Donna

As it turns out, only my new infusion supplier of feeding tubes is anal compulsive enough to require the Jr. All the doctors, the hospitals, pharmacies and even my insurance company just go by date of birth and don't use the suffix.
Of course, I named my son after myself also, so there is a Charm3 or Charm III
Charm

Oh Lord - Save us all - a Charm III (or version Charm 3.0)...LOL

Hugs

Donna

Well many of you may have been wondering why in the world it was taking so long for my doctors to tell me if they could treat my third time recurrence. After that August consultation, nothing.
I heard nothing until September 21st.
Today my Blue Cross Blue Shield bills provided the answer.
Between my RO and the team of radiation physicists at my CCC, from the period of September 6 until September 21, "dates of services", I was billed under the general category: Radiation Therapy 10 times for a whopping total of $21017.79 or Twenty One Thousand , Seventeen dollars and seventy nine cents. Mind you, this does NOT include even one Cyberknife radiation treatment which I still have not been billed for, nor the Petscan. Bear in mind that about 5 Thousand was for Sept 21st when I was taking my wife shopping in NYC at the Garment District. I was never even in the hospital any of the dates billed except two for visits. My insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield took one look at it and laughed out loud and said, Right, you mean $6882.32 or Six Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Two dollars and thirty two cents
That way "all" I have to pay out of pocket is $1,032.36 or One Thousand Thirty Two dollars and thirty six cents.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm in better shape than 75% of all US Americans insurance wise, but it looks like another year of our old big CRT TV instead of a flat screen.
Well, at least from these bills, looks like they were working hard on figuring out my treatment.
CherylD and Pandora (Donna); fine with me if your Canadian "socialist" health insurance pays for acupuncture and woo woo yet still comes in cheaper than the USA system
Charm

Yeah! I just passed my first major milestone/marker in my recovery. Now I know I will make it.

Before I knew the cancer had come back, I had bought tickets back in July to see "Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone" (Younger readers may not remember this British invasion band that in 1964 and 1965 rivaled the Beatles in the USA, nor their 16 top hits:
1Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter
2.No Milk Today
3.End Of The World
4.This Door Swings Both Ways
5.Just A Little Bit Better
6.I'm Henry The 8th, I Am
7.There's A Kind Of Hush
8.Silhouettes
9.I'm Into Something Good
10.Can't You Hear My Heart Beat
11.Dandy
12.Wonderful World
13.Hold On
14.Listen People
15.Leaning On A Lampost
16.She's A Must To Avoid (Banned in Virgina since the DJ's mistook Peter's accent to be saying : She's a Muscular Boy)

As the weeks dragged on in September with my radiologist insisting that the physicists keep redoing their calculations on developing vectors for this cyberknife that would not lead to necrosis (something I did not realize until I demanded an explanation for all those bills in the post above for weeks of "radiation therapy" work when I wasn't even there) , we realized that the concert last night would be exactly one week after my last cyberknife and third chemo.
Should we sell the tickets ? (the show was sold out and Stub Hub was offering $290 for the same two tickets we'd paid $90)
But the Birchmere Music Hall is a classic venue where every seat lets you see the performer's face and gestures since it's so small. Yet each night this week I had been racing to the bathroom to vomit, then gag and then spit out huge bloody chunks of dissolving tumor and phlegm. I developed a game plan of taking two naps a day and doubling down on my Caphasol (thank you AnaD) and Ativan and Percocet.
It worked. My wife and I could sit and remember the happy go lucky days of our youth. Peter sang each of his top 16 hits plus did impressions of Mick Jagger, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, while telling funny stories about the Monkees and the Beatles.
there was no intermission just high energy fun.
Sitting in the dark, holding my wife's hand, we laughed and we cried (tears especially on End of the World with it's refrain
[quote]I wake up in the morning and I wonder Why everything's the same as it was. I can't understand, no I can't understand Why life goes on the way it does Why do the birds go on singing? Why do the stars shine above? Don't they know it's the end of the world
[/quote]which is how we felt in our hearts when we heard the cancer was back the third time. Instead, we left singing to ourselves, the lyrics to Wonderful World
[quote]But I do know that I love you
And I know that if you loved me too
What a wonderful world this would be
[/quote]
Keep the Faith
Charm

Great post Charm!

Yes, I remember Herman's Hermits and most of those songs. I�m glad you and your wife were able to enjoy a night out that brought back many happy memories � and memories to cherish in the future!

Keep the Faith!

{{{HUGS}}}

Ive been concerned about you! I know how bad it is recovering from the rads and you are doing it for a 3rd time so it must be even worse.

Im so glad you were able to put your recovery on hold for the evening and go out on the town with your lovely wife. I hope our evening out enabled you both to forget the present and just enjoy yourselves without worrying about anything else.

Best wishes with your continued recovery!

What a wonderful evening for the two of you!! I'm so glad you and your wife were able to make the concert. I so remember those beautiful songs! I hope they are revisited and enjoyed by our younger generation. Charm - what a "Wonderful World" it is with you in it! Thanks for sharing your hearts with us.

Love you brotha, thinking about you my friend

Best Wishes to you Charm! Concert sounded like a lot of fun. Would have been a good one to catch for sure!

Take care, positive thoughts & prayers your way,
Steve

I owned a bost dealership in the late 80's and we sponsored a concert headlining him. We went bar hoping after the concert and he's a prince of a guy and very easy to talk to and get to know.