cancer

Breast Cancer Charities of America – Help Now Fund

The Breast Cancer Charities of America – Help Now Fund is a program for current breast cancer patients, providing financial assistance for living expenses. Grants range in values of up to $1,000 based on the availability of funds AND needs of the applicant.

This foundation is committed to helping as many people as possible through their cancer related financial struggles with their Help Now Fund.
The Help Now Fund assists with:

rent or mortgage payments
utility bills (electricity, water, and/or gas)
cell phone bills
car payments.

***The Help Now Fund does not assist with transportation costs, food assistance, and cable/internet bills.

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all of our other FREE resources:

Dental tips during chemotherapy

This is a really important subject…. I posted about this subject about a year ago and feel it so important, that I will probably repeat this post every six months or so….

(this info will not only save your teeth, but save you a bundle in major dental work down the road)

Luckily I had a dental cleaning scheduled just before I had my first chemotherapy treatment and my dentist gave me a lot of great advice on how to take care of my gums and teeth during my chemotherapy treatment to treat my breast cancer.

He explained that chemotherapy can be very hard on our gums especially due to many of the chemotherapy drugs causing dry mouth. Dry mouth can lead to a host of dental problems including gum disease if dry mouth is left untreated!

I also found that my teeth and gums became VERY sensitive during chemotherapy treatment and unfortunately this lasted for several months after I completed chemotherapy. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to treat dry mouth, sensitive teeth and gums, and to improve dental health ……..

There are specifics on products I found to be very helpful during my treatment that you can read about by clicking below:

Click here to read more specifics on Dental tips for chemotherapy treatment

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all of our other FREE resources:

Join our Private Facebook group!

Join our “Breast Cancer Financial Help & Resources – Cancer Butterfly” Private Facebook Group!

This is a private facebook group where we share information and resources that will help you save money on your out of pocket cancer treatment costs from the comfort of your own home!

This is a group created by a Breast Cancer Survivor (Danielle Rivera) to help other Breast Cancer patients navigate through the financial side of cancer.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer 8 years ago at age 40 and had two young daughters at the time. I found the financial end of cancer to be very stressful and it caused me a lot of worry wondering how we would pay for my out of pocket cancer treatment expenses.

As I went through treatment I uncovered several ways to get help with my out of pocket cancer treatment costs and my hope is to help others who are burdened by this horrible disease and help ease their mind about the financial end of treatment.

I was able to save over $4,200 on my out of pocket cancer treatment costs by applying for Cancer grants and financial assistance that is available for cancer patients and I can show you how you can save too! This group is created so that cancer survivors and patients can share information with each other in order to help each other through the financial side of cancer….Welcome

Please feel to join and ask questions in our private facebook group – “Breast Cancer Financial Help & Resources -Cancer Butterfly”

Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips

This is a great read that I mentioned in last weeks post, if you are looking to kick start your New Year, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr in a very inspiring book about a cancer survivors journey.

Kris Carr is an actress and photographer who discovered she had a liver covered with cancerous tumors. Her inspiring book is a warm and funny tool for anyone diagnosed with cancer.

I found this book to be very uplifting and provided much needed hope through my own cancer journey through all the ups and downs and frustrations it can create.

She documents her interactions through her cancer journey with her friends, family, doctors, and other cancer survivors. She also provides tips on how to boost your immune system through the food you eat and provides recipes that worked for her. Kris Carr is very candid and inspiring about her cancer journey, she just says it like it is 🙂

Check out our other Cancer Butterfly Resources by clicking the compass below:

The Sun is Rising on a New Year

This time of year always prompts us to think about the things that are most important to us. We think about what really matters and what changes we would like to make for the upcoming year.

The stress of the holidays is over, but so are the many celebrations and events that keep us so busy. This is the time that things slow down and we have more time to reflect on our life.

For some people this is the most difficult time of year, getting back to the normal day to day activities of life. And if you are in cancer treatment that can be especially difficult.

It is important to still try to keep busy with family and friends as much as you are able. Sometimes during the holidays cancer patients can feel isolated. Friends and family may not know how to react to your illness and fear they will say the wrong thing.

If there is someone that you are wishing would contact you or you are wondering why they haven’t, this may be why. Reach out to them, it may be just what you both need.

Think about the year ahead and plan to do things that make the most of your energy, such as having a friend over the coffee when you don’t have energy to go out. Live in the moment and don’t feel obligated to live up to others expectations. Everyone experiences cancer treatment differently and only you know how you are feeling.

I remember when I was going through treatment eight years ago at this time of year, I had one more chemo treatment left and I had already found out that my previous five chemo treatments had shrunk my tumor quite a bit and my surgery to remove what was left was coming up right after my last chemo treatment. So I thought what a great idea it would be to just skip that last horrible chemo treatment!

