Recovering From Radiation and Chemo

I've done this blog so that others with the misfortune to get a Stage 4 head and neck cancer have an expectation of what they're facing and a first-hand report of what I've encountered as a survivor.

At one point in my treatments, my doctor asked my wife how far they should go to save my life. My wife told them to do everything possible to keep me living. My wife and I have had many conversations about that. There are times when both of us question whether her decision was best. I deal with quality of life issues. My wife sees what I go through and wonders whether just letting me go would have been better for me.

I've got to keep finding things that look forward and are things I can accomplish. A lot of my past is now permanently in the past. That's tough to deal with. I've battled depression and then additional depression when things I try to add to my life to replace things I've lost are difficult to assimilate.

Every individual's response to cancer treatments is unique, but I think I can give this universal advice: When your doctor and physical therapist tell you to get some exercise, that is probably the best advice you will get about your recovery.

I did a lot of walking. I got my walking stamina up to the 2 hour range at a pretty brisk pace. Then I went back to work and "didn't have time" to keep up the walking. Getting back to work was about the most important thing in my mind for recovering from my cancer. I wanted to get back to a "normal" life and getting back to work was my most important goal I had.

A better goal would have been to return to work and maintain an exercise regimen. I had a desk job and physically inactive employment may require an exercise program during recovery.

Unemployment Is Now Official

I gave up on appealing Short Term Disability denials. I had one remaining. My former employer told me they had no option but to begin looking for my replacement. They encouraged me to apply for any openings where I had qualifications.

I've been cleared to return to work, but the specs for my former spot have been changed and I'm no longer qualified for that position. At my age, my best chance of getting a job based on my experience is with my former employer, but they're suffering from the economic slowdown and are trying to reduce employment. Employees are staying because there aren't places they can go. There's an exception to that. It seems that 100% of the local HR employees left and took jobs with the casino that's opening up about 15 miles south of Wichita.

My hunt for medical insurance worked out better than I expected. I was expecting to pay around $1,000 a month for myself and my wife. $12K a year was about what I could handle, but copays could have raised that amount and anything catastrophic with a copay would have forced me to take a mortgage while I'm on a fixed income that doesn't cover my monthly expenses.

I found an interesting policy through Coventry Health Systems. It' a $2,500 deductible for me and a $2,500 deductible for my wife. After that everything is paid 100%. My wife and I both have excellent health and Coventry doesn't have a huge penalty for squamous cell carcinoma. My rate will be in the $600 - $650 range monthly. That monthly amount plus my paying the first $2,500 for myself and for my wife works for me.