Year End Cost/ Years Recap

Today is the last day of 2010. My journey of discovering that I have breast cancer is not over. Its been a long, tough, emotional , testing year for me and my loving family. And have learned to rely on Jehovah God more than ever before. I spent many evenings listening to the meetings at the Kingdom Hall since I could not be there in person.

Remember back on January 2nd when I went for my mammogram, thinking at the time that I had a cyst that was hurting quite a bit, thinking that maybe I should see about having it drained or removed. And right a way they called me back for a second mammogram to double check what they thought they saw. Now I am glad that they did, at the time, it seemed kind of annoying but scary too.
January 22nd was my appointment for the biopsy and the same day I learned I had breast cancer.
Had surgery to have the lump, and as it turned out had some lymph nodes removed also on February 19th.
On March 23rd, had my chest port put in since my veins were not large enough to use for chemo.
Then on April 1st I went to Longview Kaiser for my first treatment of chemotherapy drugs.
The chemo ended August 26th. and at this point I am still going to Kaiser every three weeks for the Herceptin and this is scheduled until June 16th, 2011. As far as I can tell from the Explanation of Benefits from Kaiser, this drug costs $3347.00 each time. From August when I started taking the Herceptin until December I have had 18 treatments that total $60,246.00. By the time I am done in June of 2011 I will have had a total of 27 treatments that will total $90,450.00

And then after the chemo I went through 33 treatments of radiation and this was Monday through Friday appointments. The amount charged for the radiation was higher than I ever would have imagined.

As for the cost of all this, I am soo glad that I have insurance and feel bad for those that do not. I have called Kaiser so many times, I should have them on speed dial!
Whether its to ask what I owe, to find out what they are charging me for or to discuss my bill, its usually a long phone call that is frustrating. I have also learned that my insurance coverage is pretty good and I cant complain about it.
When you have an appointment, treatment, procedure, etc they send you what they call an Explanation Of Benefits or EOB for short after your appointment. I have learned that  I have not received one for every single visit. Good thing my great friend Kris bought me a little note book that I have carried all over the place and relied on for everything. I wrote down every day that I had an appointment and what it was for.
In looking back at the calendar for this past year, I have had 56 appointments and 102 total appointments that have included phone appointments, lab work done on my lunch hour, days off work for surgery and healing, or days off work when I was sick from the chemo drugs etc.

The following will not make sense or add up due to the fact that I cant figure out some of Kaisers billing but the following is the total for what i have receipts and paper work for:

When I add up the EOB (Explanation of Benefits)  that I have received it totals $65,575.03
The amount I was charged total was $102,763.59
Just the cost of the 33 treatments of radiation totaled $66,098.00
Add in the cost of the wigs I bought $451.88 bringing total out of pocket paid $3659.95
Now that the year is over, I will be back to paying my $250 deductible, and $2000 out of pocket  $25 co pays ever time I go.

And I owe a huge thank you to my husband, my mom, Kris, LeAnn/Missy and Shari for all the help, support, driving to and from appointments, sitting with me while I was sick, allowing me to be sick and to heal etc.  for the last year and all the online comments on this blog and loving comments at meetings and cards and flowers. Along with those that I work with who had fund raisers for me that brought in more funds that I ever would have guessed.

Its been a long emotional year and in the next couple of weeks, I will be going for my yearly mammogram and hope and pray that it comes back without any cancerous growth showing on it.

MUGA Results

Today was my regular visit to Kaiser, my every three weeks visit for the Herceptin.
I was told that before they could hook me up to the IV and get things going, they needed Dr. Richert-Boe to sign off on the Muga heart test results.

They explained it that my first Muga was really high, above average, (I remember the substitute Dr. I had one time told me my heart was very strong)
Anyways, they said the average person starts with a count of 60 (not sure what this number is from or for or how its figured), well mine started at 69, then when i went for the next Muga scan it dropped to 66 and now this time, it was 62.
Since it was down 10% from the first time, the Dr had to OK today's Herceptin. The nurse, Angie told me that when she showed the results to Dr. Richert-Boe, she was like, "ya, so , give her the meds, she is still above average".
so that took a little extra time but  I am glad to know the Herceptin isn't weakening my heart too much.
After today I have 8 more treatments, June 16th is the scheduled end. And I will be seeing Dr. Richert-Boe every other month until June... and the Muga scans are every three months, so I most likely will only have two of them left. Cant believe I am already counting these appointments down!

I will be figuring and posting my years totals for what I have paid and what I have been billed now that the year is over and I have to start all over again with co-pays and out of pocket payments.

