We live in central North Carolina. Husband will be treated at Veterans Administration Medical Center. This is HIS choice, certainly not mine. Do any forum members have knowledge regarding VA's treatment procedures, pro or con as compared to other facilities? Thanks in advance for any opinions.

Hello Emmylou

My step-father passed away from lung cancer. He recieved his chemo treatments at the Miami Vetrans Hospital. Chemo is given intraveinously. He required no surgery. They took very good care of him.

With that said, "IF" your husband needs surgery and nuclear medicine, including radiation he would get the best care at a comprehensive cancer center (CCC).

You are in the heartland of N.C. I do not know where these Universities are located but they would provide you with the finest care available.

Wake Forrest
Duke
UNC

There are probally a few other CCC's in N. Carolina. See what the doctor at the VA suggests.

I think both the VA Hospital's in Greensboro and Raleigh have cancer treatment but I'm not sure. You might want to start investigating this now as you have a week befofe your dr. visit.

Emmylou,
VA treatment centers vary all over some map. Some are very good like the VA in Palo Alto, Ca. Others not so good. Is there any particular reason he chose the VA? Does he have private health insurance? If it is an insurance issue he may have to shop around for a decent VA hospital or county health care (like Medicaid). Although if you own property the state could take it for repayment. Some county hospital systems offer great care but that can be iffy as well. Your best shot is at an NCI, CCC or CC. Some of these are publicly funded and have to take in a certain amount of uninsured patients. You will have to fight the system.

Emmylou,

I recently talked to a patient of the Va hospital here in St pete, fl. He called me after hearing me on the radio. He is very similar to me both in lifestyle and Dx but after talking to him he immediately got an appointment with Moffitt, where I was treated. Some of the things I found disturbing were 1. They had already put a trac in him and he had no breathing problems with his BOT w/ mets to nodes Dx, 2. He was scheduled to have all his teeth pulled this comming Thursday and he said they were perfectly healthy, 3. He was scheduled to have a Peg inserted without any discussion of the pros and cons and 4. He hadn't yet even met with a RO or an MO.

He hasn't told me what Moffitt said, his appt was Friday, so I can't comment any further but I will as soon as he calls me.

Thank you kindly for your responses. Buzz is age 76 and covered by Medicare, but he has no supplemental medical coverage. We paid BC/BS premiums for many years, but couldn't justify the expense as he has never had any illness, up until now. Medicare pays 80%, VAMC is free. I am self-employed at age 56 with no insurance coverage at all. We could manage the 20% co-pay with no problem, up to a point, but I'm unsure as to what cancer treatment actually costs these days. Buzz already gets his BP and PTSD meds in addition to routine doctor visits free at the Salisbury, NC VAMC. I believe he is more concerned with posing a financial burden for me than he is with receiving proper medical care. When I had breast cancer years ago, even though I had insurance at the time, it took us several months to pay off my 20% co pay totals. At this point, I couldn't care less about amassing bills, no matter the costs involved. If I don't have him, all the money in the world will not suffice! We are to go to VAMC on Friday and maybe we'll have a better idea as to what our futures hold. Keep us in your prayers, and we, of course, will do the same for all of you. Again, I am SO very thankful to have found this website! God bless! Lois

You can get your meds at VA if he has a claim established already. Without a "C" number and if he doesn't have a service related disability they don't have to take him.

Look into AARP's supplemental insurance as well.

If you're self employed you can set up a small group, "no questions asked" plan at Kaiser (assuming that there is one in your area). It's expensive but very thorough coverage.

RT alone can run as high as 5K/treatment(day). Zofran is $35.00 a pill (3x a day). That one script alone costs $795.00. The average cancer treatment gross cost is a million dollars.

..okay, I'm upset, so I will vent...bear with me....Husband finally went to see his VAMC PCP in Salisbury this afternoon; had bloodwork done; PCP states that oral surgeon is "on vacation" (duh, do they only have ONE oral surgeon at VAMC???) He has appt on JULY 9!...tell me if that isn't THREE weeks from now! Husband is totally unconcerned, and I am livid! IMO, he needs an MRI or SOMETHING to see if CA has migrated from jaw..am I wrong to think that TIME is extremely important in this situation? I'm not sure that I won't crack before July 9...and WHY is he acting like this is no big deal? Also, twice this week, he complained that his steak dinner had "stuck" in his throat...He's never complained of this problem before.

Hello Emmylou,

When comes to getting treatment for OC, it is very important that the facility has proper personnel as well as the resources to deliver the care whether it is at the VA or private MC. It is very crucial that your husband be evaluated by a dentist who is familiar with oral cancer treatment preferably by a maxillofacial prosthodontist. I am at the Albuquerque VA and I correspond with all VA dentists nationally. If your VA dentist has any questions regarding your husband dental treatment, please have him or her contact me through my VA email address. I can also offer any advice or guidance should you or your husband have any questions. DP

Hello Emmylou

In light of what you just posted you may want to rethink getting treatment at the VA.

Read "I'm Troubled" in the "general Board" by "Davidcpa.

I'll send you the thread, check your e-mail.

Petey

Thank God! It appears that ALL the NC VA centers are filled, and the decision has been made to "outsource" Buzz' treatment! VAMC has scheduled a consultation with an oncologist for Wednesday, June 17 at Wake Forest University Baptist cancer center in Winston-Salem. I can't tell you how relieved I am! He will still have a CT scan at the Salisbury VA on July 6. It has been almost a month since Buzz' initial dentist visit, and I'm anxious to get treatment started asap! He's experiencing alot of pain, but takes only Tylenol. He sleeps little. Buzz still does not wish to read any articles or discuss his cancer. Instead, he acts just as he did when I was undergoing cancer treatment TWICE..if you don't talk about it, maybe it'll just go away...Thanks to all of you for your replies and words of encouragement! I'll continue to read your posts and glean any and all information I can. Ignorance is NOT bliss!

How lucky for you both -- Wake Forest is a National Cancer Institute-designated "comprehensive cancer center," meaning that it's among the top centers in the country in research, education and patient care. There's even a video about the Head and Neck Cancer Clinic there -- click the link found on this page .

All the best,
Leslie

Please pray for us and the doctors as we travel to Winston Salem for initial consult tomorrow! I believe in miracles! Lois and Buzz in NC

Returned from Baptist today, where surgeon confirmed Stage IV SCC; surgery asap; did CT & PET scan today, no results yet; states will need jaw removal/replacement with leg bone & metal plate; then chemo/radiation; surgery date to be advised; Thank you for your continued prayers!