August 2010...anyone starting chemo besides me?!
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HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY ****WEEK**** IN THE US AND HAPPY CANADA DAY WEEKEND TO OUR FRIENDLY CANUCKS, SWEENEY AND RACHEL!!!!!
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Is it just me or when the 4th of July falls in the middle of the week, doesn't that automatically mean the party starts on the Saturday before?!??!?
Lady: I hope you get the job. If you think about it, it is an even bigger compliment that he thought of you even long before he had the grant? I think it is great. You impressed him in such a way that, knowing he was waiting for this grant, he also was contemplating who he wanted to work in that capacity. Good for you! That is a high compliment!
Beautiful sunflower avatar! I love it.
Couch update: just finished week 2 yesterday...yahoooooeeeeee!!!!!!!!
I hope you all enjoy yourselves...95 in CT today but I am not complaining!!!
Good day, girls-
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hey everyone. i was just popping in for a quick hello
um yeah tomorrow never came i JUST printed off the couch to 5k schedule. tonight!!!! i def 100% sure am going to do it tonight.
I wont get this answer in time but do i need to adjust my running times if i am pushing a stroller? (double jogger) cuz it makes running easier i am not sure if i should run/walk longer than the 20 minutes...
sue way to go- i have been invited to a few of those but they lays seem to be on weekends that i am busy.... sorry to hear about your dil's mom (i think that was who you mentioned) i will keep her in my prayers
love your avatar!btw i ran out of gas the other day 30 minutes from home in another county (on my weay home from my dr appointment) and it was 106 outside. lucky a deputy let me sit in his patrol car with the a/c going. i was only in the heat for maybe 15 minutes at hte most and i was getting WAY too hot!
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Hi all,
Just checking in to say hi and I hope everyone is doing well. Tex , hope your treatments are going well without too many side effects. Been busy, but with non cancer related stuff which I guess is good. Have a behaviorist now for Aidan, 7yo, who has been having a hard time at home. Expensive but worth it if it helps. I don't know if I mentioned this but dh has a sister with cerebral palsy and when she was a teen she could get violent. I think he just disconnects and tunes Aidan out when he is mad. Pre cancer I would overcompensate but I just need him to follow the plans we have in place from Aidan's drs. It's put a strain on our marriage so we are in counseling -more cancer fallout I guess. I know we will be ok, We just have alot on our plate. Add in the yearly battle with the school district. The behaviorist, who I really liked ,asked if we would consider moving to an apt. in a better (wealthier) district. She drives a Mercedes SUV so I don't think she understands that it's not that simple;-) I would do it but there's no guarantee that a new district won't start cutting services in a year or two, and we would be uprooting him from friends he's made...
Anyway, the little stinker has been an angel for the first two visits. He was even offering to hold the door open for Caitlin, where he usually hip chucks her out of the way. At one point he did try to sit on her head when they were fighting over a toy, but when he realized the behaviorist and I were watching he tried to pretend he just happened to be sitting. When he realized it didn't work he actually blushed. They then played with all the toys in her office quietly while we talked. At one point I laughed and said this is like a Norman Rockwell painting and she said she thought these might be the best behaved kids she ever had in her office, lol.
Lady, I hope you get the job someone mentioned. Sue, you look fanastic. Lizzy- we did grilled asparagus, delish. I've been trying to add more veggies and have decided pretty much anything is good w/ olive oil, sea salt, garlic and pepper:-) Rachel -have a great and well deserved vaction -the pics of your (and sweeney's) kids on FB are soo cute. I will try to check in more often, but having fun with the kids being out of school. (though I told my mom I don't know how she did it -she reminded me she just sent us out to play when the FD turned on the hydrants and said come home when the street lights go on - the good old days)
Carolyn
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Hi all!
Lizzy, wondering where you read the $95 per year, as i happened to read this article today: http://www.creators.com/opinion/terence-jeffrey/obamacare-slaps-15-000-annual-fee-on-middle-class-families.htmlI also just saw a TV interview that says that the "Middle class" will be footing about 75% of this nightmare.
They cannot "penalize" us for having a pre existing condition anymore, but here in NJ they can't do that anyway and as a result we have the highest rates in the country.
I would also like to know from the federal government how they are going to adjust the income percentage - they are saying "those who can afford to buy insurance will have to". Well, if you're making 50K in the state of NJ, it is very different from making 50K in the state of Wyoming... and insurance in NJ is far less affordable.I will be interested to see how this all plays out, but honestly, I don't see good coming out of this for our economy. I think I will still be stuck paying ridiculous premiums through my husband's company and having a very high deductible plan. People will be purchasing these high ded. plans as they are the cheapest...thus they won't be paying their medical bills anyhow if they weren't inclined to before.
Sorry to be pessimistic, but this is an 800 page bill -I have not read it all and I would wager to say neither most of those who voted it in, including the supreme court justices. It is ridiculous IMO to force people to buy something huge and then pay if they do not. "No, I do not want that pack of gum." "Oh, okay, that will be $2 tax please.."
