The High Cost Of Dying

[jones jones]

I am soooo mad right now!

Just got back from an appointment to appraise some antiques ¦ the old guy lives in quite a posh marina about 80 kilometres from my office ¦

He has a fine collection of mostly Antique Chinoiserie Furniture (Chinese stuff for the uninitiated) ¦ just showing off!

But what really made me so mad was that he told me that his wife just died after battling cancer for 19 months ¦ now he has to sell his assets in order to pay the medical bills! Considering where and how he lived these bills must be astronomical to have forced him to sell off his antiques ¦

Why do doctors allow terminal patients to be given chemotherapy ¦ radiation therapy ¦ immunotherapy ¦ biological response modifiers (brm) and perform operations on them knowing that in most cases all this does is delay the inevitable?

Of course I know that in many cases the patient or loved ones are not prepared to accept that death is the most probable scenario ¦

But jeez ¦ to have to sell all your stuff to pay for medical bills for treatment that most likely just made your wife suffer a while longer?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Jj

[chonsigirl]

Because one extra moment of life is worth it all, JJ.

Why should you not try to help your loved ones live longer? It is a choice to be made between them. If I would have followed doctor's advice, my husband would have been placed in a home and be dead years ago. Phooey on them, he is home and doing quite well from what he once was.

[Hope6]

I have an aunt who is terminally ill with cancer! My mothers sister!

she refused all treatments, and has resigned herself to whatever will come, the family has been praying for her fiercely of course, but it's been over a year now and ya know what? she's getting better instead of worse! now i don't know if it's gone into remission or if it wasn't as bad as they thought to begin with or if it's as my other aunt insists, and shes had a miracle! time will yell i guess!



and i have a cousin who was dianosed with cancer and took a series of treatments, after she took the last one, they discovered they had been mistaken and she hadn't had cancer at all! now shes taken all that stuff for nothing!:-5

so i'm kinda wondering about the benefit of taking that stuff too!

[RedGlitter]

I understand what you mean, JJ. That's how it was with Mom. When the chemo stopped working and the radiation stopped too, and it went to her brain, they wanted to operate. She refused with our blessings. About a month later she was back in the hosp on her last week. We accidentally found out then that the cancer was in her stomach and back and God knows where else. They would have done that to my mother knowing she had not a chance. SOBs.

My mom had insurance but my dad is still paying off the bills. I remember one in particular was something like $60,000. We just laughed. They'll have to write that off, there's no way we can pay that.

[RedGlitter]

and i have a cousin who was dianosed with cancer and took a series of treatments, after she took the last one, they discovered they had been mistaken and she hadn't had cancer at all! now shes taken all that stuff for nothing!


Good grief. How do they make a mistake like that?

[chonsigirl]

I think that is horrible your father is still paying those bills, Red. :-1

[Hope6]

RedGlitter;926832 wrote: Good grief. How do they make a mistake like that?


they ended up saying she actually had a virus of some kind!

i guess they made a mistake some kind of a way, but i don't know all the details!

[hoppy]

Hell, I had to sell everything I owned to pay for my wife's divorce. If I get sick now, doc and I are both screwed.

[RedGlitter]

chonsigirl;926839 wrote: I think that is horrible your father is still paying those bills, Red. :-1


Thanks Chonsi. We paid what we could up to a point but that $60,000 was just one bill. That's when we gave up.

Hope6;926864 wrote: they ended up saying she actually had a virus of some kind!



i guess they made a mistake some kind of a way, but i don't know all the details!


Wow. Well crazy as that is to have ingested all those chemicals for naught, it's wonderful that it wasn't cancer after all!

An off topic note to JJ- I enjoy hearing tidbits about your dealings in antiques. I hope you'll resurrect that thread again soon.

[Hope6]

RedGlitter;926898 wrote: Thanks Chonsi. We paid what we could up to a point but that $60,000 was just one bill. That's when we gave up.



Wow. Well crazy as that is to have ingested all those chemicals for naught, it's wonderful that it wasn't cancer after all!

An off topic note to JJ- I enjoy hearing tidbits about your dealings in antiques. I hope you'll resurrect that thread again soon.


yeah who knows what those chemicals are gonna do to her on down the road!

[Patsy Warnick]

I'd say if Dr's misdiagnosed someone, you'd have a law suit.

Down the road these chemicals have had to cause harm.

Red - I know the astronomic costs between the Hosp. & Medication etc.

We just finished paying my husbands fees.

I've had to sell alot of things to pay for alot of medical costs.

One prescription was $300.00 a month.

jj - you ask why do Dr's/medical field insist on a surgery on terminal ill ?

I feel alot of the unnecessary surgerys are teaching.

Medical Field - is practicing medicine at all times.

Certainly Dr's take advantage of the elderly - they're easily confused/distraut

they really need advocate

Dr's did back surgery on my FIL - injected cement into his spine? Wasted surgery - made no difference in a 85 yr. old - who died a year later.??



My husband is called in by his Dr's for class's and interns.

Or They have Dr. so & so and would love to see you..



Who said Frankenstein Days are gone?

it's sad

Patsy

[shelbell]

This is such a difficult decision that can only be answered by the affected and their families. When my dad found out he had 2 types of cancer battling for the same area, we all got together and discussed the options. The doctors prognosis was 3-5 years with treatment. He did the chemo, radiation, transfusions and bone marrow on and off for quite sometime. He managed to live 8 years, most of them really good, but the last 6 months was a hard trip down. If he would not have done all that, he may have not made it to when my youngest was born. I thank God that we had him as long as we did. :-4:-4