Are You Covered?

Are you Covered? Paying for Cancer care?

  You may not realize that financial assistance for cancer treatment and other services is available to people at various income levels and in many situations. Unfortunately, many service providers do not have the means to promote their services, and many cancer patients and families are unaware of the available resources.

Finding and keeping affordable health insurance is critical if you have cancer, have had cancer, or have a family member with the disease (see Insurance Guidance in box at right). Even with the best insurance coverage, you will likely be responsible for deductibles, co-payments, hospital bed rentals, some at-home nursing care, certain medications, and some services.

If you don't have insurance or adequate insurance, you probably need help tracking down government and private sources of assistance. Get started by contacting the social work department at the hospital where you are receiving care. 

• Financial Help From Social Security Disability Programs

• What You Need to Know about Medicare Part D

• Clinical Trials: What is the Financial Impact

• Prescription Assistance Programs     

  How to pay for Cancer treatment with no insurance?
  
  
  First off, realize you're not alone; 45 million Americans have no health insurance. While it makes getting treatment more difficult, lack of insurance doesn't mean you can't get treated. 
  See: 
  Financial help when a parent leaves a nursing home to live with family?
   See all 1960 questions about Cancer
  You'll need to be proactive about getting healthcare, since you won't have the safety net of an insurance company and primary care doctor overseeing your treatment. Keep this mantra in mind: Your job is to get better, and to do that you need to obtain the best healthcare you can get, using the resources you have.
  
  The first thing you need to do is find out what hospitals and medical centers provide treatment to the uninsured in your area. Every region has hospitals operated by state and local government (public hospitals) as well as some nonprofit hospitals that provide a safety net for anyone who needs care, regardless of ability to pay.
  
  Start by contacting your local health department (in the government pages of your phone book or on the Internet) to ask what public health services are offered in your community. But don't stop there; call your local hospital and ask to speak with a social worker. Ask for information about any "charity care" or "indigent care" programs. Hospital social workers are usually the most knowledgeable about sources of support in your community.
  
  It's also important to research hospitals that are required to provide treatment under the Hill-Burton Hospital Program. Hospitals that receive construction funds from the federal government must provide some services to cancer patients who can't afford to pay for their care. Approximately 300 hospitals take part in this program. Call (800) 638-0742 to find the closest participating hospital.
  
  In addition, the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service can direct you to local programs as well. For more information, go to www.cancer.gov or call (800)-422-6237.
  
  If you have breast or cervical cancer, there are additional resources mandated under the Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Act of 2000. This legislation extended Medicaid coverage for women who have been screened and diagnosed through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program in states that have agreed to provide this service. For more information, go to www.cdc.gov/cancer/nbccedp/index.htm or call (888) 842-6355.
  
  After I have personally been put through the ringers for disability insurance, for stage 4 colon cancer, paying for insurance, acute or long term, seems to not work in your favor, no matter who you are. The icing on the cake came when I have had the pleasure to meet wonderful people with  terrible cancers and have no means of paying and they express that they are not getting the same care that I am. This promoted me to address this issues in the blog.
  
  I pray for Gods intervention with the U.S. health care system and hopefully Jan 1, 2014 will make a difference with the uninsured, underinsured and preexisting conditions that will present to the health delivery system.
  
  As always, In Gods, Presence, Strength, and Courage
  Bo Morris

Learning to Share

            

            The Ease of Sharing

            Having the ability to seek immediate information online has become part of human behavior. Access to an unlimited supply of information has its merits and its detriments but it is something that is omnipresent and available.

            We often ask friends and family for recommendations on restaurants, movies, maybe even a vacation spot because we hope their knowledge and experience will prove fruitful. We even turn to the Internet for similar recommendations because there’s value in others’ opinions, it could save us time, money and even introduce us to something we might not have thought about.

            Looking for health information isn’t that much different especially when it comes to cancer. In fact, some would argue it’s probably more important since cancer isn’t one disease but hundreds and we can’t expect that our doctors will be able to provide everything we need. It’s the information we share that can help facilitate important discussions between patients, doctors and family that are crucial to our survival, whether we’re just starting our battle or are dealing with the aftereffects.

