Hi Yesterday I received preliminary pathology results which said I have an invasive poorly differentiated carcinoma. There were a number of further points noted but the gist is that my lump is cancer. I don’t have private insurance but I do hav an insurance policy which will pay me a lump sum due to the diagnosis.my gp asked me if I wanted to go public or private and I opted initially for private but am very aware of how the costs could spiral.I am in Qld, Gold Coast. I made an appointment at the referred specialist who arranged an MRI for me today. I will see the specialist on Tuesday.I am just wondering if anyone on the Gold Coast can comment on the public systemand how quickly they move or if anyone without private health insurance has chosen to go private and did you have to sell your house?I am still very in shock and don’t want to sit and wait but also don’t want to risk my families financial security. I am 45 and still have young children.

Hi ladies,sorry it took me a little while to return. My appointment with the surgeon went as expected. He did an ultrasound in his rooms and believes my lymph nodes to look normal. At this stage they are telling me grade 3 stage 2. He advised a lumpectomy appeared possible but that I could consider a mastectomy, he advised genetic testing to assist with the decision. Personally I cannot imagine finding a lump again after going through everything, I think that would be very traumatic and all my life I have had lumps. I think I want a mastectomy…..in any case, I have time to think about it. Being TNBC, I will have chemo first for 3-6 months (I’ll know more on this tomorrow when I see the oncologist).I have a PET scan scheduled this afternoon.on the private vs public query. I am seeing an oncologist tomorrow who works in both and am going to suggest public for the chemo at least, assuming they can get things moving quickly enough, it sounds like the public system will offer me everything I need.I’m feeling good 😊. The thought of cancer is pretty all consuming but I don’t have a doubt that I’m strong enough and will get through this. If there’s such a thing as a positive in this situation, I feel so amazingly loved and supported by my family and friends. It gives me such strength.

Hi @NikkiJ6, if you haven't seen the specialist how do you know the cost? Can I just say Dr Google is really not helpful nor accurate. I know the waiting is really hard but try not to diagnose yourself amd work this out. It takes a whole team of specialists to work out the treatment for you and those specialists have taken years of study and practice to be able to advise the diagnosis and course of action. Your getting a bit ahead of yourself with this and you are not an expert in pathology and dr google isn't either. Everyone breast cancer is very unique and generalisations via dr google is just a pointless exercise.Try to keep busy till Tuesday and no more dr google as it is very damaging to anxiety levels which you don't need with this. One step at a time. Tell your dr that you don't have private cover and go from there. They are the experts and will help you navigate all this. BCNA also have a helpline you could call too and they can advise on various matters.I have lots nursing mates and the gold coast public hospitals are really great so many stay open to having surgery there too. If surgery is urgent it will be done. If your cancer has been slow growing then there is you have more time. Hang in there till Tuesday. Keep busy. It's good weather for cooking a few meals you could freeze for when you do have surgery and I am sure your children are a great distraction as well. Let us know how you go Tuesday if you want to. Best wishes 💐

Hi @NikkiJ6 Here is a link to the Optimal Care Pathway, which goes through the optimal process from when diagnosed and throughout treatment. It will hopefully give you an idea about timelines. Feel free to refer to this document when meeting with your treating team. All the best for Tuesday. https://www.cancervic.org.au/downloads/health-professionals/ocp/CC%20QRG%20Breast%202021.pdf

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I am fortunate to also have income protection insurance should I need it but I work for our own business too, so it can be as flexible as needed.I feel a lot more positive about using the public system and it sounds like there are many more options than just one or the other. I’m going to try not to worry about it now until I see the specialist on Tuesday 😊.

@NikkiJ6. All the best for your appt tomorrow... try and take a trusted buddy with you as extra ears and consider recording the meeting on your phone. @Mez_BCNA @Carissa_BCNA .. can you help Nikki join the groups please? Maybe a Triple Neg group would be a good idea too? Take care

Newly diagnosed - private or public

32 Replies

Cath62
Member
3 years ago
Hi @NikkiJ6, sorry you find yourself here. There is alot to work out and you do have time to do it. I am in Brisbane so can't help with gold coast.

An option you could consider is a private surgeon to get that part done quickly. You probably would only be in hospital a day or 2 so hospital cost, surgeon, anaesthetist etc. Not sure how much your insurance payout it but hopefully it would cover your surgery. Then if you need Chemo and or radium go public.

Chemo can be expensive. My chemo sessions including dr, pathology tests etc were nearly $1k each time. These were covered by my private health fund in total but it would be enormous otherwise.

If you need radium just know that Medicare will kick in if you go private but you will be out of pocket. As a private patient my radium was $23000 of which Medicare covered about $20000. I had 20 rounds.

Each hospital, dr etc all have different costs so do talk with your dr about options. Good luck
Julez1958
Member
3 years ago
I am in Sydney not the Gold Coast and its true my double mastectomy and delayed DIEP flap surgery ended up costing me the same as a small car ( or a couple of very nice overseas trips).I was in a private health fund which covered my private hospital accommodation but not much of the surgeon and anaesthetist fees ( and the Meficare rebates are pitifully low).
The DIEP reconstruction is the “ gold standard “ of reconstruction so if you get implants or go flat ( or only need a lumpectomy) this will be a lot cheaper than what I had.
Also different surgeons charge different amounts so you can shop around, I just went with my GPs recommendation and was 100% happy with my results.
Good luck.

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Newly diagnosed - private or public

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