Unfortunately, my doctor did not agree he said, “But how will you feel if down the road your cancer were to come back? You would always have to wonder if had you done that last chemo treatment, then maybe the cancer would not have returned.”

……..ugh! How could I argue with that?? He was right, as much as I didn’t want to endure the horrible side effects of that last chemo treatment, I sure didn’t want to have any regrets down the road about not doing it.

So, that year I started the year with my last chemo treatment and in the end it worked out ok. Eight years later I get to drive my 10 year old Emily to 4th grade, and my almost 14 year old Jessica to 8th grade! So glad I listened to my doctor and took his advice!

Take this time of year to slow down and realize the blessings of each day and celebrate the small things in your life.

This is a great read, if you are looking to kick start your New Year, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr. Kris Carr is an actress and photographer who discovered she had a liver covered with cancerous tumors. Her inspiring book is a warm and funny tool for anyone diagnosed with cancer. She documents her interactions through her cancer journey with her friends, family, doctors, and other cancer survivors. She also provides tips on how to boost your immune system through the food you eat and provides recipes that worked for her. Kris Carr is very candid and inspiring about her cancer journey, she just says it like it is 🙂

Some cancer grants cover chemo treatments received prior to being approved for the grant!

Several cancer grants actually allow you to use your awarded grant funds to cover chemo treatments and other cancer drugs that you received prior to being approved!

Some cancer grants allow you to use funds to cover treatments received up to 180 days prior to being approved for funding! So if you were approved for grant funding in say April, you could use your grant funds to cover chemo treatments or other drugs that you received all the way back to November.

All of the cancer grant foundations have different guidelines and rules that they follow as far as the amount of grant funding you receive and their “retro” rules.

Retro – (retroactive) Definition: to go back in time, how far the grant program will allow you to go back in time to use your benefits on treatments you have already received before you were actually “approved” for a grant award. Some grant programs will allow you to use your awarded grant benefits on treatments that you already received 30-180 days before you were actually approved for the grant program.

One of the grants that I was awarded was for $2,500.00, and I used $1,054.33 to cover chemo treatments that I received PRIOR to being approved for the grant and PRIOR to even applying to the program! See our foundation grant list below…

Each foundation will also provide you with a specific end date that you must use your grant benefits by or your benefits will expire and be unusable. Some foundations will allow you to reapply if you get to your benefit expiration date and you still need co-payment assistance.

If you are approved for a co-payment assistance grant the foundation will let you know your approved date, your grant award dollar amount, time period you have to use your co-payment assistance grant, and how many days you will be allowed to use the grant funds for retro services.

Read our page on Chemotherapy and drug grant overview (to Save you $$$) and after you are clear on how the grant process works go to our Foundation Grant List and start making some phone calls and see if you can put some money back in your pocket 🙂

Click on the compass below to check out our other free resources to help you be more comfortable during your cancer treatment:

The following products helped me during my cancer treatment:

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

Why you should know the generic & brand name of each cancer drug you are taking

The grants are available according to the type of cancer you have (example: breast cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, etc.) and also available according to the type of chemo cancer treatment drugs you are receiving for your treatment.

Each chemo drug usually has a brand name and a generic name. Once it has been decided which chemo drugs you will receive as part of your treatment, you need to be familiar with both the brand name and generic name for each drug.

Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent (which almost always involves combinations of chemo drugs), so you may be receiving several different chemo drugs at one time that interact well together to combat the cancer cells. So make sure you talk to your doctor and get a complete list of ALL the chemo drugs you are receiving so that you can apply for assistance for each drug you are receiving.

Some grant foundations only list drugs by the brand name and some only list them by their generic name in their computer system, so it is really important to use both names when you are calling to apply for co-payment grants.

You can look up the brand name and generic name of drugs at this web site: www.rxlist.com

As soon as you know the brand name and generic name of each drug you are receiving for treatment, you should apply for a co-payment assistance grant through whichever foundations that you are eligible to apply to based on the drugs you are receiving and the type of cancer you have (example: breast cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, etc.) The link to our Foundation grant list is below.

Some foundations only accept a specific number of new applications each month, and some only take new applications during the first few days of each month, so you need to start applying right away, because you may qualify to apply for a certain grant because they are accepting applications for the specific drugs you are receiving and for the specific type of cancer you have (example: breast cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, etc.), however they may tell you that they have already met the limit of applications that they are accepting for those drugs this month, so you would have to wait until the next month. So that is why you want to start calling on the grants right away and make notes on each grant that you call on so that you can call back if necessary the next month.

