My checking account
is set so that if the balance gets critically low, the bank sends out an
email alert.
It was too set to
alert when Gail's payroll check was deposited, and since she lost her job in
January, I hadn't changed the settings.
So on Tuesday when
an alert came in about a significant deposit amount, I logged in to see
where the money could have come from.
A deposit from
Social Security very near to the amount we understood Gail's benefit would
be once her application was approved. But there was no official letter from
the SS in advance of the deposit. Could it have been a mistake? The SS
doesn't just deposit money into people's accounts, does it?
So skeptical, I
checked the next day to see if the mistake had been caught and the money
removed. On Thursday the money was still there. But how could it be? SS
couldn't have approved Gail within the span of 23-days could it?
It could!
The official "award"
letter came yesterday. I love how they call getting your own money back an
award. For what? Living long enough to collect it? Getting cancer?
Having never seen
the government act so fast. I was stunned. Gail's doctor had said all along
he's never had one patient who applied be denied, and that most are approved
thanks to the "new" Social Security and it's "fast track" to get cancer
victims back on their feet.
I'm not complaining.
We were so close to
foreclosure I was making contingency plans. Looking at the dog, I wondered
how we'd be able to take Lucky with us wherever we wound up, and had sworn
an oath to myself to live on the street if that was the only way to keep
Lucky with me. Those of you with animals can understand that, but recall
this is a dog who may have saved my life a few years ago.
In short, that SS
came through for Gail so fast has literally saved us. Almost overnight we
have gone from grave depression to elation. The first thing we did was to
pay the regular bills, then the smaller medical bills, and then we bought
some food - and some gas for the Ford!
That old saying, you
don't know what you got until it's gone, is so true.
And I'd be remiss if
I didn't thank the readers of this page who helped us. It was only because
of you that we didn't go bust long ago.
Plus, yesterday,
Gail's radiation doctor showed her time-lapse images which show that the
radiation is killing the cancer cells. She may never again be her old self,
but Gail is expected to live and that's the really good news.
June 18
My thanks to the
management of the local grocery store who came to Gail's rescue when she
couldn't get the truck out of the parking lot because she was too weak to
turn the steering wheel. After blocking traffic for awhile, someone noticed
something wasn't right and finding Gail slumped in the truck summoned
management who got her inside and cared for her until I could get there.
Gail was okay by then, but there's no way she'll be driving again any time
soon. The doctor said the radiation treatments would give her more energy,
but so far she's never been weaker. Typical me, I asked Gail later if anyone
had honked their horns or given her any crap. Nope. Not a one. Everyone was
very understanding.
June 10
A brief update on
Gail.
It's looking like I may have to cut this column back to three days a week,
now that Gail seems to have taken a turn for the worse. It's more depression
and anxiety then cancer, as she blames herself if we should lose the house
and worries that I'll leave her. I've tried telling her it's nobody's fault;
that we took an oath until death do us part, and I plan to keep my end of
the bargain.
Since Friday I've been spending more time with her, taking her for short
walks and talking, and that cuts into the time I spend paying attention to
the news. I'll play it by ear, but if one day you see there's no column
update, you'll know why. The doctor gave her some pills for anxiety, but
they made her terribly sick and she refuses to take more. Can't say that I
blame her, I remember being on Xanax and what a zombie it made me feel like.
So, that's how I spent yesterday afternoon, being with Gail, and thus such
as it is, these are the only news items I found of interest.
June 4
Already resistant to anything government, walking through the doors at the
local SS office and seeing a photo of Bush and Cheney on the wall didn't
help. The photos, framed 8x10 glossies, are at least 8 years old.
That there was an
old woman playing security guard didn't impress me either. After punching
the last 4 digits of her SS into a computer, Gail was given a ticket and we
moved into the waiting room. During the five minute wait, I observed that a
young American agent was speaking Spanish to a Mexican client and seemed to
be actually helping her. Was it a fluke?
