For the last couple months I had been going to doctors 4 different ones. They just kept telling me it was nothing serious and giving me anti-biotics. Last Tuesday I suddenly started coughing, and when blood started coming up I went to the ER. They did a CT and found a mass on the base of my tongue. ENT came to see me checked me out with endoscope said he was 99% sure it was cancer. I got the biopsy results yesterday and they were positive for cancer. I work as a carpenter/sub-contractor, just started a new job, they have told me I will not be able to do that type of work in treatment. My insurance is inadequate for chronic illness such as this. So I don't know how I will pay for treatment or living expenses. I don't qualify for any type of assistance. My friends and family say they will help, but I just don't know how it is all gonna work out. I am 42 never had any serious illness and very active, so I am sure I can survive this if I can just get to treatment. Friday I get my diagnosis officially, but they hold told me stage 4. I have been reading in these forums for the last week and it has helped me get a better understanding of what this disease is, and what is in front of me.

Thanks for letting me share.

Tony

Tony, welcome to OCF! Im sorry to hear about your situation.

I suggest heading for one of the countrys top cancer centers. Ask them if they have any programs for the uninsured. Many places have programs for help but if you dont ask about them they are not offered. To me, it sounds like you will have to advocate for yourself and find a place that will help you. Dont just go by location either, many top centers have free rooms for cancer patients nearby.

Some people have been able to do some types of work while going thru treatments. It is very individual and depends on the job as well as how they can handle their treatments.

Best wishes!

Cancer Centers

Tony,

I agree 100% with Christine. I know from experience find a good Cancer Center, I won't go into detail it wasn't pretty. She provided you with a list.

Best Wishes,
Connie

Have check into a good cancer center here at University of Iowa. They have a Head & neck clinic. They are the one that told me my insurance won't cover anything.

Tony

Hi Tony,
I have no useful advise for you, but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. We're waiting for Friday too, which is when we will learn the treatment recommendations for my mom's BOT metastatic squamous whatchamacallit. Everything in her life, my life, and my sister's life is on hold until 9am Friday. I've never felt so tired and ungrounded, and I'm just the caregiver!

Good luck to you.

Tony,

Glad you found OCF, sorry your here. I am still hoping it is not SCC, but it sound like BOT. Given your age and and being a nonsmoker you have good chance this is HPV related. The good news is that this is treatable and cureable. The bad news the treatment is harsh. I am still recoving from the same thing.

I'm an Engineer, which means I bang on keyboards most of the day. I still missed 4 months of work. I did what I could from home but it was minimual.

If it is SSC, you now have a New Job, Get Health Again, and its full time. You have a lot to do. Many people will chime here. First make a list of cancer centers. And start calling them, explain you situation. Keep asking what can I do get started. It's your job to get yourself into a cancer center.

Next, get to your denstist. Get your teeth checked out and dental trays made ASAP. Stay off Doctor Google, and post question here. The people here are great.

Tony I wish I could help with the insurance situation... I'm canadian though so that's a different ball of wax entirely. However there is a section here of the forum that has insurance info that might be of some help. This is your life at stake. What you have is curable, or more curable than non HPV related cancers, you're young, healthy and I'm assuming based on the kind of work you do, in decent shape. The lack of insurance SHOULD NOT COST YOU YOUR LIFE - Call around, see what is available to you, look online, check our insurance section. Even if you have to go into debt to do it, it's worth it to get the best medical care.

take care. and welcome, sorry you have to be here, but this is a great place for info and support.

Your top priority is to get treatment and kill the cancer, nothing else matters if you want to live long term. With respect to getting treatments covered, I can tell you to get payment agreements lined up before you receive services. The time to negotiate is now before getting treatment; once you are serviced, the full RETAIL bill will be in your mailbox awaiting you to go then try to negotiate the rendered services. As has been mentioned, one facility may have options while another may not; obviously, you want to know this ahead of time and get treatment where you can work something else.

Unfortunately, I do not agree with others who say go seek care at a nationally recognized NCCN Cancer Center first. This would be idea but you need to find a place that can treat you and work with your finances. Cancer is hard but having cancer and being bankrupt is no fun either. Surviving and preserving your assets is the optimal outcome for you.

The logical steps are to contact your local county public services department and see what you may qualify for. There may be gap options that are offered which fill the hole of those who do not qualify for Medi-caid and fall short of being to afford or be offered access to a reasonable affordable policy. They do exist. The state is the next level but primarily delegates an subsidized health care to local agencies.

Thirdly, do contact the major care providers in your area to see what they can offer in terms of discounting as that is what it would be viewed as. I would not call it subsidized unless the facility has arrangements with state/local agencies to help fill the gap.

Again, you need to seek out these options now before more treatments or at least those not covered by your current policy.

Good luck

Tony, I 100% agree with those advising you to do everything possible to get to a top cancer center, finances come second. I understand it's no fun being bankrupt...but it's less fun to lose a cancer battle at 42. Your chances of surviving this, and in better condition, are better at a top cancer hospital. Getting the best care possible needs to be your top and only priority. I'm so sorry you're in this position...Ana

Tony, I'm afraid being Canadian, I am not able to offer you any advice with regards to financial support; but I do want to send you my best wishes for a positive outcome both in terms of treatment and in finding some kind of funding help.