My mom has had a recurrence of her colon cancer. She is holding up as well as could be expected. I am not. But, I am determined to help as much as I can – even from half way across the country. My dear sister is nearby and will no doubt bear a great deal of the burden. I am truly indebted to her and am thankful that she is near.
This is a recurrence for my mom. And, it first appears that it is colon cancer that has traveled to her lungs and other parts of her organs.
With the help of Facebook and Twitter I have already received numerous referrals for oncologists and specialists in the Bay Area and outside of my mom’s existing network. As everyone that deals with cancer will tell you, seek out as many different opinions as you need – there are many – and no one course of treatment is right for everyone.
My biggest concern is the insurance and making sure that everything is paid for ahead of time. I don’t want the doctors to prescribe care that isn’t helpful and isn’t covered. Here is where I need to become engaged and get my mom and sister engaged. It is something that I preach quite often and now need to practice.
The first thing to do is see what the coverage looks like. My mom is on Medicare, so I’ll need to study even more closely what is approved and what is not – before the docs proceed with the care. No surprises, correct provider codes and the best care is what needs to be confirmed.
I head for San Jose on Tuesday. I’ll keep you posted. Please say a prayer for my mom.