Someone enlighten me, but this is not what Canada and other countries are doing - they seem to have a much more level playing field as far as healthcare. In this country as long as the insurance companies, which are profit making companies, hold the cards, we are all pretty much screwed, especially if we are not on Medicaid or millionaries, or hold a governement job where our benefits are paid in full.
Hope everyone is surviving this heat! Yikes! I can't bring myself to even go outside - but I need to try to work in the garden.
On a totally different note, anyone heard of Kombucha tea? I bought one yesterday in an Asian market - it is raw, organic, has chia seeds in it and is low in sugar; all natural. Only 6 sugar g per serving. It is yummy - tastes like champagne! In fact, it exploded in my hand when I opened it on the checkout line - leading me to run for the sidewalk outside where it continued to bubble over as I frantically tried to drink it!
The guy who started the company had a mom with very aggressive breast cancer. She claims that she had been drinking kombucha tea for years and attributed the fact that she didn't have mets to it. I don't know how true it is - but it is loaded with probiotics, enzymes and good stuff. They say you get a real "charge" from it and I did - I had more energy than after a cup of coffee!! DOwnside - it is $4 a bottle! Yikes!
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Tex: I have lived in my house for 4 years and before that, in my previous house, we had not lost power in years and that was waterfront. Well, today, out of nowhere here comes a bunch of storms and I lost power for the first time in like 7 years, and certainly the first time since all this bc crap. It was only out for like 2.5 hours but I was sweating and hot flashing so bad, off to the cool shower I went! Not once but twice! I am so glad that patrol officer let you sit in their car. You poor thing, what a time to run out of gas in that dreadful heat.
As for the couch, I would just do it as it states. Don't adjust for the stroller. Reason being is you would most likely be using that stroller for the next handful of years (I imagine) so no need to adjust now.Cktpry: good to hear from you!!!!! NJ shows up all at once (Calamtykel)!!! A friend had a child who was giving her cause for concern and he, too, would behave like a little angel with the doc was there. Finally she nanny cammed him. Talk about embarrassed!!!! He was so stunned when they played the video and attempted to discuss what was going on. It might work, I just thought I would let you know what one friend did who was struggling with her son misbehaving. Glad you are having a good summer and some fun with the kids! That doc who suggested you give up your home and move to a wealthier district ===bonkers!!!!!!! Geesh, all that would accomplish is "well, there were similar problem/complaints in her hold district..." etc.. and that would just complicate matters. I am sure her heart was in the right place, as she drove out of sight in her $100K SUV!!!! Speaking of that SUV, I was going out with a guy who was incredibly wealthy and his daughter was going on the ivy tour with her friend. Her friend had a Porshce Cayenne SUV (all of 17 years old!) and his daughter was complaining her Tundra was no longer good enough and she needed that Porsche. He was on my sofa lamenting the fact that he was not comfortable spending $100K on that SUV!!!!! I could not believe it! I immediately got up and made myself some liquid anesthesia!!!!! I asked him how that vehicle would make her life better = no answer! Seriously?! People are just crazy! In any case, good to hear from you again.
As for grilling veg, I love mushrooms, the little whole ones, right off the grill! Nothing but their awesomness! Also, I have been roasting red peppers on the grill and making this fab turkey burger w/horseradish cheese *inside* the burger and I top it w/grilled mango, those yummy roasted red peppers and some arugula!!!!!! Soooo good!!!
Calamtykel: my boy, Sanjay Gupta, on CNN said it is $95 for the first year and then going to $695! That is where I heard it. Also, here is a link from the Cancer Legal Resource Center explaining how we cancer folks benefit from this legislation:
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/680390/23c827f097/281707761/2fe0db1d3f/
Here is the 95 to 695 link: http://www.obamacarewatch.org/primer/individual-mandate
The best way around the income thing is to develop an LLC and all your sales put into the LLC and don't take out more than you need. This will reduce your income so grotesquely you just might qualify for something!
As for the economy, consistently and consistently dealing with the very, very sick in critical mass is awfully expensive and there is no way to manage that. Can you imagine sitting at your desk in Washington and reading data that another 500K strolled into ERs all across the country massively sick? There is no management in that; there is just wicked high cost. In any case, in a civilized country maliciously middle class individuals should not have to suffer until so ill they roll into the ERs very, very sick. It is just not a civilized way to run a country at all. There are no quick and easy solutions either.
We are on our way to a fully socialized medical care system but this is just our first, and very small step. Eventually our taxes are going to go up and we will be at socialized levels of taxation but also the hope his your kid's (or your kids' kids) can walk into a doctor or hospital and no longer have to fork over their medical card and copays or be marginalized and, although they don't "not" treat the uninsured, they don't necessarily "treat" them either.
I have heard of kombucha tea and as far as I am concerned, I will try anything! Especially something terribly innocuous as tea!I am considering having a "live" chat for our 2 year anniversary. We can have it right here on this thread. If we can commit to a time and date, it would be great. I know everyone is busier now but perhaps we can make it happen. If not, I totally understand but 2 years is a long time and I hope you all Couching it to get ready for that Revlon 5K in NYC next year!!!! Perhaps that will drag us all from virtual land to LIVE LAND!!!