Muga Scan

Yesterday December 14th I had another MUGA scan  to check the strength of my heart. Like I have said before, the Herceptin medicine that I am now getting every three weeks at Kaiser using my port and an IV is very heard on the heart. This scan tests the heart muscle and they can see if the heart is holding up.
I should have the results in a few days. This test is done every three months, so I should only have 2 more to do until June.
Again, after laying on the foot wide bed and being completely still while the bed moved into a large circle of a machine, these two large plates come down to where they are almost touching my face. I lay with my left arm over my head and have the wires for an EKG connected to my chest and one on my left side of my body just under my breast. After about 25 minutes, they say I am done, disconnect me and I head strait to the 2nd floor at St. Johns to the Starbucks for my coffee.
My appointments have been at 2pm the last couple of times, and there is no food or drink 4 hours before.. so pretty much its no lunch for day. Not that hurts me by any means, but a good peppermint white mocha from Bucks is always a great treat!

Next Mammogram

I called and made my next appointment for my 2011 mammogram. It will have been one year since this whole thing started. I am nervous they will find something , like they did before and I will have to go through it all again. In reality, the chances of them finding something are pretty great but if they do, from what I have read it usually isn't active, live cancer and might only be scar tissue in the area. Still, it scares me just a little. Just remembering how I felt when they told me they needed a second mammogram and then got me in to for a biopsy soon after.. its all so new and fresh in my mind, as I am still getting treatment for it and healing from the radiation. I guess the need is  still there to tell myself that its going to be OK and that all I have went through, since I had it removed , was all preventative, and so is this mammogram appointment.

Baby Steps to Giant Leaps

Three months , 90  short days ago yesterday,  August 26th was my last treatment of chemo. When I first wore a wig outside the house trying to get used to it, even before my hair started to fall out I felt that first day that even driving through town on our way the Kingdom Hall that rainy Sunday morning, that even the other drivers were looking at me , knowing I had a wig on and  that I looked very different.  Some might say  a little paranoid... yes, but more afraid than anything else. If you have been reading my blog since the beginning, you know the wig fears I have had and the problems, like the time it came off when I was getting a message. Or the times at work I would look in my little mirror at my desk  and realize it was sliding to far back, and I had large forehead from it. Other than when Binnie shaved my hair off;  my mom and Richard are the only two who ever saw me without a wig or hat on the entire time.

Up to this day, I have ALWAYS wore a wig outside the house, no matter how I felt or thought I looked. I always felt that I wanted to blend in with everyone and didn't want to look like I have been battling cancer. Some have even said recently that they wished I would start going without my wigs. Easy for them to say!

Today however...... I am happy to say that I have left the house without my wig and went shopping! A giant leap forward in this cancer battle.


Most places I went today, I could tell people were looking at me, but I must have been having a really good day, since I didn't really care. They have no idea what  I have been through and how  scary this was but at the same time what a huge step  this was for me.
Most of the time, the men I saw had hair longer than mine! ( I was jealous of most of them!) Yes, my ears were really cold!
So here it is:

LAST RADIATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today at 5:45pm was my last radiation! YIPEEEEEE.
Having a celebratory martini as I type!

All I have left now is the Herceptin drug every three weeks at Kaiser until June. This I can handle since it doesn't make me sick and I usually go back to work when done. I will be checked every three months with a heart scan to make sure the heart muscle is holding up, since this is the side effect of the drug. And the heart will repair itself once the drug is discontinued should this happen.

This morning Kris texted me and said she was wearing pink today and wearing her wig (Bridgette) since it was my last treatment and did I want to wear pink too. I said yes.
When I got work, I found my desk decorated with pink crepe paper, pink ribbons, pink balloons and a pink boa. As every one came in, all my co-workers were wearing pink too and they all brought food for a food day. There was all kinds of food and even a cake that was pink and white and said congratulations with a pink ribbon on it. I got a basket of flowers/plant and a wine glass that has pink ribbons all over it. My co- workers are amazing, caring, generous, very supportive friends who have been so nice through out this entire process and I say THANK YOU for all they have done!

I have a check up in six weeks with Dr. Kim to check my radiation. I had no sadness in leaving the radiation office today. In fact I wanted to run out of there but I didn't. I did walk right out and say to the receptionist on my way out.. "see in 6 weeks. I didn't stop, I didn't linger.. just wanted out of there! I am sore now and I know in the next few days it will get to be more sore but then it should start to go away.

As Beth put it in an email earlier today:  Woo Hoo!!  Last time hearing the beeps!

Taking It's Toll

With only three treatments, or 15 minutes (5 minutes each time) left, I can really tell that the treatment now is very intense.
When the radiation started, Dr. Kim said that the "fold" under my arm -- or the area where they took out the lymph nodes and seamed the skin together would be the worst. And he is right. My arm in that area is very  sore and red. I can hardly lift my arm strait up over my head. The spot on my neck by my collar bone is doing better since I have been putting bag balm on it a couple times a day and they are not treating that area any more.
I am very ready for this to be over.
what the radiation machine looks like:
The machine at the left and overhead of the person laying down moves around the person, it can go all the way around the person if needed. For me, I have both arms stretched above my head.