BRCA, Breast or Ovarian Cancer… problems with-Insurance company/Bills…
http://previvorsandsurvivors.com/forum/what-do-i-do-first/insurance-companybills/page-1/
So you find out that you are BRCA positive or you just heard those words…you have breast cancer or ovarian cancer. You know that the medical bills will be substantial & you are worried about your coverage & out of pocket expense. What do you do? Do you want a second opinion? Will the insurance company pay? Do you even have medical insurance?
Call your insurance company & speak to a supervisor who will explain EVERYTHING to you. Take names & phone #’s & document the dates & times that you spoke with them. I personally had major problems with my insurance company. They told me one thing & then when it came time to pay they told me another story. I was fortunate that the unfortunate representative made the mistake of putting all the information in an email to me when I asked for clarification! Enlist your doctor’s office for help. I asked for the codes & cost for the procedures that I would need. I then asked my insurance company to explain how much of that they would pay & I did the math. YOU MUST GET THIS IN WRITING! You can also ask your doctor’s office if they will help you with the out of pocket cost. Some will, some won’t!
Don’t take no for an answer! Your medical bills will be substantial—you need to know the out of pocket costs! I also had to enlist the help of the policy holder’s “human resources department.”
If it is all too much for you- ask a friend for help or an organization. I get asked for help about this issue the most- that is why I am finally putting it into writing!
There is a patient Advocate Foundation (copays.org) & Cancer Care (cancercare.org) that will also help you with financial issues.
I was also anonymously told about this link & privately assured that the application for Consumers external appeals & the Health Care Provider’s application were just about guarantees for reimbursement! If you are having trouble with your insurance company follow this link for New York. http://ins.state/ny.us/ If you are in another state try putting in your state code where the NY code is! When you get to this site, hit the COMSUMERS link then hit the HEALTH link. Then scroll down to the EXTERNAL APPEALS link.
Risk/Benefit of Breast Examinations with new technology
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
Radiation, Risks Are Focus of Breast Screening Studies By: Roni Caryn Rabin 8/24/10
From The New York Times.com follow this link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/24/science/24breast.html
I felt this article was too good not to share. .. Basically the most important information I got out of it was: “certain nuclear-based breast imaging exams that involve injecting radioactive material into patients expose women to far higher doses of radiation than regular mammography, increasing their risk of cancer in vulnerable organs beyond the breast, like the kidneys, bladder or ovaries.”
No one really knows how much radiation is too much, but they do know that it is cumulative. Different tests have different radiation exposure levels—PLEASE DISCUSS THE RISK/BENEFITS with your doctors.
Specifically this article makes us aware that the nuclear technologies breast specific gamma imaging (B.S.G.I.) and positive emission mammography (P.E.M.) are to be used in addition to traditional mammography & ultrasound screening if a suspicious lesion is found—-NOT FOR ROUTINE SCREENING!
Once again previvors & survivors…our help is needed!
My name is Sharlene Hesse‐Biber and I am a Sociologist and Professor at Boston College. I am conducting a study on women who have tested positive for the BRCA 1 and 2 genes and have stage IV breast cancer. I hope to address the issue of why women seek this genetic testing and how they respond to a positive result, as well as the roles that other people in their lives play throughout the pre‐ and post‐ testing process. I would like to set up a time to explore your experiences with genetic testing for the BRCA 1 and 2 genes. Such an
interview would take about a half hour. Your participation in this research is completely voluntary, and if you choose to participate, you may withdraw from the study at any point throughout the project. I can interview you over the phone or if you are in commuting distance I can interview you in person.
I would also like to take a moment to tell you a little more about the study. I aim to address a current lack of research on women’s experiences with genetic testing for the genes linked to breast cancer and their responses to a positive result. Some of the questions we will explore are:
How do women seek genetic testing for breast cancer?
What is the lived experience of women who have received a positive result? How is this affected if they have a family history of breast cancer?
What decisions, if any, do they make once they have a positive result? Is there a difference between their immediate and long‐term decisions?
What role do their immediate family network, close friends, and co‐workers play in their decision to get tested and in their post‐testing experience?
