也给田牛妈提个建议--在美国得了癌症如何寻求治疗

也给田牛妈提个建议
--在美国得了癌症如何寻求治疗 by stonypoint

Dealing this kind of people all the time as working in a cancer center, I am not as emotional as other people when heard about your situation but I do have lots of sympathy for you. We think how to deal with things without being emotional. Here is what I suggest to you:

1. Examine your situation, being focused, work through the system, do not try to bypass the system. You must have seen some doctors here, you may have a primary physician (PCP). He is your health coordinator. He is the one who should refer you to a medical center that treat indegent and uninsured patients. If, because you do not have insurance and do not have a PCP, you may see a doctor in a free clinic (there are some in almost any city), the doctor there will send you to a appropriate hospital. If you do not have any, you should contact a state university hospital which is usually the one who provide care for uninsured, and request an appointment with an oncologist. This is called self -referal.

2. Once you are referred to an oncologist in a hospital which provide care for uninsured, usually a state university hospital or academic medical center, you should be able to be seen for the first time. They may charge you, but you can ignore it because once your free medical care is approved later, they can backtrack and get paid by the program. Subsequently, they would require you to go through fiancial screening and see if you qualify for the free medical care program (whatever program they may call it in your state). Unfortunately you have to be without much saving to qualify. If you do qualify, essentially every thing would be free except some routine medications which require a copy of 2-4 dollars each time (in my state). Some special exams such as CT or MRI may require a ltille higher co-pay.

3. Once you are seen by an oncologist, he would be your cancer care doctor as well as you cancer care coodinator. Medical records will be requested, more examinations and tests will be done. You will be seen by many other people who may help you, including other cancer team members, a dietetian or nutrionist, social worker, etc. Your case may be discussed on tumor board. You will be cared by a team. Your social worker will be the one who will help you to apply free medical care program. She or he will guide you throught he process.

4. Treatment options will be discussed with you. Possible clinical trials will be offerred to you. Your doctors have more information regarding the trials if you are interested. You decide what to do after thoroughly review your options.

5. As compared with getting treatment in China, you may have more chance to get free treatment in US.

6. Ignore the information that is provided to you to contact other medical centers. Your state hospital is the one to go. You can be seen outside of your state, it usually is very special treatment that your own state can not provide. While the clinical trial information is important, you have to get it through your doctors, or has to be referred by your doctor if your own hospital does not have the trial open.

7. Listen to your nutrionist or dietetian for nutrion support. I do not hink the herbal stuff really help your nutrition (please ignore it if you dont agree).

Again, too much information from the internet and forums may not be a good thing. You may get distracted.

A kind reminder, if you have gone through the process, please let us now, so people concerned about you do not have to spend too much time searching information for you.