Linda's Story

I was diagnosed with stage 3+ breast cancer in the late summer of 2007, after watching what appeared to be and inflamed lymph node in my left armpit for about a month. I was hurriedly sent for mammograms, MRI's, ultrasounds and biopsies to ultimately confirm the worst of diagnoses--breast cancer in someone with no family history thereof.

I was assigned a surgeon who wanted a fairly quick decision on a surgery date; he abruptly left town and his partner was on vacation, so my oncologist and I decided to do chemotherapy first, before surgery, to see if it would reduce things to lumpectomy parameters.

For me, chemo was a breeze--other than the hair, eyelash and eyebrow loss, I had no significant adverse effects--I felt guilty going into the cancer center feeling so upbeat, as most of the others were so obviously miserable. A change in chemo drugs before Christmas had a brief reaction in fingertips and feet, but a change in dosage kept that from happening again--still no significant adverse effects.

I had surgery in March--bilateral mastectomy with a bunch of lymph-node sampling on both sides. I needed PT for movement and strength training and was progressing well until about halfway into the Radiology treatment--I went from loving life to FLAMING MAGENTA ARMPITS, and work was a chore. In the meantime, I've had to change insurance companies midstream--I had AETNA and had to change to United Healthcare--UHC is hidebound in their requests for proof-of-payment, and NOBODY who makes the decisions in that company is accessible to the rank-and-file.

Meanwhile, everything that was supposed to be "seamless" has not been, worst of which has been the insurance--nobody's been paid since May 1st--this is now mid-July and no one's been paid, I'm responsible and I'm not paying because my insurance company should be!!!

Please help me--these insurance people make my stomach turn and I need to pay my bills and cancer treatment is EXPENSIVE.....