I went to visit an oral surgeon yesterday morning. The Xrays I had taken about a month ago show there is infection in my lower left wisdom tooth and at the base of a root canal filling on the lower right. There is no sign of infection at the base of the other root canal which was previously infected - big relief!
After scaring me with talk of what would be involved (procedures and COSTS) if I decided to have the the two root canals redone, he assured me that they were not essential procedures, and if they flared up antibiotics were probably all I would need. But the wisdom tooth was an urgent problem. So now I have an appointment for an extraction next month. It will be done under local anaesthetic and he has prescribed a special mouthwash that will help inhibit bleeding, so I don't need to stop Clexane. Not looking forward to it, but it is a necessity. I will get about half the cost back on my insurance.
I am still aching badly in my shoulders and hips, but have increased my intake of Panadol which is helping. I will finish this round of Xeloda tomorrow evening.
Showing posts with label costs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label costs. Show all posts
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Starting Treatment
We went to see the oncologist at the comprehensive cancer center at St John of God Hospital in Subiaco on Monday afternoon (December 21). He reiterated that chemo was the best way forward, and invited me to take part in a randomised clinical trial. Half the people in the trial get the accepted chemotherapy as the first line of attack while the others get chemo plus SIRT, a form of radiotherapy. Of course I agreed - I wanted the big guns.
Another appointment was made for Tuesday after I had had a blood test and another CT scan. I have described what happened on the other blog. The CT scan showed that in addition to the liver metastases I also have tumours in my lungs as well as some pulmonary embolisms. Not good news.
Wednesday we had a third appointment, this time at Royal Perth Hospital. This was for establishing participation in the clinical trial. The oncologist decided that I will need a daily injection of Clexane for "ever" because of the clots in my lungs and the fact that I have Leiden Factor V in my blood which predisposes me to thromboses. We were given a demonstration of how to administer the injection, a big packet of skin wipes, a Sharps storage bin for the syringes - and a prescription to be filled at our local pharmacy.
I was sent away for another blood test and got a call on my mobile while waiting for it. The computer had done its randomising and I had missed out on the SIRT part - just chemo for me. I was to have 12 cycles, each a fortnight apart. The first one was to be the following Tuesday, December the 29th, with the pump being removed on New Year's Eve.
It all happened so quickly. From diagnosis to confirmation of the diagnosis to the start of treatment was only two weeks. I am not sure whether it would all have happened with the same speed if we had been solely dependent on the public hospital system, but private health insurance meant we had immediate access to hospital treatment without a waiting period. We have been members of the Hospital Benefit Fund of WA since we were married 44 years ago. It is now obvious the premiums were a worthwhile investment. Another major financial assistance is Medicare (Australian Government health insurance) which covers a major portion of the costs incurred outside the hospital, such as the oncologist's fees. Our third benefit is the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) which in our case, because we are self funded retirees on a limited income, restricts the costs of prescriptions to $5.40 per script or, once we have had 100 scripts filled, no cost at all. I think we will be reaching the safety net for this pretty quickly this year.
Another appointment was made for Tuesday after I had had a blood test and another CT scan. I have described what happened on the other blog. The CT scan showed that in addition to the liver metastases I also have tumours in my lungs as well as some pulmonary embolisms. Not good news.
Wednesday we had a third appointment, this time at Royal Perth Hospital. This was for establishing participation in the clinical trial. The oncologist decided that I will need a daily injection of Clexane for "ever" because of the clots in my lungs and the fact that I have Leiden Factor V in my blood which predisposes me to thromboses. We were given a demonstration of how to administer the injection, a big packet of skin wipes, a Sharps storage bin for the syringes - and a prescription to be filled at our local pharmacy.
I was sent away for another blood test and got a call on my mobile while waiting for it. The computer had done its randomising and I had missed out on the SIRT part - just chemo for me. I was to have 12 cycles, each a fortnight apart. The first one was to be the following Tuesday, December the 29th, with the pump being removed on New Year's Eve.
It all happened so quickly. From diagnosis to confirmation of the diagnosis to the start of treatment was only two weeks. I am not sure whether it would all have happened with the same speed if we had been solely dependent on the public hospital system, but private health insurance meant we had immediate access to hospital treatment without a waiting period. We have been members of the Hospital Benefit Fund of WA since we were married 44 years ago. It is now obvious the premiums were a worthwhile investment. Another major financial assistance is Medicare (Australian Government health insurance) which covers a major portion of the costs incurred outside the hospital, such as the oncologist's fees. Our third benefit is the PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) which in our case, because we are self funded retirees on a limited income, restricts the costs of prescriptions to $5.40 per script or, once we have had 100 scripts filled, no cost at all. I think we will be reaching the safety net for this pretty quickly this year.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Day 8 and bills
I went to one of my sewing groups this morning, then to Medicare to get the refund on the oncologist's bill. Total gap we had to pay : $8.45 for three consultations. We also got a statement from HBF regarding the pathology for the colonoscopy. It was completely covered.
The only procedures so far that we have had to make a major payment on were the insertion of the PICC line and the accompanying X-rays. These were done as inpatient procedures and so we missed out on the Medicare safety net gap. Even with both HBF and Medicare paying out it was still over $300.
I am to have another CT scan on Thursday at Royal Perth Hospital. This is part of the clinical trial I am involved in, so I think there will be no associated cost.
I did not sleep well last night, but I have been fine all day. The superduper anti-nausea drugs stop after today, so I will see how tomorrow goes. I still have Pramin to take if necessary.
The only procedures so far that we have had to make a major payment on were the insertion of the PICC line and the accompanying X-rays. These were done as inpatient procedures and so we missed out on the Medicare safety net gap. Even with both HBF and Medicare paying out it was still over $300.
I am to have another CT scan on Thursday at Royal Perth Hospital. This is part of the clinical trial I am involved in, so I think there will be no associated cost.
I did not sleep well last night, but I have been fine all day. The superduper anti-nausea drugs stop after today, so I will see how tomorrow goes. I still have Pramin to take if necessary.
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