Breast Cancer Treatment is EXPENSIVE!!!

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sumby
sumby Member Posts: 37
edited June 2014 in IDC (Invasive Ductal Carcinoma)

I'm so distraught. For starters,I'm a 27year old lady who has lived a perfectly sheltered life; no family history on both sides and here i am with breast cancer. All i've been able to do in the past few days since receiving the diagnosis is cry and cry some more.

It's a bit different for me unlike most of the posts i've read on this site: I'm from a 3rd world country..meaning no health insurance to take care of my treatment. To make matters worse, my country isn't that skilled in the treatment of breast cancer(there are just two radiotherapy centers in the whole of the country!!!)hence i have to seek treatment abroad.

I'm considering the UK for treatment cos i have relatives there. Unfortunately, i just received the estimated cost of treatment and it's a whopping £85,500!!! (which is about 150,000dollars). Where is a 27year old with no insurance expected to get such an amount from.

I have decided to pray and just leave the healing to God because i can't afford the treatment. I've had a lumpectomy done already.

Pls include me in your prayers.

Thank you

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  • Sydney6
    Sydney6 Member Posts: 172
    edited January 2010

    sumby - I'm sorry you are having to deal with all this.I will keep you in my prayers.  What country are you from?

    Sue 

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  • sumby
    sumby Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2010

    Thanks Sue, really nice of you to have responded. I'm a Nigerian. Started Chemotherapy yesterday and i'm not feeling any side effects yet....i'm happy for that. I'm on CAF regimen.

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  • Sydney6
    Sydney6 Member Posts: 172
    edited January 2010

    I'm so glad you're getting some treatment.  While I do believe in the power of prayer it's comforting to know you are getting chemo.  I have been thinking about you so please keep my posted.  I'm glad you're not suffering any side effects yet.

    Sue

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  • badger
    badger Member Posts: 34,614
    edited January 2010
    sumby - my heart goes out to you...I will pray for you.  {{hugs}}
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  • Leah_S
    Leah_S Member Posts: 8,458
    edited January 2010

    Sumby, my very best wishes for you. I'm praying for you.

    Leah

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  • sumby
    sumby Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2010

    Thanks guys, It's nice to have this kind of forum where you can talk to people who know exactly how you are feeling...will keep you posted as things unfold.

    Thanks so much for caring

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  • whippetmom
    whippetmom Member Posts: 6,920
    edited January 2010

    sumby:  Why don't you contact Dr. Olapade, who is now in Chicago but she was born and raised in Nigeria?  She still returns to Nigeria to teach and she has many contacts in Nigeria.  My concern is that you are so young....and I think that this is one of Dr. Olapade's research interests....so call her...write to her....appeal to her.  See if she can refer you to someone in your country.  Sometimes it is a matter of making yourself known and recognized and this might be a start for you.  In the U.S., we have a moniker for it = "the squeaky wheel gets the grease."  I would imagine it sounds prettier in your language! 

    http://www.bcrfcure.org/action_meetres_funmi.html

    I am keeping you in my prayers!

    Deborah

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  • sumby
    sumby Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2010

    Hi Deborah, thanks so much. Will follow up on the link and i will keep you posted. Thanks so much

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  • sumby
    sumby Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2010

    Sunflowers,

    I just found out that the grade is 3...i'm not really sure what that means and the tumor size is 2.8cm not 1cm.

    Thanks....the young survival coalition is really helpful.

    I will appreciate it if you can enlighten me on what the grade means.

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  • AnnNYC
    AnnNYC Member Posts: 4,484
    edited January 2010

    Hi Sumby,

    "Grade" has to do with characteristics of the cells -- what they look like under the microscope, which usually indicates how fast they are reproducing.  There are three Grades: Grade 1 looks a lot like normal breast cells (called "well-differentiated") and is slow-growing. Grade 2 is "moderately differentiated" -- starting to look more abnormal and somewhat faster-growing.  Grade 3 is "poorly differentiated" -- the definition page here on BCO says "disorganized, irregular growth patterns in which many cells are in the process of making new cells."  Grade 3 is faster-growing, BUT the good thing is, it is more vulnerable to chemotherapy, which targets fast-growing cells.

    Have you been told yet about whether the tumor had estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR), HER2-neu receptors?  This will also make a difference in what kind of treatments might be available to you after chemo.

    Finally, here's an oldie but goodie -- a thread called "tips for getting through chemotherapy":
    http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/69/topic/478386?page=1#post_478386

    Hugs to you, and please keep us posted!

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited January 2010

    sumby...God is able!! He knows your situation. Don't give up.

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  • sumby
    sumby Member Posts: 37
    edited January 2010

    Ann,thanks for taking out time to explain what the whole grade thing. Unfortunately, i don't have the result of how my hormones affect the tumour....we don't really have the facility for the test in my country. But i will let you know as soon as i do.

    Jacee, Amen. Thanks for the prayer. God bless!!! I'm curious though, how come your tumour is less than 1cm and the cancer is stage 3c...thought the stage is usually determined by the size of the tumour

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  • jacee
    jacee Member Posts: 1,384
    edited March 2010

    sumby- sorry it took so long to respond. My stage is 3c because one of the nodes that was positive was an intramammary node. It is an area that is hard to treat...and it just means the cancer has spread a little more locally. Not metastatic yet, but kind of a regional spread. My other two positive nodes were axillary nodes.

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