The following are the cancer treatment drugs I was given, I also listed my out of pocket co-pay amount that I was billed for each drug for each of my six chemo treatments:

Neulasta Injection: $346.13 (my co-pay out of pocket amount)

Taxotere (generic name- Docetaxel): $694.02 (my co-pay out of pocket amount)

Adriamycin (generic name- Doxorubicin): $8.10 (my co-pay out of pocket amount)

Cytoxan (generic name- cyclophosphamide): $6.08 (my co-pay out of pocket amount)

Check out our chemotherapy and drug grant overview page to learn more

Also, check out our Foundation grant list page

Click on the compass below to check out our other free resources to help you be more comfortable during your cancer treatment:

The following products helped me during my cancer treatment:

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

Your health insurance may cover the cost of your wig!

Your health insurance may offer an allowance that can be used towards wigs and other head covering items such as scarves, cotton sleeping caps, beanies, hats, and wig liners.

My health insurance offered a one time lifetime benefit of $350, so I used every penny of it toward my two wigs, several head scarfs, sleeping beanies (your hairless head will be very cold at night, especially in winter months), hats, and outside winter beanies.

Locate and Read– The Summary of Benefits and Coverage Disclosure from your Health Insurance provider and get familiar with your health coverage and benefits. If you do not have this booklet, call your health insurance provider and request one be mailed to you.

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

Check your Summary of Benefits or call your insurance company and ask if your health insurance offers a benefit for “Head Prosthesis” due to medical hair loss. If so, then you can bill the wigs to your insurance.

Ask your insurance company the process you should use to get reimbursed for your wig and head covering purchases (Head Prosthesis), since most wig shops are not set up to bill health insurance companies directly.

I purchased my wig and other head coverings and got a receipt that I could submit to my health insurance company along with the claim form.

Call and request a claim form from your health insurance company and then note on the claim “Hair loss due to chemotherapy”, the billing code I used was #561 (ask your health insurance if this is the correct code that you should use before mailing in your claim form so that there is not a delay in getting reimbursed).

Check out our wig resource page for more info on wigs.

Check out our chemotherapy and drug grant overview page for more info on how to save $$$ on your out of pocket cancer costs.

Click on the compass below to check out our other free resources to help you be more comfortable during your cancer treatment:

The following are products that I found helpful during my cancer treatment:

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

Day one of Chemo

Image result for chemo room

About 9:45 am we headed over to the chemo room and got started. The nurses started with taking my temperature (which was fine), and my blood pressure (which was elevated, duh!!)…… I don’t know why they bother with that one 🙂

Then they inserted the IV, they found a good vein after only two tries.

They first started me on a saline drip, then started the first drug bag, I didn’t feel a thing. The next bag was a red solution from their fridge, at the time this bag started going in, my eyes started getting really tired and dry and my contacts got really uncomfortable. My nose started getting stuffy and I started sneezing a lot.

I called my husband who was out grabbing us lunch and asked him to run home and pick up my glasses so I could take my contacts out.

After the red bag they started another clear bag and soon after my husband returned I was all done!

There were 10 chairs in the chemo room and most of the time that I was there (about 3 hrs total), most of the chairs were full. Most with women, only two with men the entire time I was there, everyone was quite a bit older than me. Many women were in their 60’s-80’s. Very sad, at that point in your life to have to be doing chemo in your retirement, they should be off on a vacation!

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

Everyone sits in a big room, very similar to a blood donation room at the blood bank. It is nice because you are close enough to your neighbors to chat and get some good advice and such.

Some people bring books, chat, nap, listen to music, or do paperwork. Bring a big water cup and some snacks.

Actress and photographer Kris Carr has documented her journey through several best selling books since finding out her liver was covered with cancerous tumors. Her cancer tips are candid and informative, yet very warm and real.

She documents her interactions with family, friends, and doctors through her journey. Kris Carr is a very “say it like it is” kind of gal so she is very easy to relate to, these are my top pick cancer tip books!

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

To help ease your burden as you go through cancer treatment we have a lot of resources available to help with out of pocket costs for hospital tests, chemotherapy cost, chemotherapy side effects, and radiation treatment costs.

Click the compass below to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment:

Steps leading up to my Breast Cancer diagnosis

Image result for footprints in the sand

I first noticed the lump in my right breast while on vacation over the summer with my family. Once we returned home, I made an appointment with my doctor.

They were certain it was NOT cancer but sent me to get a mammogram just to be sure. The mammogram came back with abnormalities. They did an ultrasound that same day on the breast.

They told me they wanted me to come back for a biopsy the next week, they kept saying they were sure it was not cancer, “I was too young, it didn’t run in my family, I don’t fit the profile, blah, blah, blah…”

I went back the next week and had the biopsy on a Wednesday and by Friday afternoon ten minutes before needing to leave to pick up my daughter at kindergarten my doctor’s office called with the horrible news…… I do indeed have breast cancer.

And let me tell you….. the world stopped….. you hear of people saying the “world just stopped”, and it really did….dead silence, I had to remind myself to breathe…

I was and still am shocked! I had my first baseline mammogram at age 35 and it was fine. I was 40 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am now happy to say I am a seven year breast cancer survivor 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment: