October 20, 2003

Before they gave me the Neulasta shot to boost my white count, the benefits administrator talked to me about paying for Neulasta. When she told me the cost of Neulasta, I about fell out of the chair: $6195.00!!! That’s right, SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!! She wasn't sure how much my insurance would pay, but I had to sign a form saying I’d be responsible for the balance! Of course the insurance rules are complicated with allowed amounts and percentages, but the bottom line is that I owed $557 per shot!!! Luckily for me, I was very close to my calendar year catastrophic limit of $3000, and so after paying for one shot, I was very close to the limit, and insurance would have to get the rest for this year. Unfortunately, I start over again in January - wah! I couldn’t get sick at the beginning of the year…had to get sick in the middle of the year. Plus, I have since found out that the catastrophic limit for next year has been raised to $4500. Sigh……

I had very little nausea over the weekend. I went to a big brunch on Sunday and couldn’t eat anything the rest of the day. I just wasn’t hungry and felt just a little nauseous that night. I've been relieved that my symptoms seem so mild. I’ve read horror stories of peoples reactions to these drugs. I’m glad that I’m handling it so well. The anti-nausea drugs must be doing a great job!!

October 21, 2003

WOAH!!! The Neulasta shot from yesterday is a miracle!!! My White Blood Count is at 27.8, and the granulocytes are 26.4!!! I hope this lasts a while!!! For six grand, it ought to!

October 28, 2003

Blood counts were taken today. While they’ve dropped significantly from last week, they’re still high overall. WBC is 9.8 and the granulocytes are 8.2. The Neulasta is still working.