Catia Bitching Cancer

The TailorX trial people rejected me because of the close margin on the DCIS. But Dr. Faith decided it was still worth it to know my OncotypeDX score, so she went ahead and ordered it. Only thing is I’ll have to wait another week before knowing it (next appointment scheduled for January 17th). That means I won’t be able to start any treatment before next week. It’s mindfucking waiting over and over again!!!! But I talked to Francesca today and she didn’t seem too upset about the delay. It’s just emotionally draining, that’s all.

On another note: I have had several people telling me how sorry they are about me having Kaiser as a health provider. Of course, my friends are all worried that I get the best possible care. But in a way it’s unnerving for many reasons. First, my troubles with doctors, appointments, the refusal of a test that I think is important, etc. could have and have happened to people with other types of insurance. The treatment that Kaiser oncologists suggested is very reasonable and has also been suggested to me by other oncologists via email. My disagreements with my own oncologists revolved around their inflexibility (in my opinion) to consider other options, and their not treating me like a rational well informed human being with the right to participate in her own treatment decisions. But that could have and has happened to other women I know with different insurance plans. Moreover, I know of several women who have had to battle insurance companies to get medicines or tests their doctors thought they needed, or to get their insurance companies to pay for services they had already received. This doesn’t happen with Kaiser: once a doctor decides to recommend a treatment/medicine/test, you get it, that’s it. No bureaucrats to fight with. In my case, it was the oncologist who decided (wrongly in my opinion) that I didn’t need the OncotypeDX. Well, I found another doctor who did. I also know of many women who had to visit two, three, four oncologists before finding the one they felt comfortable with. So did I. The only trouble with Kaiser is that you have to use Kaiser doctors. But their network is so vast that if you are willing to travel you are bound to find a doctor you like. In my case I’ll have to go to Hollywood. Big deal! I also want to mention that I could have chosen any other plan through Bruce’s employer. We could’ve gone PPO. But I love Sandro’s pediatrician, I love Dr. McDorky, I love Dr. Faith. I think we have excellent doctors and we’ve had perfectly good care throughout the years we’ve been with them (and Sandro’s ear and asthma troubles when he was littler required a lot of attention!). Finally, let me also mention that I think Kaiser is the closest we have in this country to socialized medicine. It’s the only nonprofit insurance company I know and this choice for me is as much political as it is personal. So please don’t ask me again to switch!

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