Bob's note and John's response, about alternative methods, are on the mark.
When I see the prices Bob has quoted, I have to say the charges for my
treatment at a huge training hospital seem not so outrageous. (Though they are
outrageous, and, praise be, the insurance company seems to be paying the bills
-- though not without a deal of confusion caused mainly by some sections of
the hospital that have used my social security number instead of my insurance
number.)
Look at me (but please wear rose-colored glasses!). In a month or so I will be
through with my months of chemotherapy. I am confident it will work, though at
the moment I could be forgiven if I had my doubts, given my dizziness and less
than shimmering psychological state. Question: if it doesn't work, what then?
Well of course, among other things, including deep consultations with my
doctor, I'll return to my research on alternative methods, though everything I
have seen so far leads me to think that, in the case of leukemia, chemotherapy
is just about the only game in town. And in my search I will come across these
hugely expensive "alternatives". I am unlikely to be tempted because, apart
from anything else, in my case there's not a chance in hades I could afford
the kind of prices Bob has mentioned -- and there's just about the same kind
of chance the insurance company would reimburse me.
I am not discounting the possibility that one can come across an
unconventional treatment, or even a miracle worker, that will rid one of the
invader. I also believe that spontaneous remission is not out of the question.
Faith and hope. That's what I have now, and that's what I will have if this
chemotherapy doesn't do what I expect it to.
If you are rich, I suppose there's nothing to be lost in undertaking even the
most seemingly off-the-wall procedures. They might work, after all. Though not
all such procedures are expensive. I remember that when, a few years back, a
friend was living through his last weeks as a result of AIDS, I attended a
meeting at which different people offered alternative therapies, including the
drinking of one's own liquid output. Apparently there is nothing new about the
idea, nor, I imagine, about the reluctance to try it. Who could charge you for
that?
Meantime, people like me had best keep looking here and posting our questions
here, while doing our research or undergoing "conventional" treatment. (Which
doesn't feel very conventional I have to say.) Thank God there are people
like Bob, Marty and John and others who have experience and are willing to
share it.
May we all find what we need.
-- Ron
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