Drugs

I definitely have some mixed reactions about all of the drugs I need to take.

On one hand, at least one of them is keeping the cancer in check which is keeping me alive - pretty significant stuff.

On the other hand, every drug you take creates its own unique side effects which then have to be counteracted with other drugs.

It seems to be a never-ending cycle.

I've worked hard to get off as many drugs as possible. It seems that whenever I'm able to drop one or two, one or two new ones then pop-up. The drugs I need to take are numerous enough that it creates a complex schedule. Some need to be taken in the morning, some at night, some throughout the day. Some do not mix well with others. It's complicated enough that I've designed a chart. Without the chart I don't think I could ever keep track of what I've taken and what I haven't taken.

The other interesting twist involving most of the drugs that cancer patients end up taking is the enormous costs of the drugs. Beyond fighting cancer itself, the only worry I really have is trying to survive the cost of the drugs themselves.

My insurance company has cheated me on prescription benefits. When I originally purchased the policy, certainly before the cancer was detected, the plan summaries I was offered clearly stated that for prescriptions I had a "maximum annual out-of-pocket expense of $2,500." At some point after the policy went into effect they changed the policy to a "maximum annual benefit of $2,500." Quite a difference!

What they did is illegal. I have everything documented. They baited me with their sales literature and then provided me with something else.

I've already gone through two internal appeal processes with the insurance company, which was a joke. Now I'm before the Pennsylvania Insurance Commission, who has to this point already convinced my insurance company to offer me the prescription benefit as originally sold to me, but only for the remainder of 2007.

The insurance company tried to sound generous by saying that they would "honor the original prescription benefit for the remainder of 2007 to allow me time to explore my options."

Options? Cancer patients do not have options. No other insurance company will touch me. And they clearly understand that.

In this day and age, with the costs of drugs being what they are, what type of prescription insurance is a "maximum annual benefit of $2,500?" That offers me, and you, no protection at all. So check your policies!

The chemo drug that I have to take daily costs around $7,000 a month. Really. Now who could afford that?

When I was really suffering from nausea the doctor prescribed a new drug that was having a big impact for cancer patients - $2,000 a month.

To try to drive my appetite the doctors prescribed another new drug - $2,000 a month.

The nausea drug that was prescribed to me actually made things worse for me. Now that's $2,000 just to find that out!

It's been a fight. To make all this work we have to do a tremendous amount of work to seek out assistance programs, many available through the pharmaceutical companies themselves. And with every new drug that is prescribed I must research costs, potential alternatives, options and overall effectiveness.

This is all things learned. I did not know any of this when I started down this road.

But now I do know. The nausea drug for instance that cost $2,000 a month and just made things worse for me - well there was an alternative that has been around for years and years and years, and it cost me $25.