The Onramp to Breast Cancer

[gwendally]

Comments

[pondhopper]

Good grief...the insurance evils boggle my mind. Granted, I left the US many decades ago but I can't fathom what you're going through. May the BC/BS evilness leave your vicinity very soon.

[lifeinroseland]

Damn.

[gwendally]

Yeah.

3 things you need to know before you meet with the first doctor

[gwendally]

I have no idea how people are supposed to know this stuff at the start, before they've spoken with anyone, before they've gotten professional consultations... but there are three things I think you need to determine UP FRONT

Re: 3 things you need to know before you meet with the first doctor

[jette]

Not on time for you unfortunately but this is what some of my PIs have been working on, testing the chemo against your specific cancer: https://www.sutterhealth.org/research/cpmcri/cancer-avatar-project

Things to buy ahead of time

[gwendally]

I wish I had bought some breast binders. I'm five weeks post surgery and working 2x a week with an Occupational Therapist to manage my axillary web syndrome (cording) and reduce a seroma caused by the fluid building up in the underarm area where the lymph nodes were removed. (Basically, all my surgical pain and complications are from the axillary node dissection that we didn't end up using any information from, as they're treating me as Stage 3 even though those lymph nodes were clear: the vascularization around the sentinel node told them everything they needed. Uggh, I wish they hadn't taken those lymph nodes.) Anyway, I've just ordered some from EaB Medical

[jette]

I'm not usually on livejournal and just seeing this now.

I wish I could do something about the evil behind the American health care system.