On Wednesday, we saw the oncologist for the results of Greg's PET scan. We were not expecting anything different than the EGD and biopsy results, so it seemed like just a formality. We were not disappointed! Greg's PET scan showed absolutely no signs of any cancer! We are SO happy! This is such an aggressive cancer, and with Greg not being a candidate for surgery, we really had no idea what to expect. We have been so blessed with how Greg has responded to his treatment. It's really been incredible. The doctors could not believe that he actually drove himself the 30 miles (one way) for every one of his radiation treatments, and that he was able to do the same for each of his four chemo treatments. At his age, and with the amount of chemo and radiation his body has endured over the last 25 years, it's simply unheard of!
As the results were everything we were hoping for, we were able to have Greg's PICC line removed! Fortunately, that's not a surgical procedure, so we were able to have it done in one of the "clean" chemotherapy rooms. Of course, I need to share some pictures! Don't worry, they're not very graphic!
And here's some video! It was like pulling out a tapeworm! LOL
The best news of all is that he is getting his PEG tube (stomach tube) removed on Tuesday! That means we don't have to worry about it accidentally "popping open" when he's in his tux at our son's wedding! YAY! And it's an office procedure, so that makes it even easier! For once, all the paperwork was completed and approved by the insurance company without a fight, so we're good to go!
All the praise for this belongs to the Ultimate Physician! God is the only one that could have given us such an incredible outcome for such a horrific disease! All the praise and glory is His! Once again, our Father has healed Greg! He must have some amazing things planned for him on this earth to continually heal him!
Thank you to everyone for your prayers. It is obvious to us that they were heard!
I have to start this post with this statement: THANK GOODNESS WE HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE! I've been keeping a close eye on Greg's claims since his diagnosis with esophageal cancer and boy, oh, boy, this is some expensive stuff!
Last year, his medical bills totaled about $29,000 (including pharmacy). That's not too bad considering he has permanent nerve damage from shingles (lots of meds for that), a pacemaker/defibrillator for congestive heart failure and of course, his history of cancer.
We have my insurance through United HealthCare (my employer), and he has Medicare Part B. He had enough issues that when he became eligible for Part B, we knew we had to get it. Having Medicare Part B has made a huge difference for us and even though we have to pay for it, it has saved us quite a bit of money. My insurance is primary and whatever mine doesn't cover, Medicare does. Pretty awesome having that double coverage, especially when I tell you how much stuff is costing!
So far this year, Greg's medical bills total $88,000. The bulk of that is from March 1st to May 1st. The day he saw the radiation oncologist, got his tattoos and had his "mask" made came to a total of $22,000! I don't know about you, but that seems like a boatload of money to me!
I called the hospital this morning because I had some questions on his bills. I've been waiting for the chemo and radiation bills to hit my insurance, as I'm really curious as to how much that's going to cost. I'm really kind of obsessed about how much all this is costing, probably because I know insurance is going to cover it all.
Sooooooooooooooo, I found out the cost for radiation! Aren't you excited by that? I know I was! Ha! Let's start with this . . . I am once again going to be married to the Million Dollar Man! His radiation treatments cost $23,000 EACH! At 5 x week, that comes to $115,000 per week, and a total of $805,000. That's $4,600 per MINUTE or $76.66 per SECOND! Those numbers just boggle my mind!
His chemotherapy, on the other hand, appears to be rather inexpensive, at only $7,500. He'll have four treatments, so we're only talking about a measly $30,000. I'm sure, with all the other appointments he's going to have, and all the additional CT scans, and other stuff they'll want to do, that number is going to rise significantly.
Aside from that, I had a great day today. I started working at 6:15 a.m. and continued until 5:30. Greg hasn't been able to work much, and money is getting very tight, so I need to take all the overtime I can get. It's so nice working in my home office. The cats are also enjoying my home office. Because it's in the lower level, the window is at ground level. The cats love to sit ono the shelf and watch the little sparrows. I threw some bird seed out in front of the window to entice the birds and it has worked marvelously! It seems we also have a little mouse that is enjoying the bird seed, and is driving the cats absolutely crazy!
Greg had his dressing changed on his PICC line yesterday and had the nurse take a picture for me! Wasn't that sweet! Ha, ha, ha! So, of course, I'm going to share with you! That's just the kind of wonderful person I am, you know.
So, that's about all for today. Hope everyone has a great evening!
Blessings to all!
Julie
If anyone wants to help: Greg's GoFundMe
