No recent changes to speak of, really. Maggie visits The Spa this Friday so the up-coming weekend is shot. One on-going concern is that her feet are really bothering her now. She says they are numb and tingly, both symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, a fancy label for nerve damage of the little piggies. It’s a common side-effect of the chemo we are on, FOLFOX, as it builds up toxicity in the body. We suspect that we are nearing the end of our time with this particular type. Where next?
Insurance is determined to be stubborn. I verified through my bank that the payment I submitted like I always do was returned by Humana stamped “incorrect account number,” an obvious mistake. That payment has been mailed electronically and automatically the same way for a long time now. As far as I know, human hands never touch it. Humana, of course, claims no mistake on their part but promised that everything would be fine if I just sent the past due amount along with the complete payment by next scheduled payment date. Since that phone call I’ve received at least one letter claiming that our insurance will be canceled on the 31st. Yes, I’ve called them again to explain and verify once again. This time I had the gentleman guarantee that if they did cancel the policy that they’d reinstate it after a quick investigation. You know what he suggested? (Get this!) “Sir, maybe you should send in a payment.” The guy’s a GENIUS! Ugh. I just verified with my bank that the payment went out on 3.18. We’ll see how this silly story unfolds.
Maggie is doing great otherwise. She’s buzzing around seeing friends, going out occasionally, and having a great time. Her hair is growing back nicely (although way too slowly, according to her) and, other than a few side effects and long chemo weekends, things are doing pretty good right now. We are truly blessed and very lucky. But I think that was amply covered that in my last post…..
Hang tough and document, document, document! It’s crazy that you have to deal with this on top of every thing else. Don’t let the b*****ds get you down.
Good to hear happy things about Maggie! Hugs and kisses to you both. Can’t wait to see you at graduation!! Love ……
Hi Maggie and Chris! Hope you had a good Easter! Do not give up on the cancer adventure or its resulting bills; Maggie is worth it to keep fighting.
Love and Regards,
Aunt Pat Valente
Daly City, CA
I’ll be there with Maggie tomorrow. Do you think foot massages will help the tinglies? Those claims adjusters better be careful. Once Chris gets his MBA, he can start a business to fight insurance misconduct, and they’ll be in for it! 🙂
xoxox
Stay with them, dear ones. Don’t let them get to you. Maggie, wish I was close enough to massage those little piggies. Can’t wait to see you both May 4th. Happy day. Love and prayers always. Meme
Until Chris has time to catch up, I just wanted to let the bloggers know that Maggie’s last visit to the Spa brought some good news. We saw her oncologist on Friday 3/28/08. He said that 90% of Maggie’s cancer has been eliminated since last year. She still does have quite a bit of tumors/cancer left, but much less than when he first met her January 2007. He cannot give a prognosis anymore because she has responded so well that “all bets are off.” He is taking her off the chemo that was causing the neuropathy. So, she should feel the numbness in her feet go away. She is doing great, and the doctor says that though she most likely will never be cancer-free, she can maintain herself so that she remains healthy and the tumors do not get an opportunity to grow. That Great News!!! xoxox
Thank you so much for this wonderful news, Mary!!
What a blessing for all of us! This feels really, really close to miracle to me.
Have your “lawyer” write them a threatening letter !
Brenda Smith
Oh…and… Maggie is beautiful (what a smile) with or without hair!!!
Brenda
Thanks, Mary. Sounds good to me. Every good report is a blessing, and I call this one a good report. Thanks again for passing it on. Looking good, Maggie, keep up the good work. Love you and prayers always. Meme
Chris you can contact the Texas Department of Insurance for help with problems with Humana. See below:
Note: If you have a complaint about your insurance company, first notify your company. If your problem remains unresolved, TDI can help.
TDI helps consumers recover millions of dollars in refunds and additional claim payments each year. If you have an insurance-related complaint, you can file a complaint on our website and submit it online. You may also e-mail, mail, or fax a letter describing your complaint with copies of documentation to
Texas Department of Insurance
Consumer Protection (111-1A)
P.O. Box 149091
Austin, TX 78714-9091
Fax: 512-475-1771
E-mail: ConsumerProtection@tdi.state.tx.us
Good Luck and God Bless!
Thanks be to God, thanks to the power of prayer, thanks to Maggie’s indefatigable spirit, thanks to Chris’s unwavering support, and thanks to Maggie and Chris’s statewide and I daresay nationwide prayer chain. I’m so glad that my sister-in-law is here to stay with us longer! Carson will get to know the wonderful, kind spirit behind the beautiful face.
Hey Chris and Maggie,
I just wanted to let you know you guys are in our prayers. We think about you guys often, even though we are now in Alabama.
Take Care,
Larry Deaton
Hello Beautiful Girl (and beautiful guy 😉
We wanted to say hello and let you know that you’re ALWAYS on our minds and in our hearts. Even if we aren’t able to see y’all as much as we’d like, we never stop thinking of you and praying for you. You’re both an incredible inspiration and a wonderful example to all. We love you! Jennifer and Steven
So excited to hear the good news! Just wanted to let the both of you know that you are always in our thoughts. Maggie, we need to do another reunion soon 🙂