A NEW CANCER REGIMEN

The Doctor suggested and I agreed to start to take Affinitor, the generic is Everolimus 5mg as well as Exemestane 25 mg. I was put on the Exemestane immediately. It is used to stop the formation of estrogen in my system. It made me feel and act as if I am perpetually PMSing. Not a good thing for a 65 year old women. It makes a person irrational and irritable. Nice combination if you are trying out for a part in a play for an old crazy witch. I would be spot on.

In order to get the prescription for Afinitor I had to sign a release of liability and be told about all the inherent side affects. Which I told the doctor that I did not want to know what they were. I rather not know, because If I do know what they are I would worry and anticipate the side effects and why do that to myself. I may not even get them and why worry about something that may not occur. It took over 15 days for the insurance company to approve the prescription. When they did finally approve the prescription they only sent me a 14 day supply. I argued with them for days on the phone stating that I will not be in the country when the next 14 day supply will be sent. They said they send only a 14 day supply due to the fact that the side affects are such that some patients are unable to tolerate taking them. And they do not want to spend the money for pills which may not be discarded, because the patients inability to tolerate them, my words. Then on top of it all they had someone call me from the pharmacy to tell me what all the bad side affects are. Once again I told them I did not want to know what they are. My husband does the research in regards to the side affects and he knows not to tell me what they are.

I asked with the help of my doctor for a “Vacation override” so that I can get enough pills to take me through my travels. This argument went no where, so I thought. I wound up buying a thirty day supply, at an outstanding cost of $2,100.00, which is more than 50% less than what all the other pharmacies were quoting. I did this so that I would have enough pills while I was away in Costa Rica for a month. Then I found out that I got the override.

MEDICATION NOTE: If you are traveling, then the ability to get a vacation override and for how long, 30 to 90 days, is one that you must look into, because it depends on the type of insurance that you have. Insurance is required, one of the few federally mandated requirements of an insurance company, to give a vacation override, if you are out of the country and need your prescription. However, to get the insurance company to comply with this requirement may take some doing.