TRIPLE POSITIVE GROUP
Comments
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LeeA, Containers qualify as gardening! I've got a touch of spring fever in January, I think. Got me thinking about how my perennials will look this year. I've been adding to it for a couple of years and am to the point where I need more planting space. How do you start a new thread?
I think my mx medical bill was about the same as yours. I was just so glad that we have been able to keep our good insurance policy; we have BCBS, too. Hate to think the mess we would be in without it.0 -
powermom, I've never started a thread here but I'm wondering if the correct category wouldn't be the "moving beyond cancer" area? There's a thread there called "what's for dinner" and the gardening thing kind of seems reminiscent of that kind of thread. I would love to see photos of your flowers/garden and same with pbrain and anyone else who wants to chime in (photographically speaking :-). I have lots of photos as well.
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Lee, The areas that had tornados today are in extreme north GA. Adairsville had very heavy damage, one person was killed. We are about 35 miles south of Atlanta, almost central GA. Got some wind and heavy rain, but not bad.
Yep, realized I was a bit too compulsive about checking the boards all the time. Don't love you all any less, though.0 -
Ok we have Pbrain back now where is MsTori ? Hope all is well we have not heard from you in a while.
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Lee, neulasta shots are NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS??? OMG. Well I feel like Kaiser is taking pretty good care of me so I am happy that I was able to spare them that expense. WOW.
TonLee, maybe you meant to pray for my bone scan to be normal? I'll take it if you're offering! Hopefully I'll find something out tomorrow. How much of a time delay is there in learning about this kind of thing?
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Powermom, I'm growing veggies, and some fruit. I think Pbrain does too. Well she will when it thaws, I'm in LA so this is great growing weather right now. I'm harvesting lots of chard.
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Cypher the scan results are fast---I got home from the hospital chaned my clothes and my onc called to explain the scan. so I must not be long or maybe I was the only patient she had LOL Good Luck
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cypher, someone on one of the other threads mentioned $9000. I just did a quick google search and this person cites a cost of in excess of $7000 (and this was back in 2009).
http://nicolescancer.blogspot.com/2009/06/ridiculous-cost-of-neulasta.html
Someone who commented on this blog in 2013 mentions $9000 for the shot:
http://www.tarabeatscancer.com/2013/01/bills.html
Oh...and it's derived from e coli.
eta: re: scan results - mine was on a Friday and the MO had his assistant call me Tuesday afternoon with the results.
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My 1st chemo bill was for $29,000, the rest were a little cheapter - somewhere around $24,000 each, then the weekly Herceptins were about $9000 - I quit counting after that
I looked as my radiation days as my vacation/spa time - my DD and I stayed in Eugene during the week at a lovely place - the Children's Miracle Network/Lions House - you could stay there for a donation only, it had a lovely deck over the mill race, private rooms and a community kitchen to fix our own meals. It sits on the edge of the University of Oregon, so we could take nice little walks around the campus and there were tons of great, inexpensive, eclectic restaurants - we'd run on over to the cancer center for my daily tanning session and spend the rest of the day enjoying the area, visiting family and the weather was perfect. So, except for maybe a little too much "tanning" or burning to the chest - it was a great time, and I really enjoyed spending the time with my 17 year old.
I started the EDS's (oops I meant ESD's - can I add an explitive to that - like FESD's?) 3 weeks PFC, just before I started rads!
This does move way too fast.
Good night and God Bless you all,
Linda
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TonLee, that is interesting about the compromised blood flow. I wonder if neoadjuvant chemo will ever become norm for more cases.
I had the second vaccine (or placebo) yesterday. Wow, it knocked me on my butt. The first one, I had no ill effects at all. Now this one, I was in bed at 8, pulling the covers on and off, terrible headache, achy bones and just generally felt sick. Weird. I did take Claritin the first time, that couldn't have made that much difference, could it? They asked me not to take any antihistamines three days before to three days after, so I didn't. It felt like a chemo day, déjà vu! shuddering.....0 -
Lee,
That's expensive so I can only think how much mine was ..I had 4..and my herceptin was a little over12,000 along with the chemo..awful..no woundering why people's premiums go up ...0 -
Cypher,
YES! It was you. So sorry about that!
So now I've lifted both you and SpecialK's bones up to the Lord! lol
Please update us as SOON AS YOU KNOW!
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Kay,
I'm waiting for a specific study done on women who have immediate surgery vs those who have chemo first. (There may be one, I haven't looked, but it can't be very definitive if standard practice for most is still surgery first...) I'm very curious to know if there is a difference. From what I've read here, and I understand it is not scientific, it seems chemo first really seems to help shrink and kill cancer before surgery. Not to mention women begin chemo without a healing wound.
I guess the question is...does leaving an original tumor in place for chemo first, does that increase the likelyhood of mets as compared to removing it and treating.
This field is ever evolving! I'm thankful for that
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My nuelasta in 2010/2011 was $3000 a "serving" but my husband gave it to me at home and we had it shipped to us directly so it sat in our refrigerator till I needed it. Maybe the extra $6000 is storage and paying for it to be administered. My copay was $30 with the first insurance and $100 with the 2nd insurance ($100 being the max you would pay for a prescription till you reached your deductible).
