Newly diagnosed over Christmas..
Hello to everyone going through this frightening journey. I am a 59 yo post menopausal woman who at this moment feels absolute terror. i had a routine mammogram and was recalled due to cancer being de...
Forum Discussion
Hi @tidden I thought I might add a bit to this thread for the information of any newbies who might not live in, or close to, a major centre.
Chemotherapy is free as you are admitted to the hospital on the day. What is not free are the discharge medications. Depending on what they are--steroids, analgesics, antiemetics etc-- there can be some expense there. A word if warning about discharge meds , don't be tempted to get those scripts filled at the hospital pharmacy. Public hospitals, by law, have to charge the full PBS price (or concession price) and that can be considerably more than what you will pay at a wholesale/discount pharmacy. I'm talking about $10 per script for some drugs. Shop around.
Another significant cost for rural people can be specialist fees. Not all hospitals have public oncology clinics and if they don't you have to pay to see a private oncologist. Here in North East Victoria that is a very expensive exercise. Rural folk need to ask where the nearest public service is and consider whether it is a better option to travel. You are not always informed of those options, particularly in areas where there is what amounts to cartel behaviour by specialist groups. Asking questions saved me thousands of dollars in oncologist fees for little inconvenience.
Follow up scans can also be expensive if you need/want MRI or PET or bone scans for example. Cross that bridge when you come to it, but be mindful that once your cancer has been confirmed you no longer qualify for the Medicare rebate for some diagnostic procedures. Which sucks.
Good luck and try not to stress too much about the wait for surgery, a couple of weeks won't make a huge difference. That said, by the time my double mastectomy surgery date came around (I had to have chemo first) I was ready to chew those puppies off myself, so the extra time can give you some space to get your head around things. Mxx
Chemotherapy is free as you are admitted to the hospital on the day. What is not free are the discharge medications. Depending on what they are--steroids, analgesics, antiemetics etc-- there can be some expense there. A word if warning about discharge meds , don't be tempted to get those scripts filled at the hospital pharmacy. Public hospitals, by law, have to charge the full PBS price (or concession price) and that can be considerably more than what you will pay at a wholesale/discount pharmacy. I'm talking about $10 per script for some drugs. Shop around.
Another significant cost for rural people can be specialist fees. Not all hospitals have public oncology clinics and if they don't you have to pay to see a private oncologist. Here in North East Victoria that is a very expensive exercise. Rural folk need to ask where the nearest public service is and consider whether it is a better option to travel. You are not always informed of those options, particularly in areas where there is what amounts to cartel behaviour by specialist groups. Asking questions saved me thousands of dollars in oncologist fees for little inconvenience.
Follow up scans can also be expensive if you need/want MRI or PET or bone scans for example. Cross that bridge when you come to it, but be mindful that once your cancer has been confirmed you no longer qualify for the Medicare rebate for some diagnostic procedures. Which sucks.
Good luck and try not to stress too much about the wait for surgery, a couple of weeks won't make a huge difference. That said, by the time my double mastectomy surgery date came around (I had to have chemo first) I was ready to chew those puppies off myself, so the extra time can give you some space to get your head around things. Mxx