Had necessary surgery: Used CC to pay

[jribe]

"There was no immediate danger of getting breast cancer, right?"

what?? sorry for being blunt but this is just an insane way of putting it. the thing that scares me is that there is anybody at all out there who thinks this way. "immediate danger"?? so if someone gets cancer when they are 50 and there are risk factors involved when they are 30, they shouldn't do anything about it because it's not "immediate"?? it's just insane.

please google the condition..

There is almost no mention of this leading to breast cancer (first of all) but the poster mentioned it. I was just pointing out that to most people- this is a cosmetic procedure.

You're upset of my comment on "no immeadiate danger" - well there's not. Just because someone has a family history (and BTW the poster is male) does not mean they will get it!

He didn't say he had a lump or a mass or anything of the sort... I don't think my comment is insane at all. I am just being logical.

This would be different if a person was told "you have a mass" or there's a strange lump and it was biopsed and it was abnormal. Completely different situation. This was not the case in the OP's post.


For more refrence here is information from the Mayo Clinic:

Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff

Gynecomastia is swelling of the breast tissue in boys or men, caused by an imbalance of the hormones estrogen and testosterone. Newborns, boys going through puberty and older men often develop gynecomastia as a result of normal changes in hormone levels. There are other causes as well.

Generally, gynecomastia isn't a serious problem, but it can be tough to cope with. Men and boys with gynecomastia sometimes have pain in their breasts and may feel embarrassed.

Gynecomastia may go away on its own. Gynecomastia can also be treated with medications that help balance hormone levels. In some cases, surgery to remove breast tissue also may be an option.


Complications
By Mayo Clinic staff

Although there are few physical complications associated with gynecomastia, having this condition can cause psychological or emotional trouble caused by appearance

[LuciluS]

My husband was diagnosed with gynecomastia when he was 14 years old. At that time, his testicles were up inside of him. Doctor decided it was best to remove them because of possible cancer. And they somehow made some, but his body rejected one of his testicles.

He gave himself a shot every two weeks of hormones (I can't remember the name of it) until he had his 5 bypass surgery 3 yrs ago. Insurance companies wouldn't pay for his hormone medicine unless he submitted the $100 receipt and a letter from his doctor. To be honest, I don't know why he quit taking the shots unless he was just tired of the hassle.

His always wanted to have the surgery, but no insurance company would pay for it and we didn't have the $9,000-$11,000 for the surgery. Yes, there are only a single handful of surgeons in the US who perform this type surgery. I buy him corset like vests through the internet that he wears so his breasts are flatten.

I had a breast reduction in 11/00 and it was NOT cosmetic surgery. I had identations in my shoulders and the disks and joints in my cervical spine were deteriorating. My insurance company paid for it after I had 2 opinions and tons of pictures taken by both plastic surgeons.

I understand you wanting to have the surgery as I know how my husband feels. BUT I do Not agree with you paying for this surgery with a credit card and filing bankruptcy before you pay it off.

[music12]

if a lump or mass is found, that's already after it happened - it's not in the immediate future but rather in the present.

anyway, i am no doctor but it appeared that for the OP there was an increased risk of cancer without the surgery. if an expert would say that it is only an excuse and there is no risk related, then that would be their expert opinion. i wouldn't know.

i do know of some women who had their breasts removed just because of family history of breast cancer. they couldn't take having to go through the fear every check-up that they might have it. it sounded insane to me but normal and reasonable to them.

so i guess "insanity" is a relative word.

i still don't think the cc or trustee would spent the time and money getting an expert opinion on whether the procedure was really necessary or not. hey, teeth cleaning isn't necessary either, neither are regular checkups, because there is no immediate danger of anything - they are just preventative. so, i guess there is a fine line in there somewhere between preventative care that's "necessary" and preventative care that isn't. but i don't know where it is and i don't think the bk court would bother to decide when the amount in controversy is $10,000. if it were $100,000 then maybe. jmho.

[LuciluS]

Music: I hope you are right in your presumption as I hope the OP's bankruptcy goes smoothly. However, he did not state if his family history had breast cancer.

I just wanted to state the facts as I know my husband grew up and is still very self conscious about his appearance. Yes, it has affected his mental state, until I found the compression vests on the internet for him to wear, I even bought some years ago for when we went on a cruise, he could wear what looked like a wet suit and get in the ocean.

Ironic you bring up women who have had their breast removed because of their family history. My twin sister called me this afternoon. She had a breast biopsy last week and she has Invasive Ductal Cancer in her right breast.This was caught my a Cat Scan of her lung. She had a normal mammogram in April.

Our mother had breast cancer at the age of 40 and had all lymph nodes & tissue removed. Her sister had breast cancer at age 70. I had a breast biopsy in Feb. for granuloma which was also caught by a Cat Scan of the lung.

We both have the same Onocologist who is on vacation this week. I'm scheduled for my 6 mth mammo this Thurs. & see the Onocologist on Tues. I've researched it and my chances are over 60% I will have breast cancer. You bet your sweet baby, if our Onocolgosit recommends it, I will have them removed & pray my Twin Sister does the same.

I feel like I'm on a roller coaster as I've had 7 surgeries since 5/1/05 & Dh had 2 stents in 6/05, 5 bypass surgery 2/07, Severe Cellulitis every 6 mths (almost died this past April) & pacemaker implantation 6/07 at age 50. Trying to figure out how to get off this roller coaster.

