just a treatment update

I have given up on Promacta for 2013. The revised 'assisted co-pay' amount is more than my insurance max out of pocket would be....and even if I could afford that, my insurance company has rejected it 3 months in a row anyway. Note; I'd been treated with Promacta successfully for nearly three years prior to the insurance company change. Since last July, my counts averaged in the 3k to 13k range. At first I was 'not treating', then with Dex while I trying to get Promacta going again.

Anyway; After the February insurance letter parroted the previous ones, I conceded defeat. On the 8th, I started back on Cellcept. Since there is now a generic version, it is cheap and I know that it worked in the past. I took Cellcept for 2-3 years early in this adventure and it used to keep me around 30k (with tolerable side-effects). Not the comfy 50k range I got with Promacta, but better than the 3k-13k average of the past 7 months. Yes, I am aware of Cellcept downsides. Everything has a downside. It's better than Dex and better than not treating. When your income is reduced by 1/3 and the cost of existing keeps going up, you do what you have to do. Generic Cellcept is only $10 a month and I now get counts done at LabCorp ($8.16 per).
If this will get me through 2013 and keep counts above 10k, I will be happy. Down the cheap road I go.

Monday's count was 13k (up from 4k), whoo-hoo! ...... It does take a few weeks for Cellcept to get rolling.

End of update.....lurk-mode resumed.
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Wow, this just makes me so sad. I wish insurance companies would put the welfare of the patients first. There is so much disparity between different insurance companies and different states. Things are pretty good here in MA. I feel like I just have to worry about my counts and not the finances of it. I've been through rituxan, IVIG, hospital stay and never had any issues with insurance.

Hope you do well on the cellcept, but wish this did not happen to you.

Jack!

I am sorry you have to deal with all that as being an ITP patient should be enough. Vent anytime!

Jeffrey

Jack,
I completely understand what you are dealing with. No one has any guarantee on their insurance any longer. This is what I feel is happening. One day they may cover a drug, then the next day they will not. Once you turn 65, almost no insurance company will pay a whole lot on these expensive drug treatments. I checked them all out (unless, may be through some special government job). I am preparing myself now in case I relapse, too.

Good luck to you and please try to keep yourself as healthy as you can by eating good and taking care of yourself. I am glad you did give us an update.

Wow...so sorry you have to deal with that kind of crap. Its bad enough you are having problems regulating your platelets without having to worry about whether insurance will cover you. Hope the alternative therapies work for you.

Debbie