            In an age where information is abundant and just about everything is shared, thanks to Facebook and Twitter, health information has real meaning and purpose and should be shared. The more we do so, the more empowered and less anxious we become about making decisions and getting the support we need with and without our doctors. I believe that there is power in numbers and the more we share with one another, the closer we'll get to finding solutions that have a real impact on our lives.

             The Difficulty with Sharing

            The conversations nobody wants to have shape lives. Delicate and highly personal, they are as different as we are. They decide questions as weighty as One more round of chemo that might give me some more time, or live out the rest of my life without the problems it will surely bring?

At their best, discussions about a cancer diagnosis, prognosis and the end of treatment are gentle, honest and respectful. At their worst, they are abrupt and do not honor the needs of the individual.

            Oncologists and other doctors say that navigating the conversations takes a good ear more than anything. In almost all cases, they say, patients should decide what they want to hear and when. You have to be good at listening. Some people aren’t good at listening; they’re good at talking.

           I have to say that I am working at sharing my deepest feelings to those who dare to read this blog. It is fruitful, but nevertheless, painful and sometimes very difficult. My physicians pray with myself and wife frequently and provide an atmosphere of encouragement and hope. The picture is not tainted with artificial cheer but shades of struggle and the often times fear of dying in pain and loss of body appearance. God is my strength and is always ahead of this struggle.
         
           Sharing is asked of us by our brother in Christ: James 5:16. Prior to this verse 5:15 the prayer of faith with heal the sick and if there is sin found it will be wiped clean, through Christ. I am better at sharing with others my internal fears and struggles, thanks God, my Pastor, Oncologist, Surgeon and friends.

Always, Peace, Strength and Courage Through God the Father
Bo Morris

             

Emphasis of Screening

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Early diagnosis, though, can often lead to a complete cure.

Almost all colon cancers start in glands in the lining of the colon and rectum. When doctors talk about colorectal cancer, this is usually what they are talking about.

There is no single cause of colon cancer. Nearly all colon cancers begin as noncancerous (benign) polyps, which slowly develop into cancer.

You have a high risk of colon cancer if you:

• Are older than 60
• Are African American of eastern European descent
• Eat a a lot of red or processed meats
• Have colorectal polyps
• Have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis)
• Have a family history of colon cancer
• Have a personal history of breast cancer

Certain inherited diseases also increase the risk of developing colon cancer. Two of the most common are:

• Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
• Hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), also known as Lynch syndrome

What you eat may play a role in your risk of colon cancer. Colon cancer may be linked to a high-fat, low-fiber diet and to a high intake of red meat. Some studies, though, have found that the risk does not drop if you switch to a high-fiber diet, so this link is not yet clear.

Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol are other risk factors for colorectal cancer.

I have young friends, who for what ever reason, seem to avoid the Fecal occult blood test-every 1-2 years or the sigmoidoscopy and even further the colonoscopy. The standard recommendations are 3-5 years for low to moderate risk and for a higher risk group this can be individualized by the practitioner.

Always thank you all for the overwhelming support!

In Gods Peace, Strength, and Courage

Bo Morris

Playing the Odds

If Odds are against you

We cancer patients face a world of frightening, difficult-to-understand information and an overwhelming array of confusing therapies and choices. Cancer authorities and survivors agree that information is critical to survival. However, with so little time, and under so much stress, we cancer patients find it nearly impossible to acquire this vital information and rarely have a comprehensive resource that we can rely on to begin a healing journey. 

Here are some examples of narrowing your search:

• Enhance survival odds by learning to access the Physicians Data Query (PDQ) to determine if you are receiving the right treatment.
• Find out the best complementary therapies to use in addition to your primary treatment.
• Learn how the timing of chemotherapy treatment and the timing of breast cancer surgery may effect survival odds.
• Learn about new tests like chemo sensitivity testing to determine to if the chemo you plan to take is effective against your cancer.
• When survival odds are low with conventional therapy, alternatives may be your only hope. Find out the most promising alternative therapies.
• Discover the most realistic and powerful mind/body therapies.
• Explore how prayer and your spiritual beliefs can assist in healing.

