Good news for a change....

So...today was chemo day at Crossroads Cancer Center. When I arrived, I had the usual blood work/then waiting for the lab work to be completed before I can see Dr. Dy. When Dr. Dy comes into my exam room, he says he has news...I told him I didn't want to hear it (I figured it was probably just more bad news). He said it started out as bad news as Medicare is refusing to pay for my Irinotican. It is not approved for Bile Duct/Gall Bladder cancer. BUT there is not an approved drug JUST FOR cholangiocarcinoma. Oncologists use whatever they think will work or has worked in the past for CC and I have been blessed to get a drug that has worked for over a year. It only works in 20% of patients with my RARE form of cancer.

Since Medicare was refusing to pay for my chemotherapy drug....Crossroads decided today at 8:30 to call CIGNA (my secondary insurance) to see if they were willing to step up and cover this chemo that is working beyond what it does for most CC patients. If they said no....I was going to be stuck with the chemo bill from July 15th....plus probably not be able to receive it anymore as it is more than our household income per month (by far). Well....they said YES! They were willing to step up and pay the chemo drug that our great Medicare program will not pay for. Medicare is willing to pay for me to see the dr...to get lab work done...even pay for hospital visits...but the chemotherapy that I am on is out the door for my type of cancer. Just great! A word of advice for people retiring....even if you are healthy...ALWAYS!!!!! ALWAYS have a secondary insurance as backup...especially if you have Medicare.

So....as I wrote the post yesterday evening on my blog which I was a little down when I wrote it....today reminded me to the core of my body that God is always with me...and an angel that worked tooth and nail at Crossroads Cancer Center for me to get my chemo approved by one of my insurance carriers. God is right beside me all the time.....and I feel he nudged me this morning as to say..."See, I am always right beside you....ALL THE TIME. I needed that this morning. Thank you God....thank you!

Hugs!
Patty