If you are interested in participating in this study, please email me at hesse@bc.edu. I am also happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Sharlene Hesse‐Biber
Professor, Department of Sociology, Boston College
Director, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Boston College
Parp inhibitors Chemotherapy Brca gene
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
ASCO Update: Emerging agents to change the landscape of ovarian cancer treatment
June 8, 2010 Analysis by: Jason Tse
ASCO or the American Society of Clinical Oncology has recently come out & said that they have had “encouraging” results with parp inhibitor drugs when combined with chemotherapy in the fight against breast & ovarian cancer. These drugs are Avastin, olaparib, AMG386, farletuzumab & voreloxin. Avastin is the frontrunner in these drugs & hopefully will be approved in 2011 to fight Ovarian Cancer.
Follow this link for this very interesting, promising news!
http://www.glgroup.com/News/ASCO-Update–Emerging-agents-to-change-the-landscape-of-ovarian-cancer-treatment-48853.html
Dr. Oz has some make-up advice…Is your make-up making you sick?
Please follow this most important link:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/price-beauty?page=2#copy
As far as “lip gloss” goes… this is a direct quote from his show that aired 6/2/10
“What could be more harmless than a little shine on your rosy lips? Well, as it turns out, lots of things, because the shine in lip gloss comes from petroleum jelly. Petroleum jelly is a byproduct of oil drilling, and when you spread it on your lips, you end up eating it, which is essentially the same as drinking gasoline. Add up the amount of lip gloss the average woman uses (and consumes) over a decade, and it equals 7 pounds. The European Union has banned many petroleum jelly products, and experts are concerned they could be linked to cancer. Women with breast cancer have twice the levels of hydrocarbons (substances found in petroleum jelly) in their breasts than women who haven’t had breast cancer.”
Caltrate 600-D Supplement & the soy debate continues!
Hello to my faithful followers…
After one of our members brought this question to our group, I felt that our investigation into the supplement should be shared…so here goes!
The question was: “Does Caltrate 600-D have soy in it?” and then…if so…
Is this a problem for women who have had breast cancer & does the soy act as estrogen does?
Please follow our link:
After much investigation, I checked with a friend of mine who is a Pharmacist. As with all the information on this site…PLEASE CHECK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN!
I just try here to bring us the BEST information!
With that said… the Pharmacist has informed me that CALTRATE does indeed have soy oil—although it is in a small amount—HE would NOT RECOMMEND it for anyone who has breast cancer issues.
He felt a wiser choice would be either Os-Cal or Citracal or the generic form of either. He stated that neither of these products has any soy.
AGAIN, PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR PHYSICIAN TO SEE WHAT IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST!
Dr. Oz has an anti-cancer grocery list
I thought Dr. Oz’s grocery list was awesome enough to share so follow this link:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-cancer-shopping-list
He also has a recipe link & cookbook. Go check it out! I did!
IT’S CALLED NEOPEC
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
Melbourne Trial of Breast Regrowth Surgery Neopec
11/11/09 reported by: Grant McArthurfrom perthnow
There’s a STEM CELL BREAKTHRU STUDY going on in Australia to help breast
Cancer patients, BRCA patients GROW BACK THEIR OWN BREAST TISSUE.
If this study is successful it could replace implants & breast reconstructions going on today.
The procedure uses the stem cells of our own fat to regenerate the growth of new breast tissue.
Follow this link for the entire story & video: http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,26338552-5017320,00.html
Dose Guided Radiation Therapy (DVS)
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
10/27/09 news release: from St. Mary’s Hospital -NJ
DVS (developed by Sicel Technologies, Inc.) stands for dose verification system & it is being used only at St. Mary’s Hospital in Passaic, NJ. It is an implantable device & approved by the FDA. It lets the doctor know how much radiation is being absorbed instead of just guessing, therefore giving the patient a more exact dose of radiation therapy to their tumor.
Please follow this link for more information:
A BLOOD TEST INSTEAD OF MAMMOGRAMS?
BRCA NEWSWORTHY
New Blood Test for Detecting Breast Cancer Comes Soon
reported by Cindie Leonard from Naturalnews.com
Please follow this link: http://www.naturalnews.com/z027324_cancer_brst_blood.html
Doctors & researchers are studying the risk of early breast x’ray vigilance for BRCA positive people & the risk of it causing radiation- induced breast cancer in this high risk group. Right now mammography is the standard tool that doctors use to screen for breast cancer lesions. A new blood test called BC-SERAPRO (it measures certain proteins in blood) is being developed to replace the mammography!