Expression that is purely honest.

For those who may not be familiar with the last ten years of C. S. Lewis" life, you should know that most of his life he was a confirmed bachelor, living with his brother, Warnie. At the height of his career as an author and lecturer at Oxford and Cambridge, he met an American, Joy Gresham, a Jewish poet who had converted to Christianity, and was in the process of getting a divorce from her alcoholic and philandering husband.

Joy made a series of visits to England, and she and Lewis developed a deep friendship. She later moved to Oxford and then, unexpectedly, she fell and broke her leg, which, upon examination, proved to be riddled with cancer. She was immediately hospitalized but there seemed to be no hope of recovery. When she became ill, Lewis realized that his love for her was more than friendship and he and Joy were married in the hospital during her illness.

Surprisingly, she rallied and recovered her health for two years before the bone cancer returned and she later died. Lewis was so distressed that he cried out his anger at God and was tempted to regard God as a sadist, treating us like rats in a Skinner box. He examined his rage and its eventual resolution in his book, A Grief Observed. Initially, he was so ashamed of his emotional reaction to Joy's death that he published it under a pen name, C. N. Clerk.   What is clear is that God blessed C. S. Lewis with a very special love and marriage, when he seemed resigned to live without love. His love for Joy deepened his faith and compassion. Like Jacob, he wrestled with God and emerged wounded but blessed.

The Odds of surviving stage 4 colon cancer

The survival rate is often expressed as life expectancy of cancer patients in the next 1 year or five years. For example a five year survival rate of 40% states that out of 100 diagnosed cancer patients for the particular type, 40 people can live for 5 years or longer. It is very difficult to predict an exact survival rate, since the life expectancy of the person is highly circumstantial. A lot depends upon the care and treatment given to the patient as well as his own will power to conquer the disease. Stage 4 cancer is a condition in which cancer is in metastasized state, meaning, it has spread to distant organs. An example from the colon to the liver and lymph nodes. According to Ed Zimney, MD, stage four cancer is no longer a disease that can be officially cured. However, its progress can still be delayed as long as is medically possible. The average five-year survival rate for someone with stage four colon cancer is 8 percent, according to data provided by the American Cancer Society.

Coping with psychological stress of cancer

Emotional and social support can help patients learn to cope with psychological stress. Such support can reduce levels of depression, anxiety, and disease- and treatment-related symptoms among patients. Approaches can include the following:

• Training in relaxation, meditation, or stress management
• Counseling or talk therapy
• Cancer education sessions
• Social support in a group setting
• Medications for depression or anxiety
• Exercise
• The most important support socially and psychologically is to anchor down in a local church. Become actively involved in expression of difficulties, pain etc.. and find a place for spiritual expression.

Stage 4 cancer survival rate all depends on the patient. People should never lose hope and for families of those affected they should continue to encourage the patient and show love to boost the chance of stage 4 cancer survival rate.

Artherholt SB,. Fann JR. (2012). Psychosocial care in cancer. Current Psychiatry Reports; 14(1): 23-29.

Sincerely 

Always in Gods Peace, Strength and Courage

Bo Morris

             

               

Mindset

My Mindset

There's no "right" way to cope with cancer. Each person handles the emotional challenges differently. Think about how you usually function in an emergency and expect to react the same way. It may help to understand the strengths that brought you through adversity before. Ask yourself whose support you usually count on in trying times, including family, friends, spiritual advisers and mental health professionals. Do what works for you. But if your reactions to crises generally interfere with your ability to function at home or at work, and you are unable to make treatment, family or workplace decisions, reach out to traditional or new support systems now.

What does Cancer mean to you?

