-Cheryl- Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Hello everyone, Happy Fourth of July to you all! So sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been reading your posts to keep up with everyone. I tried to work as much as possible this week to extend my FMLA time. The agency I work at will merge with another mental health organization serving 9 counties on the date my FMLA time expires in Sept., which means I will lose my insurance. The HR Director told me that since our current insurance will go away when we merge, so will the chance to get Cobra. Plus, since I have a pre-existing condition they probably won't pick me up on the new insurance. Is this legal? He did say something about the possibility of qualifying for something called the "Texas Risk Management Pool" maybe? My insurance is due to run out when I need it most, which is for surgery! I also finally start treatment on Mon. after two months of waiting! I will do 8 chemos in a row of cisplatin and VP16, along with 25 rounds of rad. Then my surgeon will attempt surgery again. Chemo nurse said the first and last chemo will be the longest. Anyone know how long this may last? I may also end up doing more chemo toward the end too. I just don't know much because the chemo onc went out of town and was supposed to get back with me. His nurse left the info on my answering machine. The excuse given for delay was... need for a "mutual decision and agreement on course of treatment by all 3 doctors and coordination of appts. Meanwhile....the lymph nodes in my mediastinal area just ache constantly. Every doctor I have talked to says "your lymph nodes shouldn't hurt there." The tumor in my R. middle lobe is only about 1 inch big! Anybody with stage 3A exerience this kind of pain? And finally, what is this PCI treatment that I have read about on the board. Sorry for all the questions. Enjoy the Holiday! Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnyd Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Cheryl, Happy 4th to you and Jack. How the HE-- can two agencies merge and insurance goes away? Do you have this in writing? Does Jack have insurance and can he add you? I will keep you in my thoughts as you start your treatment journey. Earl had 28 radiation treatments and then had his chemo. He only has one more chemo - 7/14. He has been tired, to say the least, but from some on the posts here, he has been very lucky. You are young and I believe otherwise healthy. This will definitely be in your favor. Earl started Carafat before and after each radiation treatment, given to him at the hospital, although we did have to bring the medicine in. Then he took it once in the am and once at night on the weekends. I think because of this he had NO problems with his esophagus at all. Check with your radiation onc. Have a great holiday weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggiesmom Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Dear Cheryl, Look further into the question of joining the new health plan when your company merges. Pre-existing conditions can be tricky. Also, since you could be losing your insurance, I believe your husband's insurance has to pick you up. A letter stating you're losing your insurance should be shown to them and then you could go on his plan. I don't know about the Texas Risk pool, maybe Katie B. would know. I'm sorry for your trouble with this - doesn't it seem like there are alot of "bumps in the road"! Try and have a fun 4th anyway. I think i'll have a big bowl of Chocolate Brownie ice cream and forget all my troubles Joanie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny G. Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Hi Cheryl, I'm so glad to hear your treatment is beginning. You are having very near the same treatment I received for SCLC and I also have it in my medistinal lymph nodes. So far it looks like it has been very effective. I just finished my 6th and last treatment. My doctor thinks that the 6 rounds is very aggressive treatment and will stop there even though I've been tolerating it very well. He says you have to weigh the risk vs benefit. But I have been having it for 3 days in a row every three weeks, they may do yours differently and very likely it will be a different dosage as well. In my case, if I get into remission and there is No Evidence of Disease, then I will do the PCI. It scares me, but is intened to prevent a recurrance to the brain and that scares me more. Be sure to read up before you decide. It has been my experience that many if not most people do it and are not sorry, but I know that some choose not to. I haven't had much pain since starting treatment, but did in the beginning when diagnosed. Hopefully the chemo will help you with that as it shrinks the tumors. I do have an occasional burning/stinging type pain or discomfort in my chest, but not bad. I'm wishing you the best of luck that this treatment plan will do the trick. Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Hi, Cheryl. I have missed your inputs. Glad you are starting treatment. Since you are doing radiation and chemo together, be alert to dehydration. I have been told it is hard to keep up the liquid intake when you do both, and you may need an IV now and then. I know nothing about the workings of insurance. But I would challenge everything. I believe the insurance people put out a lot of things to put people off. Find out what your rights are. Good luck. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathy Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Hi Cheryl, I cant help you out with the insurance question, but I can tell you my dad has constant pain where his tumor was, or should I say is. He had a lower lobectomy on his left lobeand that is where the pain is. The doctors as usual have no clue why its painful, they have said probably nerves. I am curious, I read in your signature that the doctors attempted a lobectomy. How exactly did they attempt it, did you go into surgery? I am sure you probably have mentioned it before, but with so many members on the boards its hard to remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terrie Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 Cheryl- Don't have much to add - I am afraid I don't know anything about the insurance end. Just wanted you to know that I am keeping you in my prayers as you look forward to your chemo/and subsequent surgery. Happy 4th to you, too! Terrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJ Posted July 5, 2003 Share Posted July 5, 2003 I posted this under the finance/insurance forum; www.healthinsuranceinfo.net This website was put together by Georgetown University Institute for Health Care Research. The site contains guides for getting and keeping health insurance by state. Just click on Texas. It should provide you with all the info so you can protect your rights. I used it to learn about my insurance options ....including Connecticut's high risk pool....it was very good. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Cheryl- Posted July 5, 2003 Author Share Posted July 5, 2003 Thanks for the advice Ginny, Joanie,Jenny, Don, Terrie, Cathy. and Nancy. Jack told me that he had visited that web site, but that it seemd the "insured" had few rights. I appreciate the direction and will check it out further though. Jack is self-employed and currently has no insurance, which really worries me! Cathy you asked about the surgery? I went in to have a mediastinoscopy and a possible lobectomy if my mid chest lymph nodes were not cancerous. A PET scan prior to surgery showed glucose uptake in the mid chest, but the nodes didn't seem very swollen. The doctor thought maybe they were just inflamed. When the surgeon actually got inside my mediastinal area the nodes were larger than visable on previous tests. A biopsy showed cancer in both nodes that were biopsied and spread to some surroundig tissue. So he closed me up. ost doctors don't seem to think the surgery will improve survival rate, but this guy does!. He had to convice the chemo onc and rad onc that surgery could down stage me and possible give me a "5% more chance of survival beyond 5 years." I will take any extra percent I can get! But now I have got to shrink all the nodes, and do it within a couple of months. Otherwise, the surgeon has refused to do the surgery. I have been quite anxious about it, even before all of this insurance business. I do thank you for your prayers when I know that you all already have so much to worry about yourselves. Cheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LindaMRG Posted July 5, 2003 Share Posted July 5, 2003 Cheryl, I was so glad to find your post, I was wondering how you were doing! Im glad youll be starting chemo and Im praying it will shrink everything so you can have surgery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted July 5, 2003 Share Posted July 5, 2003 Cheryl, I don't think in this situation they can deny insurance under pre-existing. Check it out with your state insurance dept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted July 5, 2003 Share Posted July 5, 2003 Cheryl, I am glad that you are still a possible candidate for surgery when the chemo does its work. I pray you find a solution to the insurance situation soon! Blessings to you, Peg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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