I hope you all have had a good weekend and are celebrating our country's birthday with verve!!!!!!!
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Just in case any of you get to the point where perhaps having to stay at your job just for benefits is no longer appealing or for those of you self-employed and were previously unable to get benefits b/c of your bc/c dx, this is the link to our "NEW" insurance option:
Calamtykel: the premiums for the NJ plan are outrageous. If you click on the other state links, most max out at the $350 to $400 range. $947 is your "potential" max on monthly premium for healthcare? That is scary.
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I'm in for the live chat Lizzy.
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Yes, Lizzy- the reason the premiums are so astronomical is because of the pre-exisiting clause in NJ. When they enacted that, insurance companies fled this state - leaving a very very small few that we are "allowed" to select from as we are NOT allowed to buy insurance across state lines! IMO we ALREADY have socialized medicine and this is just one example.
I do know that for a standard blue cross program, my friend was paying $2000 per MONTH for her family. That is the standard family plan; whether you have one child or six.
It is RIDICULOUS.
We have United Health Care and pay $400 per month through DH's job - and you know my stories about what they refuse to cover, what the deductibles are like and how we have been screwed on mammograms, etc. They have a zero deductibe plan but that would be $750 for us per mo and that is just way way out of our range (plus you still must pay your $50 copay every time you visit the doctor, and for medications and such.)
So while I think IF they open up the insurance pool, AND NJ participates (which apparently states can choose NOT to???) then maybe NJ may see some relief; but in states where ins is more reasonable right now, they may get sticker shock when their rates are adjusted as companies will not longer be able to deny pre-existing.
I saw an Aussie girl here on the forums explain how their national healthcare works and it is a FAR better plan than this - 1.5 percent of their income goes for their national insurance and there are no copays or deductibles, etc. THen if they choose, they "may" purchase another plan to cover different doctors. I don't understand why we have to reinvent the wheel here - why can we not adopt Canada's or Australia's model?
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Good day, warriors!
Is it just me or have our weather cycles, wild fires, tornaodes etc.... all become much more volatile in recent years? Yesterday, the storm that knocked out my power for the first time in many years, involved hail, big hail at that. Things are getting crazy!
Calamtykel: In the early 1900s in this country, "socialized medicine," which in and of itself does not mean anything, was not villified. It was being held that with it we could discover disease in the early stages and treat the masses, would make a contribution to social healthcare etc... However, by the 1930s, when "socialism" and "communism" became inseperable words, it was villified. The reason we don't have it is largely political.
The AMA is the second, and largest reason, we don't have "social" healthcare even though when they started beating that drum, "socialized" medicine was alive and kicking in other countries for many successful moons. While Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Harry Truman all were in favor of socialized med, the AMA went berserk with a campaign to STOP it in it's tracks. They even went this far:
Government involvement in health care was ardently opposed by the AMA which distributed posters to doctors with slogans such as "Socialized medicine ... will undermine the democratic form of government."[27] According to T.R. Reid (The Healing of America, 2009):
"The term ['socialized medicine'] was popularized by a public relations firm working for the American Medical Association in 1947 to disparage President Truman's proposal for a national health care system. It was a label, at the dawn of the cold war, meant to suggest that anybody advocating universal access to health care must be a communist. And the phrase has retained its political power for six decades."[8][9]
The AMA conducted a nationwide campaign called Operation Coffee Cup during the late 1950s and early 1960s in opposition to the Democrats' plans to extend Social Security to include health insurance for the elderly, later known as Medicare. As part of the plan, doctors' wives would organize coffee meetings in an attempt to convince acquaintances to write letters to Congress opposing the program.[28] In 1961, Ronald Reagan recorded a disc entitled Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine exhorting its audience to abhor the "dangers" which socialized medicine could bring. The recording was widely played at Operation Coffee Cup meetings.[28] Other pressure groups began to extend the definition from state managed health care to any form of state finance in health care.[citation needed] President Dwight Eisenhower opposed plans to expand government role in healthcare during his time in office.[22]The AMA knew they would not make so much money if medical went socialized so it decided to connect it to the cold war and communism. As my favorite shark on "Shark Tank" says, it is always about money, all of the time. Our country continued to wallow in capitalistic, war mongering tendencies, which we kind of had to, and now, after putting numbers that aren't even fathomable into fighting "communism," and with the dismantling of communism in the USSR, the word communism is no longer so dirty and awful. The AMA capitalized on what was a hot button issue to support, grow and promote their dubious agenda.
There is not even enough space on this server for this site to explain why we can't "just adopt" the Canadian or Australian systems! It is all the way our tax dollars are spent. Also, you must remember, many people over 100K are already in the 43% overall tax bracket. Yes, perhaps they have write-offs to drive it down but the bottom line is we need to be able to basically double taxes to make a socialized system of med work.