Cancer triggers a terror different from most other diseases, even though they may have worse consequences. Any sense of doom you may have probably comes more from this historic dread than from the current realities concerning your type of cancer and its treatment. Cancer is not a death sentence for most people. It does not necessarily lead to helplessness, pain, disfigurement, disability or the end of your career. Accept that these exaggerated fears are normal, but do not let them prevent you from having a worrisome lump or symptom checked out or from deciding to undergo recommended treatment. And do not conclude that you will not have the energy or focus to pursue life goals. Most people find that their anxiety diminishes greatly once treatment begins and they are taking active steps to combat the disease.

Let it out

Express your feelings, no matter how awful or embarrassing they may seem to you. Keeping them bottled up may prevent you from moving beyond the distress. However, at work or at home, you may need to promote the image that you are in greater control than you may feel. In that case, you need to find a person you can trust or a safe place -- at a support group, in a therapy session with someone who has had cancer -- where you can vent your anger, fear, sadness and even those alternating hopeful and hopeless feelings. It may also help to find a quiet place to become aware of the full range of your emotions -- by meditating or writing in a journal, for example -- and to appreciate that you can get through this.

God is in control!
My favorite author, C.S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscious and shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” And I could not agree more. My whole life prior to cancer, the Lord has been whispering to me, and at times even speaking to me, to remind me of His presence and love. But my diagnosis became like a megaphone, blaring the Lord’s love for all to hear. Christian and non-Christian friends alike all gathered to pray for me. The Lord had to constantly remind me that it is He who controls my life, not the doctors or the statistics I am facing each day.

Cancer has been a turning point in my life that I never could have dreamed of, and I know that my life will never be the same. But despite the hard times and the multitudes of tears, the Lord has been protecting me every step of this journey. Whether I live, and one day become cancer free, or I die, I know without a doubt that God is good, and that does not change based on my circumstances. For now, I can rest in the assurance that the Lord is looking out for me, and therefore I can simply strive to live life joyfully for every day that I am given.

Thank you all for your kindness and sensitivity. 

Always in Gods Peace, Strength and Courage

Bo Morris

The New Me

Chemo began in February and I have begun to look like the Egyptian cat. Skin Head! Hair has been falling out by merely running my fingers through the hair, without pulling mind you. Hair protects the skin and conserves heat. It also plays a role in self image. Well, I am without protection, I am loosing heat and my image is bare, only on the surface.

Hair falls out at the root when the bulb shrinks, Hair falls out spontaneously, during light trauma, like running your hand through the hair or brushing it. There is nothing that can help the loss. No shampoo or hair growth stimulant or cosmetic treatment. I ask myself- would a toupee work? It is just not me!
My Tennessee, UK, Boston Red Sox, and Gibson Bay hats will just have to do. I look forward to it growing back. maybe dark brown and curly. Maybe even my ole Afro look again, a remnant from the seventies.

This week is drug free week and next Monday begins the triple threat. Xeluda, Irinotecan, Avastin.
The Oncology team has decided to give me two extra days of fluids and anti-nausea, since I was so sick the last time, for seven days. Mind you I am very positive and I am very aware of the inner peace that God has given me through this process. In addition my wife, who is a Saint by her own right, keeps me from falling too low, that is emotionally, and reminds me daily of Gods love and that He is in control.

I am continually active with photography. The Saturday prior to Easter I took some pictures while the fog was beginning to burn off.

I had to frame the first two, in a 13x19 print to a 18x36 frame and a double matte.
I have recently been approved to shoot at the Lexington Legends and the Cincinnati Reds games. An exciting and long season. The University of Kentucky spring football game is around the corner and that will be fun, especially with the new recruits and the new coach.

Isaiah 53:5-6
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned ever one  to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Thank all of you for your prayers and thoughts ! I miss being at work, with the office staff and with the patients who have been so supportive through my journey.

Sincerely,
Always in Gods Peace, Strength and Courage.
Bo Morris

After the third round

Several hours after the infusion of Irinotecan incredible nausea and vomiting began. It lasted for 7 days. A persistent cough seemed to creep in and finally I landed in the hospital for 30 hours for hydration and antibiotics. I will have to say that the stay in the hospital was pleasant and seeing friends was helpful for healing. I would not go anywhere else but Baptist Health Richmond. My office staff remains loyal and the very best of friends, at the risk of sounding too emotional, I love them so much! I have Cancer so I can act silly and get away with it!

