Made it to another birthday

OK. Succeeded in reaching another birthday. Am eating my way thru the day. Lunch with office mate, kids/grandkids are taking me out for Mexican tonight. Have also received lotsa chocolate which I hope to make last for a while. Winning card shows women's water polo team at USNA. Caption is quote from Gypsy Rose Lee, "I've got everything I always had, only it's six inches lower." LOL.

Genentech has denied to help with avastin

With avastin pulled from my insurance coverage, Dr. Im had me begin the oral chemo etopsoside on Jan. 1, 2012. After a month's treatment my CA125 went down 26.8 pts from the spike to 182 (up 33.3 pts) at the end of December. I take 30 etoposide capsules over 20 days and keep the capsules in my fridge. Then have to go to OPC for blood work to see how my counts are. Received word today Genentech, the parent company that makes avastin, has denied that I meet the financial or medical criteria to have the avastin replaced, thus covered by their program. Seems denials are SOP for more companies than BC/BS. Advice is to try to enlist the aide of a lawyer but have yet to find someone with expertise or interest.

My Christmas Joys

Tyler and Jenna continue to give me joy, especially at this time of year.

Merry Christmas from BC/BS

Blue Cross Blue Shield sent me greetings12/16. Told me they would no longer pay for the avastin that has been keeping my cancer at bay. And they were not paying for July-Dec treatments. Each treatment cost $10,165. With treatments every three weeks, August, for instance, had two treatments that month. I get to write a letter protesting their action. And then they will let me know what they decide. Ho Ho Ho. Since the FDA disapproved the use of avastin for breast cancer, I thought having ovarian cancer made me exempt. No, BC/BS is refusing the drug for ovarian, breast and respitory cancers (lung). Even though the study it is based on was only on breast cancer. I put a call into my doctor at Mercy as I can't keep running up this kind of debt. Can you imagine how many people all over the country this impacts?

Megan's 35th birthday dinner

Megan chose Bertucci's as her eatery of choice for her 35th birthday. It was the restaurant chain's 30th birthday week as well. So we walked in adorned with birthday balloons. Appropriate. Alex took this photo of Tyler, Dylan, Megan, Jenna and me before we went home for cake and present opening. Megan received a lot of bling highlighted by Dylan's gag gift of squirrel underpants for the Squirrel Decency League. Of course, she and Alex had given him all sorts of vitamins for older folk when he turned 30 on Nov. 1!

Tyler goes to ER in ambulance

My grandson really is getting to know ambulances and EMT/firemen. Five days after Tyler turned five he accidentally put his right hand thru the small glass plane next to the front door. He was knocking on the window to greet his best friend Luca and family who were coming over for dinner that night. The glass broke and he cut his wrist. Megan thoughtfully wrapped the wound in Saran wrap and called 911. The neighbors opened the door thru the broken pane and came in to help. They took Jenna home with them while the EMTs taped up the broken pane and checked Tyler's wrist. En route the ER with EMT Jeff, he was invited to their firehouse when he was recovered. Guess Tyler really impressed the EMTs with his (recent) visit to Firehouse #1 for his birthday. ER doc had a hard time getting the skin flap unfolded and needed 10 stitches. Tyler earned a sticker. Megan needed OJ as she felt faint after all was done and her adrenalin level plummeted. .

Lotsa November birthdays

Dylan turned 30 on Nov. 1, Perrin was 18 Nov. 2 and Tyler is 5 as of 11/11/11. Busy time for our family. And that's just the tip of the celebrations. Tyler had his birthday party at a fire station and kids got to climb on ambulance and fire truck and tour the fire station. Dylan's birthday was more low-key. I was sick on his birthday so I handed him my credit card and let his friend Marybeth take him to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Then we all celebrated on Tyler's actual birthday on Veteran's Day with T's favorite grilled cheese sandwiches and Dylan's favorite red velvet cake. At the fire station I got to hold Rachael Hamm Plett's daughter Evie while she took son Xavier to checkout the fire engine. More fun.