Last week a congressman from SC, who btw have the highest number of uninsured in the union. was espousing against Obamacare until he went pale when confronted with the very dismal numbers in his own state. He started going on about how people are waiting in lines in CA and the UK to get procedures (which is pure propoganda) and the interviewer said "you do realize there is something out there called the internet and a search engine called google, right?!!!" He did not know what to say. Of course, before the internet they could tell us these stories and we would believe it. Our Canadian friends here are doing just fine as are a few others I have met her from Scotland and Ireland. Elective surgeries, sure, there might be a wait but how many people "elect" surgeries?! Before cancer, the last time I saw the inside of a hospital I was 17 getting a tonsilectomy!Then there is the cancer and the financial part we all know too well. People like us could not buy insurance in the open market and are basically fiscally castigated for doing nothing wrong. That is a system that sucks; that is our current system. People cannot walk our streets sick, walking into hospitals looking for $100K in free care. We need to manage that. From a cost and tax perspective, it is going to take a wicked long time for us to get to the point where there are no more out-of-pocket deductibles, crazy copays etc... and just get to a point where care is truly managed, as it is in every other civilized country on the planet, and where we pay not with losing our homes and blowing through our 401s to subsidize our own egregious healthcare costs in this abysmally unworkable system, but rather through taxes, and yes, the taxes will be high. Before I had cancer, I was ready to pay and now that I have cancer, I am still ready to pay. I don't like the fact that we are tied to companies because of benefits. That sucks.
Pres Clinton implemented COBRA. FDR implemented Social, Margaret Thatcher was a huge proponent of socialized med and she saw England through it's worst economic malaise in history and finally President Johnson, expanding on FDRs social security, signed Medicare into law. Great people and great presidents have long encouraged such a system and these people are remembered for their work in protecting the masses. If you research the veins of strong opposition, it leads to the purse strings always and forever. It never leads to a concern for humanity. This is where civilized and capitalism have their duel.
The AMA no longer has it's war horse "communism" to roll out so the dastardly scramble has begun so they can protect profits. It does seem they are losing this battle and finally, at long last, the American people might win. Maybe not in our lifetimes but the best thing that happened was the end of the cold war as it was fundamentally and intrinsically tantamount to a move toward healthcare for all.
I am getting off my soap box!!!!!!! If you set me off to do research, that is exactly what I will do, however!
Good day, all-
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Hi everyone---Beautiful sunny long weekend here-- a little too hot at times but won't complain because we only have this weather for a few months of the year.
I am interested to read all about US healthcare as I really don't understand it and I have tried to figure out what is going on with the new Obamacare. The Canadian healthcare system isn't perfect at all but is a clear example of "socialized medicine" meaning that anyone can get care -- universal coverage based on need rather than the ability to pay. System is funded through both provincial and federal taxes. The cost of our system is about 12% of GDP (which equals about $5600 per person). Most people have other insurance through their companies that provides some additional services (dentist, chiro, private hosptial rooms, pharma plans). Our system is also confusing but basically--everyone is able to get healthcare and the Canadian people pay for it via taxes. There are waits for non-essential surgeries and scans etc. but I can only give my experience via cancer--I didn't wait at all--I had surgery and started treatment within weeks of diagnosis and never once had to worry of the cost .
I hate to think that there are people in the civilized world that cannot get healthcare---that cannot walk into a Doctor and get treated.
I'm not sure what tax rates are like in US--but Canadian taxes are crazy--income tax, pension tax, unemployment tax, health tax, sales tax, property tax, extra taxes (gas, alcohol etc)--equates to about 40-45% tax rate for the average family. So if you ask around--people may say that our system is just really tax heavy--if you make money--you pay lots of taxes--on the flip side--if you are lower income or no income--you would get same access to healthcare as me.
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Lizzy, I am in for Live chat! Not sure how it works, may have to borrow one of the kids laptops. BTW the Revlon 5K was on May 5 this year, so I assume it would be late April/early May next year. On the expensive car issue, my boss keeps complaining that she can't give anyone raises "because of the economy" but could manage to go out and by herself a Bentley last week! Yea...really bad economy right! Oh, BTW we had hail and thunderstorms last night too. Luckily we didn't lose electricity.
Cal: Love your avatar, LOOKING GOOD!
Tex: I was horrified to hear about you running out of gas, that sucks. I am soo glad that there was help nearby in the form of that trooper and that he helped let you sit in the car. I know how hot it is here, I can only imagine how hot it is there. You take care of yourself!
Lady: Good luck with the job. You really sound like you are doing well and enjoying life!
Happy Canada Day Rachel and Sweeney and Have a Happy Fourth of July to all my USA buddies.
Debbi
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Good evening, warriors-
As for the "live chat," you don't need any special equipment! I just figured I would set up a date in early August, perhaps a Wednesday or Thursday evening, where we will all commit to being online at the same time and we can just chat right here. It would be fun if we were all on at the same time, talking about our highs and lows since we started this battle. I think it will be fun! Just a half hour or so. I am still organizing it mentally!
Rachel: you are undoubtedly going to be exposed to a lot of information on our very convoluted healthcare and Obamacare right here on this site.
Here is the basic story:
If you are employed full-time, *most* of the time you have some sort of benefits package through that employer. You have to pay fees every month to be on the employer and the bigger the company, the better your benefits usually are.