Escorted through a secured door, we were led down a narrow hallway. To the
left were four cubicles and were we directed to the very last one where a
woman, and I'm not going to give her name for reasons that may become clear,
struck me as your typical government agent. The first words out her mouth
was that anything Gail said of a false nature could be cause for her to
charged with perjury. This bothered me because the presumption seemed to be
that we citizens are not be trusted. A chill swept over me that at any point
Gail could be handcuffed and led off for a little water boarding.
Then the questioning began. Where has Gail worked during her entire life?
What did she earn? Dumb I thought, when the agent had a printout of her
earnings right in front of her. Then Gail was asked for her dates of
employment for the last two jobs and this was critical because it turns out
that if she earned more than $900 per month during any 12-month period it
would reduce her benefit amount, and according to the agent, Gail had earned
too much and thus we thought Gail was pretty much screwed.
Not so. All it meant was that instead of getting X amount if she's approved,
she'll get Z amount and even that figure, based on all Gail has put into the
system, will work out quite nicely for us. We won't be taking any trips to
Hawaii, but we should be able to make the mortgage payment.
So then it was onto the medical portion and this is where the agent, did I
mention she's a woman, seemed to change. It was also at a point where Gail
started her hacking cough. I don't know that the coughing played a role, but
all of a sudden the agent was advocating for Gail; looking for ways she
might qualify during the fastest time possible.
I was so taken aback by the agent's demeanor I said, "Would I be wrong to
think that you're trying to help Gail?'
No, I wasn't wrong! The agent said the Social Security agency has changed.
It is not the cold hearted government bullshit that many of us are familiar
with, and that I knew from personal experience all too well.
By the time the interview was over, Gail practically had her first check in
the mail. I exaggerate, but I'm not kidding. Earlier Gail had been asked
where she wanted the payments sent. Direct deposit, check by mail, etc.
We were told that
until the time the decision comes down, a period of less than 50 days, if we
had any questions we could call that agent back directly. Again, I was
floored. The agent has a name and a direct number which we were given.
There's also a system where applicants can track the progress of their
claims on the Internet.
On the way home a
couple of questions surfaced, such as what information Gail is to ask the
doctor for this Friday. If the doctor turns the information over directly to
Gail - instead of waiting for the official SS request - that will speed the
decision making process even more. Calling the agent's number, I got
voicemail, left a message, and within five minutes the agent was calling
back!
While on the phone the agent said that after reviewing the numbers, and
assuming the medical data will show Gail indeed has cancer such that it will
render her disabled for a year or more, while it's not the agent's call to
make, she said she wouldn't be surprised if Gail is approved and getting her
checks by the end of July!
Still somewhat
skeptical, unless SS really has changed, I'll faint if Gail is approved that
fast. While at the SS office I did ask if it's true that there is a "fast
track" for cancer patients. There is. It's an especially fast track for lung
cancer victims.
So, not only did we receive some encouraging news, I learned that the
government, Social Security anyway, isn't as bad as we might think.
June 3
Coming across an article about two drugs they've been testing with claims of
destroying cancer only to discover that the drugs cause more problems then
they're worth, and don't do a very good job of curing cancer with one
causing jaw bones to rot, the part about cancer survival rates jumped out at
me. To be sure, I consulted the American Lung Association.
There are two major types of lung cancer. Non-small cell lung
cancer - which Gail has - is much more common. It usually spreads to
different parts of the body (it has in Gail) more slowly than small cell
lung cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma, ademocarcinoma, and large cell
carcinoma are three types of non-small cell lung cancer. Small cell lung
cancer also called oat cell cancer, accounts for less than 20% of all lung
cancer.
The expected 5-year survival rate for all patients in whom lung cancer is
diagnosed is 15.5% compared to 64.8% for colon, 89% for breast and 99.9% for
prostate cancer.
The 5-year survival rate is 49.3% for cases detected when the disease is
still localized. However, only 24% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at an
early stage.
For distant tumors the 5-year survival rate is just over 2%.
About 6 out of 10 people with lung cancer die within 1 year of being
diagnosed. Between 7 and 8 will die within 2 years. And this is for those
who have gone through Chemo and radiation treatments! While the treatment
can be said to have worked - it doesn't mean that the victim won't still
die. Yes, there are cases of long-term remission.
