJShore Member Posts: 429 Member
    #12
    AirForce Vet said:

    NJ Shore

    If the country wants an all volunteer military then they are going to have to pay for it!  I accepted a much smaller monthly pay for the promise of life time  pension and medical care if I served at least 20 years.  I fought 8 different conflicts my last tour was in Iraq.  Getting shot at is GREat FUN.  Basically I could have tripled the  amount of money I was making in the military working for Boeing.  But took the long view that what was at the end of my service was worth the loss in pay now.  If the citizens of the USA choose to revoke the benefits promised their warriors.  They better reinstate the draft,  because nobody would make the military a career for nothing.  I love my country and would have layed down my life for it.  But love of country only goes so far when you have a wife and children to feed.  I know this not germane to this blog, but sometimes I feel that civilians truly do not have an understanding of what their service personnel do or go through during a 20 year career.  I think every young person graduating from High school should serve at least 2 years in a branch of he military.  That is what is required in Germany and most European Countries.  

    Regards

     

    Joe

    Joe,

    I agree wholeheartedly that it would do this country some good, if two years in service were a pre-requisite for college, etc. and I am going to write a letter this week to my congressmen In support of ensuring we take care of those that take care of us. And you are correct, it's us citizens who need to say, it's not OK.

     I was encouraged by my Dad who spent 4 years in the Navy... I wanted to go into the service, took the ASVABS, they told me I could pick my job. I said I want to fly. The recruiter said (believe it or not...) "women don't fly in this mans AirForce".  So I said then I said you don't need me that badly, and off to college I went.  The following year, women were flying!

    Kari

     

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