I have no ill feelings towards the OP.

[music12]

luci, i can't even imagine what you are going through. your story keeps reminding me to be thankful for my health. i will pray for you that it's not cancer. 40% is very big, it's 2 out of 5, you could very well be one of those.

[bkmaggster]

Music12, I totally see what you are saying.

Lucilu, I hope everything goes ok for you and your family members. You have been through a lot, but your positivity shines through in your posts.

Sigh, get an attorney to advise you on this, you may have to wait, or you may not - an attorney will tell you for sure.

[lrprn]

Wow, this thread really veered around today, didn't it?

Go back to the very first sentence Sigh the OP posted - "Slightly over 2 weeks ago I had surgery for a necessary condition that the doctor was concerned could potentially cause me problems later on in terms of physical and mental performance (hormonal imbalance, thus causing gynecomastia)." (The emphasis is mine.)

The surgery was to deal with the hormonal imbalance, not to correct male enlarged breasts (gynecomastia). Hormonal imbalances are serious, and they can cause multiple health issues all over the body.

In this situation a great first question would have been to find out if the OP's doctor recommended the procedure be done now. A second opinion agreeing with doing the surgery now would strengthen having immediate surgery, but as long as the OP's personal physician recommended it, it's an uphill battle for the cc creditor to object to the procedure being charged because it was medically unnecessary.

Sigh has already received the correct advice - to wait to file as long as possible and make full payments on that cc right up until filing.

I'm a critical care nurse and trust me when I say that patients and family members come in all the time asking about things they read on the internet or have been told "by a friend" that are misleading or wrong, but they absolutely believe they are true. There's a tremendous amount of mis-information out there. Your doctors and nurse practitioners are the best source to reliably answer all medical questions about your care.

(Ok, I"m getting off my soapbox now. Returning to non-rant mode..... )

[LuciluS]

Wow, this thread really veered around today, didn't it?

Go back to the very first sentence Sigh the OP posted - "Slightly over 2 weeks ago I had surgery for a necessary condition that the doctor was concerned could potentially cause me problems later on in terms of physical and mental performance (hormonal imbalance, thus causing gynecomastia)." (The emphasis is mine.)

The surgery was to deal with the hormonal imbalance, not to correct male enlarged breasts (gynecomastia). Hormonal imbalances are serious, and they can cause multiple health issues all over the body.

In this situation a great first question would have been to find out if the OP's doctor recommended the procedure be done now. A second opinion agreeing with doing the surgery now would strengthen having immediate surgery, but as long as the OP's personal physician recommended it, it's an uphill battle for the cc creditor to object to the procedure being charged because it was medically unnecessary.

Sigh has already received the correct advice - to wait to file as long as possible and make full payments on that cc right up until filing.

I'm a critical care nurse and trust me when I say that patients and family members come in all the time asking about things they read on the internet or have been told "by a friend" that are misleading or wrong, but they absolutely believe they are true. There's a tremendous amount of mis-information out there. Your doctors and nurse practitioners are the best source to reliably answer all medical questions about your care.

(Ok, I"m getting off my soapbox now. Returning to non-rant mode..... )

Aww - lrprn you are such a Sweetie and your posts or PM's, even when you slap one's hands (mine twice - o I was really naughty!) for incorrect procedural posting in the News forum, your Sweet Disposition always shows!

I talked to my dh tonight about this while he was driving to Dallas, Tx. I asked him about the hormonal imbalance and he said all he could remember was he had no testerone in his body - which is the hormonal balance, the OP mentioned. Keep in mind, they found this out while do this exploratory surgery as his blood pressure was skyrocketing. Also, during this surgery is where they found the right sac for the kidney, but NO kidney. The sac was pouring uremic poisoning in his body. He was 14 at the time.

Back then, he lived in Indiana with his Granny and her husband. They didn't even have running water or a bathroom. They had a outhouse until hubby was 18 & moved out.

After all the breast cancer stuff today, I think tomorrow I will spend some time on this subject. Because I'm sure Dh should be taking the hormone shots & isn't because of our financial situation.

Baby Steps, Luci. Baby Steps, Luci for this week only. Next week is 'Hunker down week' for Final BK Paperwork to the Paralegal. Just hearing or seeing the Case # assigned to our BK will be Heaven!!

Luci

[LuciluS]

luci, i can't even imagine what you are going through. your story keeps reminding me to be thankful for my health. i will pray for you that it's not cancer. 40% is very big, it's 2 out of 5, you could very well be one of those.

Your right music. I tried to lay down and go to sleep, but the rollercoaster in my brain won't slow down. I should be Optimistic about the Cancer and not Pessimistic.

Again, thanks for the Prayers.

Hugs,

Luci

[music12]

have you tried yoga? some yoga exercises really help to force your mind to get off that rollercoaster. another exercise: pretend you are looking/staring at all your thoughts. then watch them disappear.

[LuciluS]

have you tried yoga? some yoga exercises really help to force your mind to get off that rollercoaster. another exercise: pretend you are looking/staring at all your thoughts. then watch them disappear.

Thanks music. I will try the 2nd exercise. I'm unable to get down on the floor because of the nerve pain in my left leg & the shoe/boot insert I wear because my toes don't move.

Back to work on getting July expenses documented and start Aug.

Luci