If you are a full-time govt employee, state or federal, you usually have great benefits and for life in most cases.
If you work part-time or not at all, you have no insurance.
If you are dead broke with no income you can get on welfare *only* if you have kids.
If you are broke with no kids, most states have plans but how can you buy something if you have no money? These are the uninsureds.
If you are a healthy entrepreneur, you can buy what I call "heart attack" insurance through Golden Rule et al but there are huge deductibles and I call it "heart attack" b/c that is about what it will cover.
If you are an entrepreneur with a pre-existing condition, you are SOL until 2014 when Obamacare kicks in which allows you to get insurance, in the open market, with no lifetime cap on what the plan will pay and they also can't charge inordinate amounts. They also can no longer "pre-exist" anyone.
You see, we have a messy, messsy, fragmented healthy-care system; once you get sick, the system fails you totally.
If you are single and pre-existed, if you don't work for a big company, you, too, are SOL. The "welfare" plans the states offer are very inadequate and, thanks to the AMAs deliterious influence on this entire matter, doctors will not accept most state insurance/federal welfare. For this reason, those people end up going to the ER wicked sick or they go to a clinic where most of the doctors are students.
In long, our system SUCKS! Many, many, many people stay at their jobs here because if they leave, they will have no healthcare. COBRA was helpful but the costs are prohibitive ($400+ is single, up to $1K+ if w/ a family). In any case, the "lock" smart people fall into in having to stay with big companies is atrocious and does not engender free enterprise. Quite frankly, and this is another conversation entirely but, I believe the AMAs tinkering in this matter has, at least in part, caused our current economic malaise as some very talented and bright people, who would otherwise be entrepreneurial, are locked into dead head jobs at big companies because they need their healthcare for their families. It is a travesty.
More to come!!!!!!
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real quick- chemo today and i am tired, but wanted to chime in- kel i have united and they dont cover anything! they are the ones that wouldnt give me my anti nasea meds....
i am not well educated in the obama plan but all i can say is- my husbad is in law enforcement and hardly get paid beans here, on top of that i have to pay near $400 of heath insurance for just myself (husband is free and we cant afford to pay for the kids under dh's plan) my kids are on a low income insurance- very small amount. sorta like medicaid for those who dont qualify for medicade.... i am all for getting afforadable medical insurance- and YES LIZZY WE ARE ONE OF THE FAMILIES THAT ARE STAYING AT THEIR JOBS FOR THE MEDICAL. and its not great medical at that. my current onco left the practice and i saw his "replacement" today AND NOT SATISFIED! he asked what the tubing for my port was- um, its a standard thing in cancer care lol, also he pushed back my scans a month- looking for a new doc
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Run Lizzie Run! I'll vote for you!
Safe 4th of July all.
Ginger
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Happy 4th of July to my US friends!
Tomorrow--July 5th--is my 2nd year anniversary of my diagnosis of bc. Feels like a lifetime ago. I have my onco checkups for both cervical/breast in August. Makes my stomach turn when I think back to this time two years ago--blah!
The GREAT news is that we leave for Jamaica on Friday. We are not packed, are not organized at all and I am super busy at work....so we will be rushing around tomorrow night to get everything sorted.
Have a great week
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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO ALL MY LOVELY WARRIORS!!!
Please watch your pets. More pets run away this evening than any other.
Will post more later0 -
Good evening, warriors!
I hope everyone had a lovely Independence Day! The weather has been lovely in CT and, although a bit humid, I am not complaining!
Tex: there are so many, many, many people who stay at jobs for the healthcare. It is NOT good for our economy. Sometimes I play "fantasy socialized med" in my head and think of all the *stuff* I would be able to do and businesses etc... I would be enthralled! Unfortunately even with Obamacare I will most likely not be able to recognize my free-of-the-corporate-benefits-job situation in my lifetime largely b/c of bc and not wanting to go on crappy state insurance but it is nice to dream! I have always had really good benefits but I just need them so much more now than ever, well, I don't have to tell anyone here! We all know bc is a big game changer.
Tex, I so wish you lived in an area where there was better care/more doctors/more options. I feel bad when I think of what you go through and now with the other onc moving on-that sucks. I think you mentioned once you were not far from Austin so I am hopeful you can find some good docs there. I am hoping for you.
To the Jersey girls here: I love that Gov more today than yesterday!!!!! I cannot believe he asked that reporter if they were stupid!!! I know I am not supposed to be as wildly entertained by him as I am but I just find it really healthy that someone speaks their mind!
Ginger: I would not get into politics. It is all so dirty!!!! I hope you had a safe 4th and are enjoying your new clothes and your hair and your dgd, dd, dh and that your cats have stopped their "bad behavior!!!!"
Rachel: have a great time in Jamaica!!!!! I love Jamaica! At one time that was one of my fav vacations. Don't forget to pack your Mane and Tail!!!!! Joking...those bottles are far too big...I will see you on CNN!
