cancer treatment/surgery
Donation protected
A few weeks ago I was suffering what I thought was a stomach flu, but when it became unbearable,I went to the E.R....found out I had a severely infected & full gallbladder and it needed removal. After all the imaging tests all seemed well to proceed,so I had the operation. The surgeon had to open & remove some stones before removing the bladder itself. The surgery went well and I thought all would be fine. Two days later,I received a call from my surgeon. After the surgery,the gallbladder was sent to Pathology for post-operative testing,where they found cancer in the gallbladder. Because the Dr. had opened the gallbladder during surgery,now there was the fear that some of those cancer cells got out into my system and may spread. Now I need to see Gastro-oncolgy Drs. to see if more surgery is necessary or other cancer related treatments. It's not the fault of the original surgeon because all of the pre-operative tests indicated everything was ok for surgery, nothing showed until the pathology testing.
I've already been to one major hospital for consultation with a top surgeon and he recommended additional surgery to be sure there was no spread of cancer to other organs.....however, I am on limited income,I get monthly SS benefits,but I am only 63,so I don't qualify for Medicare and because I have to include my wife's monthly earnings (she is on SS disability) we don't qualify for state aid....and private insurance is far too expensive on what I get for SS...and even IF I could get it now,I wouldn't be covered as it would be considered a pre-existing condition.......so,because I have no coverage and I do not live in their State,they have no financial aid programs for out of state residents,I was refused any further treatments from them.
I am going to a very good in State facility,and they do have some financial aid available for me,which will considerably cut down my overall costs,but not all and I still have to maintain my household expenses each month,so any extra expenses are very difficult.
As of now,the Dr. is assuming more advanced testing,possible surgery and/or chemo or radiation therapy...all very expensive and although I will get some financial aid from them, it won't take care of everything I need . I see the new Dr. on May 1, but the expenses I've already incurred from the initial testing/surgery/treatments is nearly $90,000 (most of which will be absorbed by my local hospital's financial aid plan,but not all...I have nearly depleted any savings I had trying to keep up with household expenses & now new medical expenses) and I anticipate that anything done at the new facility is going to cost at least as much,if not much more than that...it is a much more specialized facility( they do also have a financial aid program as well,but not free)
I really do dislike being put in a position where I'm forced to ask for help,I was raised to be self sufficient...I've always refused charity in the past and worked my way through my problems, but now I'm running out of options and I have others to worry/care about besides myself and this problem won't just go away on it's own. I appreciate everyone reading my story,there's probably much more I could add about the situation,but as I said,it's very difficult for me to ask for help for myself......ironically,I used to be a Jaycee and fundraising for other causes was easy for me to ask for....this is not
TODAY IS MAY 20TH...15 DAYS UNTIL THE SURGERY....I'VE GOTTEN ABOUT 14% OF MY GOAL IN VERY MUCH WELCOMED & NEEDED HELP (WHAT I HAVE RECEIVED HAS CLEARED UP THE BULK OF MY EXETER BILLS...STILL HAVE A SMALL BALANCE).....DARTMOUTH MAY BE DIFFERENT,THEY ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE,THEY CLAIM I SHOULD GET FINANCIAL AID...BUT SO FAR I HAVEN'T HAD ANY CONFIRMATION OF THAT......I HATE TO SOUND.FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM. GREEDY....BUT IF THOSE WHO'LL READ THIS WOULD PLEASE SHARE IT AND WHO KNOWS IF IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD,BUT I CAN HOPE
I DID DECIDE TO CHANGE MY PHOTO TO SOMETHING I THOUGHT MORE FOLKS WOULD RECOGNIZE (WISH I DID STILL LOOK THAT YOUNG)....THIS IS NOT A NEW CAMPAIGN,IT'S JUST UPDATED..................MANY,MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HERE FOR ME SO FAR
I've already been to one major hospital for consultation with a top surgeon and he recommended additional surgery to be sure there was no spread of cancer to other organs.....however, I am on limited income,I get monthly SS benefits,but I am only 63,so I don't qualify for Medicare and because I have to include my wife's monthly earnings (she is on SS disability) we don't qualify for state aid....and private insurance is far too expensive on what I get for SS...and even IF I could get it now,I wouldn't be covered as it would be considered a pre-existing condition.......so,because I have no coverage and I do not live in their State,they have no financial aid programs for out of state residents,I was refused any further treatments from them.
I am going to a very good in State facility,and they do have some financial aid available for me,which will considerably cut down my overall costs,but not all and I still have to maintain my household expenses each month,so any extra expenses are very difficult.
As of now,the Dr. is assuming more advanced testing,possible surgery and/or chemo or radiation therapy...all very expensive and although I will get some financial aid from them, it won't take care of everything I need . I see the new Dr. on May 1, but the expenses I've already incurred from the initial testing/surgery/treatments is nearly $90,000 (most of which will be absorbed by my local hospital's financial aid plan,but not all...I have nearly depleted any savings I had trying to keep up with household expenses & now new medical expenses) and I anticipate that anything done at the new facility is going to cost at least as much,if not much more than that...it is a much more specialized facility( they do also have a financial aid program as well,but not free)
I really do dislike being put in a position where I'm forced to ask for help,I was raised to be self sufficient...I've always refused charity in the past and worked my way through my problems, but now I'm running out of options and I have others to worry/care about besides myself and this problem won't just go away on it's own. I appreciate everyone reading my story,there's probably much more I could add about the situation,but as I said,it's very difficult for me to ask for help for myself......ironically,I used to be a Jaycee and fundraising for other causes was easy for me to ask for....this is not
TODAY IS MAY 20TH...15 DAYS UNTIL THE SURGERY....I'VE GOTTEN ABOUT 14% OF MY GOAL IN VERY MUCH WELCOMED & NEEDED HELP (WHAT I HAVE RECEIVED HAS CLEARED UP THE BULK OF MY EXETER BILLS...STILL HAVE A SMALL BALANCE).....DARTMOUTH MAY BE DIFFERENT,THEY ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE,THEY CLAIM I SHOULD GET FINANCIAL AID...BUT SO FAR I HAVEN'T HAD ANY CONFIRMATION OF THAT......I HATE TO SOUND.FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM. GREEDY....BUT IF THOSE WHO'LL READ THIS WOULD PLEASE SHARE IT AND WHO KNOWS IF IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD,BUT I CAN HOPE
I DID DECIDE TO CHANGE MY PHOTO TO SOMETHING I THOUGHT MORE FOLKS WOULD RECOGNIZE (WISH I DID STILL LOOK THAT YOUNG)....THIS IS NOT A NEW CAMPAIGN,IT'S JUST UPDATED..................MANY,MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS BEEN HERE FOR ME SO FAR
Organizer
Lloyd Metevier
Organizer
Exeter, NH