In Gail's case, what started out as a stage 3 cancer went to a stage 4
half-way during Gail's Chemo. The higher the number, the worse the cancer.
Yesterday, Gail saw the doctor in charge of her radiation treatment starting
next week. She was told that while the radiation is expected to kill the
tumor on her lung, the damage is done. Gail will - until the day she dies -
have trouble breathing. She will cough as she's been doing, albeit not as
much as she was coughing before the treatment began. Her primary cancer
doctor had all along hinted that Gail won't be able to perform any
meaningful work for the reminder of her days, but last Friday made it clear
that Gail will find - should she try working - that her body won't let her.
That's the damage done.
Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, accounting for 1.2
million new cases annually. Over 3 million people have lung cancer, the
majority residing in developed countries.
I wanted to tell Gail about the survival rates so that she could ask the
doctor why we're spending thousands of dollars we don't have on a treatment
that doesn't have much benefit. No doubt the doctor would say it's better
than dying from cancer overnight. I didn't tell Gail because she's already
depressed enough holding out hope that she's going to get better.
A bit of good news, I wrote here about the local mass transit company
(Tri-Met) offering a Handi-van service for about $4 round trip so that Gail
can get to her radiation treatment without having us go broke buying $4.10
(as of Monday) gas. The application, some 18-pages, was FAXED late last
week, and when Gail learned today that another ride fell apart, I urged her
to call Tri-Met to see if the application had been approved.
Lo and behold - it has been!
Seen seeing one of Tri-Met's vans running empty, I had a feeling it couldn't
very well turn down someone like Gail. I must confess, that's pretty fast
action on Tri-Met's part.
And we also learned that the radiation will be for only 4 weeks, not six.
May 29
After spending an
hour on the phone trying to arrange transportation to radiation treatments
which start next week, Gail found a place which said it could transport her
five days a week. The American Cancer Society was to help by making a
donation to the organization. In the mail yesterday Gail received a letter
from the organization saying it could only offer the service two days a
week. When she called back, Gail was told the organization has only one van
and thus she could only fit in twice each week.
At about the same time Gail learned that the local bus system also provides
a handi-van service, for about $5 round trip. Thinking it would be cheaper
than using our Ford pickup, she called to inquire and was directed to a web
site to download a 16-page application! The questions would amaze you. And
as always, Gail must waive her privacy rights or the bus company won't even
consider the application. Add to that, it can take a month to receive a
decision which from the questions you can tell will only be approved if Gail
can prove lung cancer causes her to be disabled - and why should it? It's
not like she has difficulty breathing and walking and you know, staying
freaking alive!
Overreacting as I do, I am so pissed off that there isn't a government
agency providing services like this to cancer patients. From what I'm
learning from these encounters, those who haven't had cancer know nothing
about it. They seem to think it's like the flu; you have it a week or so and
it goes away. Moreover, I can't understand why some millionaire out there
hasn't established a nationwide free service to help victims of cancer. If I
had millions, that's the first thing I'd do with some of the money. I mean,
it blows my mind when I hear Gail talking to these places that claim to
offer aid, but the reality is they really don't do anything at all.
But you may be saying, it's your cancer, deal with it.
True, it is our cross to bear, but what about those who can't bear the load?
As a society do we just let them rot and die?
May 24
The MRI test result
shows that the cancer is being killed by the Chemo, but to speed the
process, and to give what the doctor says will be "more energy", Gail will
need radiation treatment too!
Five days a week for
six weeks, radiation will add thousands to the $2,000-3,000 per treatment
medical bill. Plus, with $4 gas, the daily 25-mile round trip will drain
what little funds we have.
Big city that we
live in, which I've written before isn't really a city at all, there are no
such facilities for radiation in Oregon City and none within the immediate
area. Stunning, I thought, that in this hick town all we have is a small
hospital providing bare-basic services. I know, it's our fault for moving
here.
Not wanting to put
the burden on our neighbors who have been helping out with the weekly Chemo
trip, Gail called around to see if there are community services that do such
thing. She found two, but those organizations do not provide services to
anyone earning more than $900 per month! Since Gail is unemployed, since I'm
on Social Security the monthly benefit which is $907, guess what?
