It's been a very interesting year! Lots going on. Many changes, etc. I am thinking about how grateful I am that things have gone as well for me as they have, while also thinking about how it takes good insurance, a good in-network hospital that isn't too far away, money, an incredible in-person support system and more to be able to move through this as easily as I have. I realize how lucky I am, and I know that my experience is far from universal.
Even thinking about the sheer number of people who have helped me within the hospital and insurance system:
My gynecologist, who noticed I was due for a mammogram and pointed me to the breast center in the same hospital, since they do walk-ins
The mammogram technician
The billing support folks who got a LOT of calls from me and walked me through how things would work with my insurance
The check-in staff at the breast center
The ultrasound tech, who made a point to be the same person I saw every time I went back so I would have someone familiar as I went through a scary diagnostic process
The radiologist who spotted the lymph nodes and insisted on a biopsy
The MRI techs
The nurse navigator who helped walk me through my next steps once I got the diagnosis
The case worker my insurance company assigned me, who checks in on me every month and sends me information on things if I need them (she's a former hospice nurse and she's delightful)
The check-in staff on the main floor of the hospital
My oncologist and her nurse
My radiation oncologist and her nurse
The nuclear bone scan tech, whose wife was also going through chemo and who was very kind to me and showed me where all the parking lots were
The CT scan techs
The echocardiogram tech whose sister had cancer and wore a mask when no one else was masking
My surgeon and his nurse
The anesthesiology team
The various nurses who prepped me or called me before surgeries to make sure I knew where I was going and what I needed to do
The infusion center team
My physical therapist
My occupational therapist
The gynecological oncology team
This is NOT a full list of the people who were part of my treatment! And I'm not even done with treatment! But I want to sort of show you how many people it takes for something like this. Just in one hospital. For one person. The sheer number of people involved in my care. It's unreal.
I am so grateful to live in a city with a good hospital, for that hospital to be in-network, to have good insurance (thanks, COBRA), to have enough money that I never really worried about that element of this process (though I did worry about it because things can go sideways and even with a relatively low out-of-pocket max, insurance can be mysterious and all messed up), to be good at navigating phone trees and to be comfortable asking questions and pushing back on charges (this entire process would be a nightmare for people with anxiety, or people who don't have the luxury of time to sit through the long wait times on phone calls. I often look back on my customer service days and appreciate the things I learned during that time that have carried forward through my life). I am grateful for the people in my life who were there for me, from people who reached out to share advice to the people who sent me photos of their pets to the people who were part of my daily life making sure I had everything I needed.
I am so grateful for so many things. I got through the year. It sucked, it was hard, I felt bad a lot of the time, I've still got a long ways to go. But I feel good right now, and that's pretty incredible.
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