During these difficult times of experiencing side effects many questions from friends and colleagues arose concerning the medications given to relieve the symptoms. Let me start with the preparation of infusion. The nurses prepare the port for infusion then hydrate with normal saline. A combination of antiemetic medications IV are given: Aloxi, Emend, 0.5 mg of ativan and 12mg of dexamethasone.

Steroid

The steroid has many mechanisms but Ill concentrate on several. N/V is a major concern, however, its mechanism is not fully understood. An effect on prostaglandin release and it's subsequent effect on the brain is thought to be the desired effect. One can expect to feel a subjective sense of well being but anxiety and mood changes are also to follow. This steroid in combination with the other anti- emetics can surely bring about diarrheal episodes.

A list of side effects:

- proximal muscle weakness

- Cataract formation

- Hyperglycemia

- adrenal suppresion

-Lethargy

-Weight gain

- Insomnia

Cannabis

Cannabis contains 60 different types of cannabinoids. 2 oral agents approved by FDA are in the market place. Dronabinol and Nabilone a third is under investigation, Sativex (a buccal spray).

Limited conclusions from recent studies about its efficacy can be drawn. the standard of therapy are the previously mentioned agents - 5-HT3 receptor antagonist.

A list of side effects:

- Euphoris

- dizzyness

- dysphoria

- hallucinations

- hypotension

E. L. Doctorow stated, "writing a book is like driving a car at night. You never see further than your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way". That philosophy applies to life as well. The headlights on my car shine 350 feet, but even with that much light, I can travel all the way to California. I need to see only enough light to get moving.

Psalms 97, 9-12  O lord, you are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

                           You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the                      lives of His people and rescues   

                            them from the power of the wicked.

                            Light shines on the godly and joy on those whose                     hearts are right

                            May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord    

Thank you for reading this blog, I pray that God will give immeasurable blessings to you and your loved ones.

In Peace, Strength and Courage always,

Bo Morris

Third Round- Still not out

Finished the second round with a fury of side effects. Down and out for four days but recovered well thereafter. I was able to go to the SEC tourney in Nashville and shoot pics throughout the games. A great time with fellow photographers. The tourney was exciting to say the least.

The third round began thursday March 21, 2013. My oncologist changed Oxaliplatin to Irinotecan. Too many side effects with the former. These included the usual N/V but a mild form of optic neuritis. I went blind for awhile and began to see through a small opening in the center of the eye. Peripheral neuropathy was crippling and thus unable to walk.

This round was terrible the first day but since a slow progressive feeling of strength and eating better. I lean heavily to the sayings of friends and authors, ill share a few:

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”

― Edgar Allan Poe

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

― Maya Angelou

“Adversity is like a strong wind. I don't mean just that it holds us back from places we might otherwise go. It also tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that afterward we see ourselves as we really are, and not merely as we might like to be.”

― Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

“If our testimonies are strong onthis point and if we feel the absolute assurance that God loves us, we will change our questons. We won't ask, 'Why did this happen?' or 'Why doesn't God care about me?' Instead, our questions will become, 'What can I learn from this experience?' or 'How does the Lord want me to handle this?”

― John Bytheway, When Times Are Tough: 5 Scriptures That Will Help You Get Through Almost Anything

Through adversity, anyones adversity, I pray for mine and their Strength, Peace, Encouragement!

Psalms 29:11 The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.

Psalm 16: 7-8 In the midst of my groanings the Lord counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. With Him at my right hand I will not be shaken!

Thank you all for incredible support. Baptist Health Richmond recently has Orange day for my cause. Incredibly humbling. It truly gives strength and courage to plow through these tough times and look forward to starting work again.

Family support is unwavering! Their strength, encouragement and prayer daily is my strength and makes all things focused on what amazing things the Lord is doing.

Thank you, as always

Your friend

Bo Morris