On May 7, 2019 the cancer clinic told us that the Rituxan chemo drug that they were giving me just wasn’t doing the job. They had decided it was time to do the whole regiment of drugs. This is called R-CHOP. Look at that picture. I had hair. Also I was wrapped in those awesome warm blankets you get in the hospital. I was cold most of the time.
I always thought that there was one bag that had the chemo in it. Nope, R-CHOP is five (5) different drugs. On chemo days they always weigh you and take your height. This is so the pharmacist can mix your drugs according to your height and weight. Who knew? (well you do now since I just told you). You’re welcome.
I had two rounds of the Rituxan before they started the six rounds of R-CHOP. In my case I was getting chemo three weeks apart.
They don’t give you the drugs all at the same time. One at a time. This way you are devoting 5 to 6 hours a day to the process. They have snacks and drinks you can have. If you’re there for longer than 4 hours they will get you a plate of food. (at least at the hospitals I spent my time in). This was not just that icky food I had during most my hospital stays before and during transplant. You got a menu. You got to choose what you wanted. They bring it right to your chair.
Menu items included pasta, sandwiches, pizza, regular meat dishes, soups, salads, and a chicken wrap. Oh and dessert. Be still my beating heart. Of course, (don’t tell anyone I told you this, but I would order enough so that Brent could have half). My favorite was the wrap (big enough for two), cheesy potato soup (for me), a half chef salad (for Brent), a chocolate milk shake for him, and my favorite, cheesecake with caramel sauce. You pay enough for the treatment, so they can afford what we ordered.
Speaking of being billed for services. Let’s go over the cost of being super sick.
This was the statement of total charges from January 1, 2019, to the end of May. You read that right. $1,178,339.12. One million, one hundred seventy eight thousand, three hundred thirty nine hundred, dollars and twelve cents!! That’s how much was billed. The amount paid was only $80,402.09. All I can say is, thank God I’m on disability Medicare. The hospitals and doctors have to accept the payment given and I’m not charged for the difference. If you or a relative are on regular insurance you might be asked (or forced) to pay the difference. Living in other countries that don’t make you pay the difference sounds somewhat better right now, doesn’t it.
Let’s talk about the chemo drugs. Here’s a list and charges for the ones I was given. This is for the all the rounds I got. Remember I had 6 rounds plus an additional two of Rituxan.
Rituximab. $106,032.00
Cyclophosphamide. $9,794.40
Doxorubicin. $2,718.90
Vincristine. $1351.80
Prednisone. $571.50
Neulasta. $45,646.68
Neulasta is a shot that they give you 24 hours after chemo. It helps your white blood cells to regenerate faster.
Sidebar: Does it bother anyone else that when they show cancer patients on commercials they don’t look like they have cancer? I mean, that’s just false advertising. You look a sickly color. Show it how it really is. Don’t make it look like it’s a walk in the park!
If you add up all my charges for the year 2019, which includes all the transplant, chemo, tests, procedures, lab work, etc, the total amount is $1,344,445.37.
Yikes
According to my accountant Brent, the amount of charges for the years 2018 through 2020 is over $2,300,000.00
And you wonder why so many people file bankruptcy due to medical bills.
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