We don't qualify!
Looking around, and
with the help of the American Cancer Society, we found something called Paid
Van providing a shuttle service. They admitted Gail into their program, but
you should see the hoops she'll have to jump through. One hoop requires that
she call to confirm on the night before she's to be picked up, then she has
to call on the morning of, and the night before the following day. As I
understood it, patients in the plan are expected to make donations to the
cover expenses and those who can't, and are physically able, can help clean
and wash the van! To get Gail off that hook, the Cancer Society said it will
make a donation on her behalf, so that was nice.
While news that the
cancer is slowly going away, it was a mixed blessing that by the time we're
done with this nightmare we'll be deeper in debt and I'm not seeing any way
out.
May 18, 2008
It's been awhile since there's been an update on Gail's cancer situation and
some of you have become alarmed.
"I haven't seen a cancer update in any Editor's Desk column for a couple or
more of weeks, and I am really concerned about her. I printed out
the picture of them, and they are such a beautiful
couple! It was so good to put a picture with the faces I have come to feel
like family members!"
After the initial few Chemo treatments Gail became what I considered much
improved. The powerful drugs she takes has, the doctor feels based on weekly
blood work, are working. The main drug, Taxol, isn't called Taxol for
nothing. It taxes the body in such a way that the once happy-go-lucky Gail
has been reduced to a frail woman beyond her years.
The fingernails on blackboard cough she had - caused by the cancer rubbing
against the lung - went away after Chemo had begun, but it's back although
not as bad. The doctor says this is normal. Last week Gail had another MRI
which is supposed to show to what degree the cancer has been eliminated now
that she's half-way through the treatment. Originally, the doctor said
radiation treatment would follow the Chemo, but has since said it may not be
necessary.
So, while Gail is frail, while she's in good spirits except for the part
where she's easily tired and can't do all the things she once did, she's
making what I'd called "fair" progress. I recall writing that the first few
Chemo treatments wiped her out so bad she needed help walking afterwards.
Those days are gone.
Gail did lose most of her hair, but took it in stride. If I didn't mention
it before, I should add that our now good friend from Speeder & Earl's
Coffee in Vermont (see link at top of Ed' Desk page) handmade Gail a number
of bonnets to wear. Jeannie also provides free green and white tea which the
doctor confirmed is good for the prevention of cancer. Not to mention the
free coffee for me.
One minor event to happen last week was that Gail developed a bladder
infection, but that was quickly controlled with antibiotics.
The hardest part right now is dealing with the medical bills. Each Chemo
treatment is roughly $3,000. That doesn't include the charge for this, and
the charge for that associated with each treatment. Like the weekly blood
test, it's extra. Each MRI is $5,000. Gail quickly hit her insurance
deductible, so insurance covers a majority of the charges. With July 1 being
the policy renewal rollover date we're hoping the Chemo will be over by
then.
It always kills me to see the rate at which medical procedures are billed,
and how the insurance company slashes the fee because it exceeds the
contractual agreement. If Gail didn't have insurance she'd have to pay
whatever the original charge was, however.
You may recall my writing about how we asked the hospital to write-off the
$1,500 bill it slapped us with for two MRI's after the insurance had paid it
more than $8,000. To be considered, we had to submit copies of tax returns,
bank statements, bills, and the liver of a nearest living relative. After
all that, the hospital said that our combined $34,000 annual income was too
much and thus it knocked $200 off what we owe.
Oh lord, only in America would $34,000 be seen as living high off the hog.
Long story short, Gail doesn't look like the Gail in the photo taken last
summer, but she's a fighter and determined to come out of the cancer hell
alive.
Oh, there are some perks to having cancer. With the onset of a heat wave
this weekend, our ceiling fan died and off to Home Depot we went for a new
one. Spotting one marked down to $80, a store manager came along and cut
that price in half out of empathy. Our neighbor from down the street, a
contractor, installed it for free. Gail has also learned there are community
services available to low-income cancer patients. For example, the county
has a home repair program so we've applied in an effort to get the rotting
porch fixed. There are only 60 others on the waiting list. But hey, what do
you expect from the government?
