Glad to see week 6 over but also sad that it is treatment day tomorrow again. Week 6 has been challenging in many ways. I haven't been able to sleep through the night. I constantly wake up every 2-3 hour from the need to spit out the thick saliva that build up in the back of my throat. In addition, my entire upper torso finally starts to shed off those dead skin from the allergic reaction that I had a few weeks ago. My throat is extremely soar to the point that I am only able to sip a little water and take the codeine pain killer meds. I have to use my GI tube to pump 4 bottles of ensure a day. This is not the worst.... the worst is my entire skin around my throat, some parts of it actually cracked open. Not only it's painful but it burns like crazy because the first layer of the skin is gone. To help sooth it a little, I need to do saline soak 2-3x a day, apply this antibiotic cream 2x a day, and in between, I need to apply a THICK.... I mean a real THICK layer of this proshield ointment over it. So thick that I need to use this pad to cover it so that it doesn't stick to my pillow. Imagine yourself applying a thick coat of honey and peanut butter all over your neck all day long and before you go to bed.. that's how the ointment feels like. Yukky, gluey, sticky,.... Ugh..... Trying to think positive or make everything seems not so bad wasn't easy. But I tried and this is how I've been training my mental brain:
- Waking up every few hours - Good for my body to get some light exercise and blood circulating
- Torso shedding - oh well, treat it like microdermabrasion and I'll get NEW beautiful skin revealed!
- Using GI Tube - Feeding my body and building good and strong cells!
- Soar Throat - If I'm feeling this much pain... Woohoo... Die you C- Cells! That fire must be burning those cancer cells like crazy!
- Burnt, cracked, peeling skin around the throat - Trying to picture myself getting burned from going to Florida, laying out there on the beach.... and using Proshield/Saline Soak is my daily spa treatment....
Last week, I stayed over at my brother and sister-in-law place downtown. It was nice to be away from home so that I focus on taking care of myself and no distractions. But it was sad that I didn't get to see my parents, husband and my baby for a week. I'm heading back downtown tonight to stay over at their place because this coming week is the last week of radiation treatment. Also, I have a chemo treatment this week and likely take a toll on my body. Rest and less moving around is ideal.
Finally, I can say that I'm halfway through this challenge. After this week, I have 3 more chemo treatment within the next 3 months.
Why Money is Like Oxygen
Only through this experience that I realize that being ill cost a lot of money. Fortunately, I'm very lucky that money is not a concern. Not that I'm wealthy, but I had planned several financial and emergency backup for things like this. But I realize that a lot of people who are fighting the cancer battle have serious financial constraints. Let me explain the cost/expenses to date based on my 7 weeks of radiation and 1 chemo treatment for 3 months post radiation:
Medical/Drugs (Not covered by OHIP. Covered by drug plan at both mine and hub's work)
- Codeine Painkiller: $100
- Morphine Painkiller: $100 (used it twice only!!)
- Laxative stuff to help ease constipation: $100
- 10 Anti-Nausea/Vomit Pills: $200/chemo treatment (Total of $200 X 6 = $1200)
- Antifungal and numbing mouthwash 500ml: $50 per bottle (total of $50 x 5 = $250)
- Antibiotic cream for the open wounds around the neck for 3 days: $20
- Psychologist: $170/session
- 1 Night Hospital Stay (Semi-private room): $250/night (Total of $250 X 7 = $1,750)
Additional Expenses (out of pocket expenses)
Ensure (meal replacement): $12 for 6 bottles (Total $12 X 10 = $120)
Saline Soak: $6/ bottle (Total $6 x 10 = $60)
Syringes for GI tube: $2 each (Total $80)
Proshield Ointment: $15 (Total $15 x 10 = $150)
Baking Soda to prevent mouth sores: $10
Refresh Eye drops: $50
2 nights of hotel: $250/night (Total $500)
Part-time Nanny to help the household: $700/month
Parking and Gas Cost by end of the treatment: ~ $2000
Chinese Meds Soup: Average ~$ 250/week (Total of $250 X 20 = $5000)
I may have missed a few items but gosh... imagine if you don't work for a company that covers 100% of your drug/medical expenses, for my treatment you will be spending over $3,000. As for the additional expenses, they are a must have to help cope with a lot of side effects, and the cost is not exaggerated, over $8000. Combined, you're looking at over $10K and the majority is spent during the first 7 weeks of my radiation treatment. This is ABOVE AND BEYOND my monthly household expenses. For many patients who have other types of cancer, it takes over a year to treat. What kind of expenses do you think that person will incur? OMG, I can't even imagine the cost of that bill. My sister-in-law has a friend who had cancer 2 years ago and manage to beat it! Woohoo! But oh my.... she told me that she didn't have drug benefit plan at the time and OHIP didn't cover her chemo drugs so everytime, she had to do chemo, the cost was $500.
Something else to consider is that this is not all the expenses. What about the person who needs to take care of you and bring you to these treatments? Can that person keep their job while taking the ill person? If not, there goes another challenge, not only the person who is ill will cost a lot of money to be treated but the person who can take this person to their daily treatment might end up losing their job. If the person who is ill doesn't have any kind of income coming in as well and loses their job because they can't work, OMG that cancer battle is beyond a battle. I truly believe that many people out there ends up borrowing money from banks, from family, or even sell their own homes, etc.. in order to get themselves treated. I extremely sad for people with no source of income to help them go through this battle. Especially if they need to borrow money, how much is enough? It all depends on the length of the treatment. So imagine these people who are borrowing money, when they are recovered, they walk out of the hospital the need to find a job and/or with debts they need to pay off... So sad.... so sad.....
I hope all my loved ones (family, friends, colleagues etc..) don't go through what I am going through. I wish all the people I know GREAT health but no one can predict the future. I'm not trying to solicit anything but from my experiences, I want to make sure I do share my thoughts to make sure people hear what I have to say. Hopefully, no one ends up ill with financial constraints to be treated. Many people that I know assumes OHIP/government covers everything. Well, it is wrong to think that way because they don't cover everything. It is not a matter of age, there are a lot of stuff they don't cover even if you're very old. My two cents for everyone (especially those with kids) to consider before spending money on any materialistic items :p :
- Always have a good amount of emergency back funds available at all times regardless how well you are covered at work, insurance you purchased at work, etc...
- Consider critical illness insurances now vs. later. You pay less premium when you're young and if there is a critical illness that runs in the family, you should definitely consider it! Buy the insured amount that matches your income at the minimum. Also, buy a higher insured amount especially if your work drug plan doesn't have a high coverage for medical/drug expenses or your spouse doesn't get any health benefits coverage.
- Review your work medical drug plan coverage. Increase your disability (short/long term) amounts even if you have critical illness insurance because this money will take care a portion of your household expenses.
Quote that I passionate live with:
“You can be young without money, but you can't be old without it.”
― Tennessee Williams
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