chemo session 3

Chemo session three took place on December 12th. I am feeling much better now that the pneumonia has passed, that stretch was rough. I still have some side effects, although a few have eased up, and overall I am doing well. Thank you for every prayer 🙏 that has been sent my way. I feel them and they truly help.

As many of you know, navigating healthcare and insurance can feel like its own full time job. It is confusing, exhausting, and often leaves you feeling irritated, frustrated, and defeated. Since we are self employed, we get our insurance through the marketplace. Last year we chose a plan through Security Health Plan because I was only going to the doctor once a year and traveling for care did not seem like a big deal once a year. Then life handed me a lemon 🍋 on my very first visit when I was diagnosed with breast cancer again. That diagnosis meant a lot of travel for treatment, and this year we decided it was time to switch insurance so I can receive care closer to home.

Changing insurance while you are in the middle of treatment is its own kind of challenge. When you already have constant appointments and phone calls while not feeling your best, adding more calls to transfer information and advocate for your care can feel overwhelming. Even so, we are making progress and I am feeling more confident about where things stand.

I am also doing genetic testing this time. It was offered during my first diagnosis, but it would not have changed my treatment plan back then, so I chose not to do it. This time my oncologist explained that if I carry a certain gene, there is a medication that can be prescribed after treatment that may help reduce the chance of recurrence. That made the decision clear for me.

My next chemo was originally scheduled for January 2nd, which is also when the new insurance is supposed to begin. Chemo requires preauthorization to ensure coverage, so the plan for now is to have one more treatment at Marshfield Clinic on December 31st as long as my labs look good. This gives the new insurance and the healthcare team at Aspirus more time to process everything before my care officially transfers. Nothing can move forward until I receive my new insurance cards, so I feel better about the scheduled treatment on December 31st with Marshfield Clinic. This gives the additional time at Aspirus to get things approved, while not having too long of a lapse in treatment. 

I also have a consultation scheduled at Aspirus James Beck Cancer Center on January 5th to begin transferring my care there. I will still need to travel for surgery and certain appointments, but the immunotherapy that continues after chemo may last for up to a year. That is one of the biggest reasons we chose to switch insurance. Being able to receive that ongoing treatment closer to home will make a meaningful difference.

Life handed me another lemon🍋 this year, but I am doing everything I can to turn it into pink lemonade. Thank you for walking through this with me.