BTW, for all the travelers out there, I gave up on luggage, packing and airlines long ago and now I just FedEx whatever I need to where I am going and it goes home the same way. It works out great. I never go to the airport with anything more than cell phone, gum, a few credit cards and clothes on my back! I cannot stand, for 2 seconds, having all my stuff rifled through. I am cautiously optimistic that eventually airlines will run separate "luggage flights" to A) get the luggage out of the belly of the plan and
avoid the lines, frisking etc... It is also far, far safer to send luggage ahead of the flight. Of course, perhaps we would be required to drop our luggage at a "drop station" the day before we fly but I just think it is healthier way, esp post 9-11.That is all, that is all! I hope you all greatly enjoy yourselves, are having good times and are having as little drama and stress as possible!
Night, all-
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Lizzy, don't the ship lines have people send their luggage ahead? It certainly seems like it would be so much more relaxed to travel without schlepping around all those bags. The TSA is SO much more polite in Canada, it is less stressful there to check in.
Rachel have fun in Jamaica. Our DD got married down at Jakes on the South Coast. A really cool artsy place off the beaten path.
We had a good day yesterday and DGD figured out how to eat corn on the cob, no hands!
Hugs Ginger
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Lizzy - I do agree that we need some kind of national healthcare, but what seriously concerns me is that there isn't much set in place from what I understand to protect the consumer. What exactly will these "required" plans cover? So you purchase a plan for $600 a month that has a 10K deductible yearly - you're going to have a LOT of families who are now really sunk paying both premiums and extremely high out of pocket expenses.
This is not the same as in Canada, AU or the UK where if you are sick, you have 100 percent coverage. The current healthcare system as it stands is extremely broken and extremely unfair. What is the point of developing drugs and procedures and treatments if only those with the best insurance can afford them? Clearly that is messed up. However once you have the gov't start to mandate the actual CARE that is messed up too.
Example: I've chosen not to vaccinate my kids after one of my kids had a bad reaction to a pertussis shot and I did a lot of research. However, DD, 10, got a bad splinter in her foot after being at the chicken coop in just flip flops. You better believe that I got her in for a tetanus shot that day.
However when I got there, the doctor came back into the room and said "Because your child is insured through the state, I'm not allowed to just give her a tetanus shot - it has to be bundled with the Diptheria and Pertussis". WTF?! So this would be equivelant in my opinion to going to the doctor with bronchitis and then coming out with an antibiotic plus a cast on your leg!
WHY should the state be the one to mandate and NOT her physician?? Idiot that I am, it took me off guard and I should have said "Then how much would only the tetanus be out of pocket?" and paid for it that way, but I didn't think about it and I really wanted her to have the tetanus so I agreed to it and had to sign the paperwork, exempting them from any responsibility should she have a shot reaction.
Seriously?! So if my kid had my regular insurance, I could have made the call - I could have made her medical choices. Sign your kid over to the state and THEY make those choices. They are NOT doctors -they do NOT know my child's history, nor vaccination history nor ANYTHING - they just make these rules and you have to abide.
THAT is what IS scary to me about "socialized" medicine. THose decisions should be between doctors and patients and NOT the "state" or some admin at the insurance company!
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here the tetnus was $85 out of pocket- dh just had to have one and stupid us we didnt have our insurance card on us.... and they wouldnt just call and verify. made us pay cash
yeah kel that is crazy, one has nothing to do with the other!
rachel- happy 2 yr ann. LOOK BACK AT HOW FAR YOU'VE COME FROM THAT FIRST DAY!
We all are around our 2 yr mark- crazy isnt it! Mine is the 22nd.... i am just glad to be here! from then on out i am on borrowed time
(according to the stats on me surviving at stage 4) So today feels like a monday but tomorrow is friday! Awesome
enjoy the rest of the week and the weekend!!!!!
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Good day, warriors!
Geesh, with all this insurance talk I realize we are all fighting for our insurance and our lives every day (sans our friends from Canada)!! It is a mess and it just might be getting messier before better.
Speaking of healthcare, found this little ditty this morning:
Now it's Congressional hopeful Chris Collins' turn, and not only does he seem to be a Trekkie, he ALSO seems to think that people do not die of certain kinds of cancers any more! Ready? READY??
Via The Batavian:The healthcare reforms Collins said he would push would be tort reform and open up competition in insurance by allowing policies across state lines. Collins also argued that modern healthcare is expensive for a reason.
"People now don't die from prostate cancer, breast cancer and some of the other things," Collins said. "The fact of the matter is, our healthcare today is so much better, we're living so much longer, because of innovations in drug development, surgical procedures, stents, implantable cardiac defibrillators, neural stimulators - they didn't exist 10 years ago. The increase in cost is not because doctors are making a lot more money. It's what you can get for healthcare, extending your life and curing diseases."
I just thought you all would be happy to know, according to this congressional hopeful, no one is dying of breast cancer anymore!!!!! This country, when it comes to profiteering, will come out wiht the craziest S in an attempt to keep that money train rolling. It is all so ridiculous. We are constantly seeing "angel" postings on this site. Perhaps Collins should check this site before making such cavalier statements.
