chemo is dripping

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snommintj
snommintj Member Posts: 601
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I'm getting my treatment now, They're giving me two new drugs this time around. Neither fight cancer. I forgot how absolutely ridiculous I find this. 5fu is the, at best, semi-effective poison, oxaliplatin is a booster, avastin kinda works. Then they give you four drugs to keep you from experiencing complete discomfort. They use to charge $12000.00 for treatment, I guess it'll be $14000.00 now.
There is some good news on the 5fu front. After 40 years of treatment scientist finally think they know why it works. Maybe they can figure out how to make it more effective

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  • dixchi
    dixchi Member Posts: 431
    #2
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    Costs Lowering
    Heard on news recently that a national pharm mfg association
    is saying that they can lower costs of drugs as part of a
    health care reform.....how about that.....they could have
    probably done that long ago and are now responding to pressure...
    it is astounding how much cancer treatments are and with
    1.5 million people under Medicare alone being ttreated for cancer
    it is not surprising
    that fund is going bankrupt. The public's trips to Canada
    for cheaper meds probably also had an influence on this
    latest response.

    Barbara
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #3
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    Agreed
    I used to sit in the chair and think the same thing. I've done all of the ones you're doing today and you're right, how much is really effective and how much isn't? And the Oxy is nasty and the Avastin has its issues too. I did my 5fu as Xeloda by pill along with it, but have done 5fu by IV before as well.

    Well, at least you can reach out while you're doing your chemo. I've watched your posts and hope you do well. It's been 8 months since my last chemo treatment, but I'm staring at some new developments and could be back in Infusion this year, so it really gets old.

    Do they give you Magnesium Sulfate? If not, ask about it, it definitely helped me with the cold effects from the Oxy - I would even be able to drink cold liquids the same day I did chemo - before they gave me that, it was 6-7 days of room temp drinks.

    What are the other 2 non Cancer drugs they are giving you?

    -Craig
  • JR
    JR Member Posts: 139 Member
    #4
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    $12,000 thats nothing
    My onc bills my insurance co. $25,000 per treatment for Folfox + Avastin. Twice a month. I think they actually get pain $9000. I about fell over when I saw the first bill. Good luck with your treatment.

    John
  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #5
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    JR said:

    $12,000 thats nothing
    My onc bills my insurance co. $25,000 per treatment for Folfox + Avastin. Twice a month. I think they actually get pain $9000. I about fell over when I saw the first bill. Good luck with your treatment.

    John

    Ouch!
    I'm responsible for 25% of any bill I generate. So for $25,000 dollars, my out of pocket would be $6500 real cold hard cash dollars directly out of my wallet. I just pray I don't get back into treatment, I can no longer afford to live at rates such as those.

    Last year each treatment for me was $8000 x 2 when I could do them, but they put the balance onto your account and you just made payments on your account each month. Jan2009 changed all of that and the place I went to began demanding the money up front for any procedure, blood, scans, or treatments.

    I don't know where they think we can get this cash. It's just ridiculous really.

    We've got enough to worry about, and now need to balance what we can afford to do concerning scans or treatments....it's not the disease anymore, it's the money. I told my place, "I guess you just want me to die." They said, "we hope it does not come to that." And they held firm and said Pay or Die. I talked to a couple of nurses there, who told me some people recently passed away because they could no longer afford their treatments. That's just plain said, in my opinion. I'm starting to believe it's all about the money now and our cancers are a distant 2nd.

    But as long as they are not making you pay your co-pays up front, get your treatment. For me, I'm looking at other options or places that can work with me. Very frustrating.

    -Craig
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    #6
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    Sundanceh said:

    Ouch!
    I'm responsible for 25% of any bill I generate. So for $25,000 dollars, my out of pocket would be $6500 real cold hard cash dollars directly out of my wallet. I just pray I don't get back into treatment, I can no longer afford to live at rates such as those.

    Last year each treatment for me was $8000 x 2 when I could do them, but they put the balance onto your account and you just made payments on your account each month. Jan2009 changed all of that and the place I went to began demanding the money up front for any procedure, blood, scans, or treatments.

    I don't know where they think we can get this cash. It's just ridiculous really.

    We've got enough to worry about, and now need to balance what we can afford to do concerning scans or treatments....it's not the disease anymore, it's the money. I told my place, "I guess you just want me to die." They said, "we hope it does not come to that." And they held firm and said Pay or Die. I talked to a couple of nurses there, who told me some people recently passed away because they could no longer afford their treatments. That's just plain said, in my opinion. I'm starting to believe it's all about the money now and our cancers are a distant 2nd.

    But as long as they are not making you pay your co-pays up front, get your treatment. For me, I'm looking at other options or places that can work with me. Very frustrating.

    -Craig

    That Sucks...
    ... Those co-pays you are doing, I've never had to pay that much of a co-pay with my insurance, if I could dig up 8,000 for a co-pay, that be reaching for you know what, and I'd rather buy a used car or go shopping with it lol....I never even can keep that amount in my bank account!

    My regimen of chemo consisted of Avastin, Leucovorin, Irinotecan, and 5FU, and a bolus push, but she has decided to take away the bolus push and the leucovorin, since in my 5th treatment I had alot of mouth sores, so she didn't give it me for my 6th treatment, and now for my 7th treatment, she didn't give it to me again, she took it away fully now, which I hope it doesn't make much difference in my progress, and she said it wouldn't, I was getting the main ones and doing good with the rest, she just doesn't want a mouth full of sores, where you won't eat, then have to lose weight...she just wants me to heal and still eat! I guess that's good of her though!

    7 down, 5 more to go!

    Hugssss!
    ~Donna

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