please give some advice for a frien who is dxg with stage 3

[guest0009]

Hi

I am steve and asking your guys opinion, a freind of mine was dg with stage 3 CC last week,and i dont have any other details, she is 28 years old female, right now she has a insruance paln via her husband(she was jobless for 2 years).Will her husband's insurance will cover her surgey and chemo therapy and hospital stays?he told me he has bluecross, full coverage, as I know, they are really a low middle class family, and dont have any savings at all, so all they are relying is on insuarnce,please help
Also he want to know, if the surgery is sucessfull, and hoping that the treatment works, will she stay in bed for rest of her life or she can move around?please guys help me so i can consol my freind, i am really worried for them and i m hoping you guys can shed some light
Thanks
Steve

[Ron50]

Hi Steve,
I am male ,I was 48 at dx. I was stage three with 6 of 13 lymph nodes effected. I was in hospital for ten days and had most of my descending colon removed (no bag). I walked out under my own steam after ten days and started chemo at three weeks. I had 48 sessions over a year. Your friend will most likely have to endure it for six months. I am a sewing machine mechanic by trade and started back at work three mos into chemo. I have worked non stop ever since sometimes 7 days a week,though I did take two days off when I had my gall bladder removed. Life after cancer gets pretty crappy at times ,no pun intended,and the list of medical problems I have had fills volumes. There is nothing to say that I would not have had the problems any way even without the cancer. This jan will be the 9th anniversary of my operation so in summary yes your friend can survive ,she will not be a bed ridden vegtable . With a bit of luck she can lead a perfectly normal and healthy life AS LONG as she remains vigilant and keeps up regular checkups. Give her a hug from me and wish her luck,cheers Ron.

[Magnolia]

I'm 52 and was diagnosed with Stage IIIC this past March. I'm a little more than halfway through chemo, and doing really well. I'm working part time as a nurse. I feel well most days, and the days I don't I don't feel all THAT bad. I just laze around a lot on those days, and don't eat anything that makes me turn green. Most days I eat like a shark. I'm unusual in that I've actually PUT ON ten pounds since surgery. I'm really ready for lunch right now. Your friend has every reason to be optimistic. Chances are very good for a full recovery. Give her my very best.

[mags1161]

Hi,
I had stage I colon cancer about 5 1/2 years ago. I didn't have to have chemo or radiation, so I don't know too much about that. I would make the assumption that, yes, your friend's husband's insurance should take care of her medical bills aside from their deductible and the coinsurance (if any....for example, I have a $250 deductible, after that my insurance co. pays 80% until I reach $1000 total out of pocket, then the rest is covered 100%).....sorry I sell insurance for a living!
As far as her surgery goes, she'll be tired and in pain for awhile. The nurses made me get up and walk around the first night after my surgery (much to my GREAT dismay). It takes a while for your body to recover from the as well as from chemo.
Introduce her to this website. There are lots and lots of people surviving from colon cancer at all stages here and to me this website has been a great comfort and source of strength! And any questions she has, she can always throw to the masses and see what she finds.
Good luck and wish her my best!
Maggie

[Jen Blaire]

Hey Steve, I was dx with stage 3 rectal, had surgery to resect my bowel, stayed in the hospital for 5 days, and did chemo for about 4 months. I have Blushield, and the most i ever had to pay was $100.00, when I went into the hospital, it was my copay, thats all I endured. So, I am pretty sure your friend will be covered.

[ASTEPHENS33]

I have BC-BS and they've been overall really great about covering things. But I must admit that understanding the processes is quite helpful. To get full benefits, at least for my policy, for example, they require a pre-notification before any procedure. I find this made a BIG difference in what I would be responsible for. Also, sometimes things get messed up - possibly because of a billing code error by the doctors or something. Its always gotten sorted out o.k., but sometimes took a bit of calling around. So, my point is, for her to understand the ins and outs of her policy and figure out a way to track everything.