Taxol, unlike Adriamycin and Cytoxin (AC), has caused my red blood count to be diminished and has left my white blood count at the low end of the "normal" bracket, which is 1.4 - 6.5, but in the bracket nonetheless... that is, until recently.
Before I started chemotherapy, my normal level was 3.6. After I started on the AC treatments it was rarely above 1.3 and had a recorded record low of 0.6. Of course, in one of my over productive stages I had a high of, if I remember correctly, 63.
For the past three weeks my white blood count has been slowly going down, and every week the nurses have commented on the possibility of giving me a Neupogen shot to prevent neutropenia. This week my white blood count was low, outside of the bracket, making me more susceptible to, well, everything.
After they "took me down" (gave me a Heprin flush, removed my tap and taped gauze to my port) I asked if I should be getting a shot because of my blood count, because while I don't particularly care for the way the shot burns and the discomfort and internal firestorms it causes, I would really rather not get neutropenic fever and everything that entails.
HOWEVER, as it turns out, insurance policies have changed! The nurse went and asked my doctor if they should give me a shot who said, to the nurse's surprise, that no, they were just going to hope that my system corrects itself because the insurance companies are now refusing to pay for preventative Neupogen shots and require the following criteria for a patient to get a shot: 1) The patient must have neutropenic fever and 2) the white blood gradient must be below 1.0!!!! (remember, the safe zone/normal bracket is 1.4-6.5)
How can this be a thing? Why do the insurance companies have so much power over health care? I understand the need to control the excessive administration of drugs to patients for financial purposes, but, seriously, crack down on something that is administered excessively, like antibiotics. Antibiotics have been administered to me like candy on several occasions. As a matter of fact, one of my past doctors didn't even seem to be listening to me when I was telling her my symptoms, and, in retrospect, she should have been worried about ovarian cancer or something and have prescribed an ultrasound like the doctor I dumped her for did, NOT antibiotics.
But why prevent doctors from administering preventative medicine to cancer patients? That doesn't even make any sense! And the doctors only have the shots administered a) to patients that need them and b) until the patient's immune system starts functioning on its own again.
My count isn't that bad right now (1.3), but if it were a tenth of a point or two lower, I would be concerned and really pissed off... not that I'm not angry right now, but this is more general anger whereas the other would be more selfish anger.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that insurance companies are evil and have absolutely no concern for the patients. Not that insurance company employees are all selfish, soulless, creeps, but the top dogs and policy makers that make all the money certainly appear to be.
At some point I may venture to take on the big scary monster, but I am going to need to stock up on armor first.
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