A & Q

I'm anticipating questions, so here are some answers:

1. Yes, I was on the local news last night.


2. Yes, the footage is supposed to be available on the WB11 website.


3. No, the link doesn't work.


4. No, I don't know why.


5. No, it really isn't your computer. (The links to other stories work.)


6. Yes, I will post an update if and when the link gets fixed. (It's really not that exciting. I think I say two whole sentences, several minutes apart.)


7. Yes, it was an interesting experience to be the subject rather than the reporter.


8. Yes, that was one of the meanings of the title of yesterday's post.


9. Yes, there is another meaning, too. (Just think about it—you'll figure it out.)


10. Yes, I would have reported the story entirely differently. (Shocking, I know.)


11. Yes, I called my insurance company yesterday.


12. Yes, there is an explanation for why the co-pay for one of my anti-nausea drugs went from $30 to $287.65. It seems that under my primary insurance, I have exhausted my prescription benefit allowance for my coverage year.


13. The allowance is $1,250.


14. My coverage year ends July 31 (as opposed to December 31—it started on August 1, with the school year).


15. Yes, I do have secondary insurance through Zach.


16. The secondary insurance wants to charge me about $175 for the three-pill package, although if I order it through the mail, I can get three three-pill packages for something like $150.


17. No, I don't have time to order it through the mail in time to take it first thing tomorrow morning.


18. Yes, I have a plan B. Merck, the company that makes the drug, has a special program that provides the medication to patients who qualify.


19. No, I'm not sure if I'll qualify. The program is income-based, but the application doesn't say what the specific criteria are—it just asks for annual household income and annual out-of-pocket medical expenses. But the fact that I haven't had an income in eight months, plus the fact that our medical expenses have been astronomical (mostly due to IVF, which was not covered by our insurance), makes me think that I might have a shot.


20. Yes, the timing still doesn't work for this go-round—even if I qualify, I won't know that (or be able to get the medication) before tomorrow's treatment.


21. Yes, I have a plan C. My oh-so-wonderful oncologist has loaded me up with three other anti-nausea drugs (in addition to the one I will be getting by IV tomorrow morning). I'll take one of them on Saturday and Sunday, and I'll have the other two as back-ups if I have any of that inaptly named breakthrough nausea. (The steroids I'm on—from today through Saturday—will provide some protection as well.) And I'm hopeful that the fact that I had no nausea at all five years ago—before this very pricey new drug was available—means that I'm unlikely to have any this time, even if I don't have the very pricey new drug on board. (That's a little medical jargon as well as a shout out to Andrea—hi, Andrea!)


22. Yes, I have a plan D. If Plan C doesn't work, and Plan B falls through, I will order the very pricey new drug by mail and will have it for the last three sessions.


23. No, I do not have a plan E.