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7407. arkymalarky - 10/11/2008 6:06:47 PM Man, Judith, you've had more than your share of stress lately. Good you're going back Wednesday and don't have to wait long. Did the doctor elaborate in any way? I'm a basket case after an abnormal mammogram, but my SIL who had breast cancer was pulled right when she had hers. They didn't have her come back another day for "mag views," but took her right from her first mammogram to a biopsy that day. They always look at mine carefully before they let me go, and knowing how they did her gives me less to worry about as I wait on results. 7408. judithathome - 10/11/2008 6:42:25 PM Well, it must not be THAT bad because no one called with a new appointment for me and they certainly won't be calling over the weekend.
I'm almost certain it's a benign fibroadenoma...but since my mother had breast cancer, it's still nagging at me.
I'm not getting morbid or anything but even if it IS bad news, my mom survived it and I knows tons of other women who have, too. If I were younger, I'd be more frantic but I know enough about this stuff that I'm a little more calm than I might be were I younger and dumber....ha!
7409. arkymalarky - 10/11/2008 6:48:48 PM True. In fact, SIL was in her mid-30s and she survived hers and is thriving now. 7410. Jenerator - 10/11/2008 6:50:56 PM Judith,
Will they be going in to see what the mysterious item is in your son's neck? I'm thinking that a video recording of that operation is in order; that, or an attorney that specializes in malpractice serves as a witness. 7411. Jenerator - 10/11/2008 6:51:44 PM AND, I feel for you for this dreadful news and the anxiety producting results of the mammogram. That has been a tough year for you and your family. 7412. judithathome - 10/11/2008 7:27:28 PM Well, there is definitely a video of this operation because the doctor was presenting the case at conference in Vienna the next week...it was an extremely unusual solution to a complicated problem that doesn't happen all that often. So I know it was taped...in fact, Leslie asked for a copy of it...ha!
Leslie has mentioned malpractice but he is so grateful to that doctor for saving his life...he doesn't want to cause problems for him. And really, it was the two guys who sewed him up that might be at fault. They came to the room the next day and told him they had "closed" him up. Or, it could simply be an anomoly on the film...it could be something on the clothing he had on but he swore the x-ray tech checked every possible thing it could have been.
The reason we think it is something left in his head is that the nurse who takes care of all his meds, MRIs, and other stuff said "I can't tell you anything but I think I know what this is...and you need to call your neurosurgeon right away."
Leslie thinks it's a clip that held the artery in place while they were "fusing" the two veins...and he is afraid it is cutting blood flow to his brain a bit.
We'll know more on the 21st...we're seeing the surgeon in Dallas that day. 7413. judithathome - 10/11/2008 7:28:04 PM I'm hoping it's nothing...he really doesn't want another surgery! 7414. judithathome - 10/13/2008 10:37:58 PM Well, my doctor's office finally called me back and they have scheduled a "diagnostic mammogram" for November 21st!!
That tells me I have nothing to worry about at all. 7415. thoughtful - 10/13/2008 10:38:50 PM mother went for an mri fearing her lung cancer had spread to her bones....good news was she's fine...only signs of arthritis. Phew! Til the next test. 7416. arkymalarky - 10/13/2008 11:33:53 PM Wow, that is good news! 7417. judithathome - 10/13/2008 11:53:17 PM Well, just as I relaxed, I get another call from the doctor and they have decided not to wait 6 weeks and they're sending me to another radiology place next week. Grrrr.... 7418. thoughtful - 10/14/2008 2:36:11 PM better to know sooner rather than later...fingers crossed for you. 7419. wonkers2 - 10/25/2008 6:14:14 PM Any thoughts on the best health insurance to supplement Medicare. My former employer is canceling my Blue Cross-Blue Shield policy, my Medco drug coverage, my Delta Dental policy and my eye and hearing care coverage effective January 1. I've decided not to continue any hearing, eye or dental coverage and just pay my own bills. But I'm trying to figure out whether prescription drug coverage is worth the cost and what to do about supplemental hospital-medical coverage. I'm told that Michigan BC-BS has applied for a 100% rate increase which will make the premiums quite high. Two alternatives recommended by an outfit that's supposedly helping us choose coverage are Mutual of Omaha and AARP's United Health Care. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
[One factor on prescription drug coverage--if I don't sign up for it now, I can enroll later, but the price goes up 1% per month for each month.] after January 1, 2009. 7420. judithathome - 10/25/2008 6:37:15 PM A group of ladies I know have been very satisfied with Secure Horizons as their secondary.
I don't have a personl offering because we are using the retired military insurance, TriCare For Life. Thus far, it has been smooth sailing... 7421. wonkers2 - 10/25/2008 7:18:01 PM TNX, Judity. 7422. thoughtful - 10/26/2008 5:58:38 PM I always worry with any plan managed by united health care as they seem to be masters at avoiding paying for anything. My mother went through all kinds of hell with them just when they were managing her health insurance, including getting the insurance sponsors on the phone with her and united health and it still taking months and months before she received payment.
They also managed my MILs secondary insurance and I had issues with them there too.
But then again, these days, I suppose you can have issues with any firm.
What you want to make sure you do is go with the big guys tho. A neighbor of friend of mine went with a smaller firm, was in the middle of chemo treatments when the firm went belly up and he was responsible for literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of treatment. Yikes! 7423. wonkers2 - 10/26/2008 6:42:51 PM I'm not a fan of United Health Care either. As I recall their CEO narrowly escaped the slammer a couple of years ago for plundering the company. 7424. thoughtful - 11/3/2008 7:38:24 PM Researchers are finding genes that seem to be related to lung cancer. Considering both my father and mother had it, I've got to be extra diligent. It is the leading cancer killer in men and the 2nd cancer killer in women.
Amazing that so little seems to be known or done about it.... 7425. anomie - 11/4/2008 1:51:07 AM Does it tend to hit people late in life? Maybe that's why. 7426. thoughtful - 11/4/2008 6:12:58 PM Average age of onset is 60, though my SIL died from it at 39.
I think the problem is people assume it's from smoking, blame the victim and figure if they don't smoke, they're safe. But mother was not a smoker but exposed to 2nd hand smoke all her life.
Asbestos, radon, some pollution can also play a role in getting the disease.
There also seems to be an estrogen connection. They are finding the chemo that works well on breast cancer that blocks estrogen also helps with lung cancer.
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