I also think someone needs to knock on Mr. Collins head and alert him to the idea we do NOT have the best healthcare in the world and that, by that yardstick, we are pretty low on that totem pole, down near #10 (every country ahead of us has socialized medicine)....yeah, great healthcare system we have! The increase is from doctors and insurance companies making more money and relegating the un and/or underinsured to the black hole of few or no options outside of a hospital. Anywhere in this country where there is much resistance there is always a lot of money involved. The last thing we need is more *competition* in insurance! We need one, unified, united healthcare system where we pay for it w/a payroll tax, just like we do social.
Rachel: on that note, another point of interest for you on our abysmal healthcare: our plans are grotesquely fragmented in that if you are from NY and are on vaca in CA and get hurt, unless you work for one of the largest employers in this country(even then there is no guarantee), it is all but guaranteed your insurance will not cover your treatment in CA!!!!! Seriously, so wish I was joking!
Ginger: I am not a big cruiser. It has been some 9 years since I cruised and I did not send ahead. The next one I would (and want to) do is Alaska. I briefly thought of doing the QE2 to England but couldn't find my gladstone bag!!! Glad you had a nice holiday!
Enjoy the day, girls!
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Good evening, warriors-
I have a question for all you pet lovers out there: First, let me preface this with the fact that I have found a sizeable lump, among all those "supposed" necrotic tissue lumps, about 1/10th of an inch from where the cancer was before. Of course, with the PET results, I am concerned ... but this is kind of a new lump. In any case, I won't know about any of this stuff until all this mess is removed in a few weeks. Now, having said that, back to the pet behavior!
My cat has been freaking me out over the past 3 to 4 weeks. She will NOT leave my side. I am in my office, she is laying next to my desk chair (almost to the point where I nearly hit her before I realized this was a new thing that she was not going to stop), I am in the kitchen, she is there, I am in the back yard, she is in the window, I am in the living room, she laying right next to me. She has never gone in the basement in this house, ever, as I think a dog stayed down there at some point in the history of this home. Well, I do all kinds of industrial art and a lot of it is working with metal, spray painting etc... and I have an area in the basement where I work on this stuff. Sure enough, she came to the basement and was lying right next to my chair. Now she has elaborate perches and cat furniture all over this house. She is not limited as I let her go everywhere (except counters and tables but she never has anyway) and right now she is literally 1 foot from me on a shelf that I made into a window seat for her. What is even more strange is tonigth when I got out of the shower she was right outside the door.
Now she is just fine. She has 1/2 oz boiled chicken every night as she eats her dry food for her nutrients and is in perfect health. When I feed her the chicken I make her do 10 laps around the inside of the house b/c I don't want her to become a fat, lazy house cat! I only tell you all of this because none of her eating habits etc.. have changed. The only thing that is very different is she follows me everywhere. It is freaking me out. Of course, I am concerned that she might "know" my bc is back and I won't be finding out until after surgery. Can anyone of you shed some light on any behavior your pets may have expressed while you went through this mess? Oh, one more thing: she has taken to sleeping ON TOP OF ME! This is all really weird.
She was ok during chemo but she was kind of close to me then. All of my friends are saying "oh, they know when you are sick!!!" They just have no clue what that means to someone in a cancer battle. Please help, guys! I didn't even want to tell you all what is going on with these masses and how much they, in combination with my cat, are renting a lot of space in my head. Every day we are alive and not being scanned or having surgery is another day we get to forget that we have this disease. It is nice to forget sometimes.
Any and all feedback is appreciated! Sorry to drag lumps into this thread but I am so tired of having masses all inside that left breast pocket after having cancer there. It is scary. The whole thing is just nerve wracking and, yes, I am having surgery soon. I just want these masses out of my chest.
Alas, after all that, here is a little pick-me-up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz4cxYFA3ug Thanks, guys-
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HI Lizzy- sorry to hear about the stress you're going through. I think all of us know how much the threat of "maybe it's back" looms and the space it takes up in your head is overwhelming at certain points. As for pet behaviour- my cat was loving and sweet during my whole treatment phase but she had NO CLUE before hand that I was sick. She was her usual lazy self. If you're cat is following you around and being especially loving maybe it's because she's picking up on your stress....bit a catch-22 when its actually her following you that is causing the stress! I really believe animals understand stress. The only time I've ever heard of an animal picking up on cancer it was a dog being described and it was a breed that had super power smelling skills. Never heard of cats doing that. BUT I have heard of cats (and I've seen it in my own cat!) that understand when their owner is under stress or sad, etc. Also- what's the date of your surgery?? (I just want to send all sorts of good vibes/prayers your way that day...)0
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Izzy I am sorry you are under this stress. I agree your cat is picking up on your stress.
I hope your surgery is really soon so you get some relief from this worry. Do let us know when so we can all be thinking about you and looking out for your messages.
Sending you big hugs Lizzie
Ginger
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Good day, warriors!
We are in for a scorcher today! You know, does anyone get nervous when they get tanned?! I am Irish and Italian and I tan pretty easily and it looks good but I am also concerned b/c of our good, old friend, the big "C!" Not so much that I will stay out of the sun, however!!!