TonLee my treatment center had an online question & answer session. The onc was my onc. I did ask the difference between neo and adjuvent. She said the neo is to shrink larger tumors for surgery or to be able to see the response to chemo… no other difference at this point. That was this fall I think.
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cypher I like the description of gardening/planter pots/veggies. My mind is now off on a growing season adventure - today is windy and -16 Celcius (Fcold) I'm gazing at my 'sprouting jar' snug and warm on my kitchen counter thinking about the sandwich toppings that will complement their scraggly courageous germinations!
TonLee May I toss my bones onto your prayer heap, too? and I'll start a little altar here for cypher & SpecialK & anyone else out there. You are all in my prayers too.
Just squared this in my psyche: I realize that I have less resentment in me directed to tamoxifen se (sore joints/muscles) first thing in the morning when I go to the gym for 7am. I can be like the 'normal' girls & grouse about the "earliness of the day" rather than resent the tamox and tx.
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kay_g - That is how I felt too - it is either a fairly intense reaction to the sargramostim (like a Neulasta type bone pain), but I felt chemo-ish too and I hoped it meant that I was getting the vaccine. The good news is that it only lasted a day for me and then I felt fine, but it was pretty reminiscent! Even though I felt icky it made paying for the plane ticket easier each time!
tonlee and suegr8 - I appreciate the bone prayers anyway! Mine have been damaged enough from chemo and AIs that I am getting Prolia, so they could use some divine intervention!
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That's interesting because Neulasta's non-trade name ends with a "tim" as well (pegfilgrastim).
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LeeA - it is a very similar drug. That is one of the things that motivated me to do this study - I knew I would get an immune boosting drug even if I just received the placebo. You either get two injections of sargramostim, or you get one sargramostim and one vaccine.
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Like Lago, my Neulasta was $2700.00 a shot, self administered; this was November and December 2012. Significant difference from $9000.00.
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Re: the price of Neulasta - I'm wondering if there isn't a "sticker" price and then a separate insurance company negotiated price.
Here's a link that shows the supposed price at Walmart - $4045 (with coupon).
ETA: the link (oops)
https://www.goodrx.com/neulasta
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Hey ladies
Cant believe how fast this thread is!! So good to know, and see how everyone supports one another! I'm still in limbo waiting for my pre-op mri.....i will let y'all know when that is, when i know.
Just wanted to say hey and glad to see everyone is doing ok!0 -
LeeA - my Neulasta was covered by my insurances
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kayb, thanks for that! It's very interesting and no, I had no idea.
The Neulasta packaging mentions e coli. I wonder if that's what stimulates the colony. One of these days I might google but in some ways it's better not to know too much while going through it, at least for me.
When I leaned over and read the description/ingredients on the Neulasta box that day (the nurse left it laying next to me) I had one of a handful of "wow, I can't believe I have cancer" moments. They're weird moments - not "why me" moments but moments of general disbelief at what has happened. It's a weird sensation/feeling. Almost dizzying.
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LeeA, I so identify with that moment. I have lymphedema and went to the therapist last week. I took my lymphedema glove and sleeve off, and he was looking at my hand. And I was looking at it too, and I could see it was puffy around the knuckles and you can't see any veins, and how different that was than my other hand. And I said to him and myself, I guess I really do have lymphedema. He just laughed at me. I didn't really believe it when they told me I did, but it was just a moment that said I do, and it was just a very weird feeling. I had some moments like that with cancer too. It was like I didn't really believe that I had cancer. I just thought I would surely feel sick and know if I did, but then some moments came along and I said, yes I guess I really do have cancer. Glad it wasn't just me.
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TonLee, awesome, thank you!
And … excellent questions. I can imagine pros and cons both ways.
Suegr8-thanks! I just started tamox … do you notice that you are less energetic at the gym? I took it yesterday and I noticed I had to take a breather before climbing the 3rd flight of stairs (I had to go to the medical center and I take the stairs just cause). Also I took a really long walk with a friend + dogs and I felt like I got tired earlier than I was used to. Could that be tamox? I also felt kind of crabby and had a headache. In short, it was a little bit like me pmsing. Which doesn’t bode well, but I realize it takes awhile to adjust.
Kayb, Lee – I I have those moments too! Still.
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Holy crap! $9000, gotta love big pharma! I'm getting that too because of the possibility of needle draining any fluids, my MO doesn't want my WBC to drop so much to help ward off infection. I better make sure my insurance covers that before they pull the trigger. They are good about not covering things they don't consider "medical necessity".
Good news is my drain came out this morning, so I am definitely starting tomorrow.
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My neulasta shot was that expensive too at every 2 weeks. My herceptin every 3 weeks is $14,900 thank god for insurance.
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Wow, I knew cancer was big business, but that is crazy......
BTW Ang, I'm originally from Traverse City, nice to see somebody else from the mitten!
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Cancer is to big of a business, I know what that sounds like.
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cypher Yes, I have fought hard to climb back up to endurance. Can't say for sure if its tamox or rads - but leaning now to think its tamox cuz rads are way over & done. Some days I want to stretch my nap time & I fight that too. The exercise helps to keep the tammi-tummy from forming too. Haven't had a headache or moodiness.
Dizzy - Your MO sends info to insurance re Neulasta. Insurance has qualifying tumour descriptors & #s. Even if insurance declines, your MO is your advocate & would reapply.
cheers
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