Hi @KylieG - I am SO sorry to see you here, but you are in the right spot for support, comfort and tips on where to go & even to have a rant if you feel the need.
That is a shocker re HBF - hard to believe they didn't make contact when your payment bounced - probably because your credit card was expired at about that time! It is easy to miss a regular payment! If you aren't up to it - a family member (or the breast cancer clinic/nurse) could go in to bat for you - so that you get your cover back without affecting this so-called pre-existing condition! If their accounts people were on their toes - they should have sorted it within days of the payment bouncing!
The period after detection is always the most difficult - the wait for 'diagnosis', then the wait for surgery, results etc - but once you see your surgeon & have a game plan - it DOES become a bit easier even if it is still pretty frantic.
Mine was diagnosed on Jan 5 & all the surgeons were on Xmas holidays til mid January - so I had to wait anyway!! As I don't have much faith in our closest hospital (when we moved here, they said "When in pain, take a plane'' - and 20 years later, it still applies, sadly!! So I went private in Sydney for my surgery & had a big surgery gap & other 'gaps' in all sorts of procedures (including $500 gap for my pathology! I am still trying to work that one out - as I am sure all the tests were necessary!) In hindsight, I would probably ask for the same surgeon to do it publicly if I needed more, as I guess I am about $6-8,000+ out of pocket - I stopped counting a while ago! My radiation was on the public system in a major regional hospital & I couldn't fault it. I didn't pay a cent - and my husband & I were able to stay in the lodge at the hospital for nominal rent, as the treatment was every day for a month - and I am rural so had to travel just under 2hrs to get there & back otherwise. I am the driver in the family, so that wasn't going to be fun!
Mine was lobular & was directly under the nipple - so I was able to have 'breast conserving surgery' where the nipple removed 'removed', the cancer removed & then the nipple sewn back on, with some of my own fat relocated to fill in the holes. I also had nodes removed but all were clear, so didn't have to have further surgery under the arms or lymph glands. Looking at my boob now - the surgeon did a terrific job. The scarring is almost negligible 18 months after surgery.
There is a 'young womans' group that you may like to join & also a Breast Reconstruction group as well where you can put any questions to like minded folk .... @Giovanna_BCNA may be able to guide you re joining them if you like.
All the best with your appointments - I hope you have someone to go to them with you & I hope you get your appointments and HBF sorted soon. xx