Ginger and Sweeney: thank you both! I do believe she must be picking up on my stress of this surgery. That is all I can think. That and the fact that I am stressed b/c I am wondering what these masses are going to reveal in final pathology. This must be exactly what she is picking up on. I am glad you all drew my attn to the fact that I am giving off stress over the very scary unknown and that she is not going the latest animal world phenom who could sniff out cancer! Of course my very macabre friend told me Bibbers knows I am sick and is staying close by so as to dine on my rotting carcass when I pass!
This link leads to an article about how bc is being connected to our "cup size!" What next?!
Good day, all-
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Lizzy, I like the idea of a live chat, let me know when. On the lump subject, I had a couple lumps 2 different times that were lipomas. I now feel more smaller lumps in the same area which happened to be within a 2 in area from where the BC was and so were the lipomas. I have been putting off going to Dr. because it just gets old thinking about it. Plus I swore I would keep my medical bills done this year because I am still paying on all the deductibles from the previous 2 years. Another scan is going to start toward a new deductible, so frustrating!!!! Good luck Lizzy!!
I hope all you wonderful ladies had a great holiday this past week. Hubby and I took a little vacation to the Rockies. Let me tell you it was HHOOOTTTT Road motorcycles through Rocky Mtn National Park, what a beautiful ride that was!! I also went to visit an old friend in Loveland, Co. besides the extreme temps. we still had a great trip. Vacation will be over for me now back to work Mon.
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Lizzy- I have heard that too, that pets know when you're sick, but then there are prob thousands if not millions of people with pets that dont pick up on it LOL- so although its hard not to worry, i wouldnt use that as an indicator. I agree though she could be picking up on your stress...
Aww the video was too cute! My kids enjoyed it. The wanted me to keep clicking all the other ones LOL.
Tans- right now i am "sun sensitive" which causes me to burn within maybe 15-20 minutes of being outside, but i am too concerend when it came to getting some sun, but my radiologist and oncologist were LOL- if i looked too sunned (tan, pink or whatever) they'd harp on me. its all about the accumultive radiation expusure from tests, treatments and the sun....
Cup size- i looked at the actual company's website for the study and found that they used "self reported bra cup size" which is sorta misleading because a majority of women (i think it may be as high as 70%) don not know their correct bra size and thus wear the wrong bra. Also they only used women of european ancestry. I am not sure how that would affect the results, but i imagin it would :)Their conculsion was interesting because it states these results dont directly support the theory, the other site picked it up and reported it more like fact....
biomedcentral.com/1471-2350/13/53/abstract
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sue- thank you for reminding me, i dont think i responded yet- i would love to do a live chat. Wed nights are the only night that dont work for me though
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Lizzy - I think your cat loves you. She may know you are worried and wants to be supportive!0
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Good evening warriors!
I think everyone is right about Bibbers! She was a rescue cat and I just happened to run into the first vet she saw. She agreed that she is picking up on my stress over impending surgery. She also said rescue cats and dogs, once they bond, establish such a close connection, it might even be different than any other pet I have had.
I guess what is on my mind about this surgery is while the masses are in my chest, I can speculate but with them being removed and sent to pathology, combined with other factors, the time is coming when I will get a final answer on just what they are. When it comes to cancer, it is almost nicer and more comforting NOT to know!! I know you all understand this.
Tex: we can definitely do a Thursday night; that is not a problem. I am thinking August 9th right now and perhaps around 7:30 or so. I will post more definitive information in the coming weeks.
As for that study, in retrospect I realize it was probably a bunch of guys in a lab, fully exploring their Oedipal desires and deciding to study large breasted women! I guess I was sleeping on that one!
The Couch to 5K update: Tomorrow starts week 3 but, in fact, I will have to repeat week 2
I am actually doing this mainly because I really want to be in as good shape as possible going into surgery. I also do want to run. There is a Thanksgiving Day run that I would like to do but with surgery interrupting my progress, my best goal is the Revlon in May and then the Thanksgiving Day run in 2013. What's more, however, is I am finding I am wicked out of shape for running! For this reason, I have to repeat week 2 to not only get my times under control but also to get comfortable with those times. I do believe I might be repeating week 2 three times!
Does anyone else feel compelled to watch every comedy that includes Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller?! I must go see "The Watch." That looks hysterical!Iowa: just today I was leaving the grocery store and one of these "Green Party" folks stopped me and wanted me to sign petition blah blah... In any case, he said "do you like the weather?" I said yes, of course and a few degrees warmer might make me even happier! He was dying in the heat. You know, hot as it is, this is *summer* and I remember January all too well so perhaps your ride was hot but that is better than freezing! Sounds like a good time...even though I am not into bikes esp when 5 people I knew were killed on them...kind of changes your mind about bikes. Plus my friend, who is like 53, dropped her bike and busted up her ankle pretty good and now has pins etc.. in her ankle. Yeah, bikes are not for me! I might get a Honda Ruckus for city riding only! I can hear you now, Sue, saying "does she think she can't get hurt on a scooter on a city street?!?!?" You are right!
I hope everyone is having a good weekend.
Party on , girls!!!!!!0
