Mastectomy Law Change, PLEASE SIGN

[manolos mom]

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From: Monica.Duke@brinker.com
Date: Fri, 29 May 2009 09:58:01 -0500
Subject: FW: Breast Cancer patient petition


Wow…this proposed law is outrageous. Please take the time to sign!




Proposed Mastectomy Law Change
(written by a surgeon);

I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.

So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.

A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.

This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress now. It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick! The Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill is important legislation for all women.

Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this issue and send it on to others you know who will do the same.

There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.

Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.. Last year over half the House signed on. PLEASE! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number.

Breast Cancer Petition | myLifetime.com

This takes about 2 seconds. PLEASE PASS THIS ON!

[bettyeanne]

Ridiculous!!!! Thank you for posting this!!!

[yorkiekist]

How stupid is that??? My friend just had a double masectomy a few weeks ago. She was in the hospital for 5 days and still was horribly sore, sick and exhausted for many days after she came home. Not to mention the trips back to the doctors so they could "squeeze" out the fluid build up in her chest area. Its not like a masectomy is a tiny operation to be an "out patient". This makes me soooooooooooooooo mad!!!!

[msjagg]

I signed the petition... I lost my Sister Vicki Gundaker Crha to Breast Cancer on July 31st, 2007... It's a shame that they won't allow Breast Cancer patients time to heal both Physically and Mentally before they send them home. They need the time to rest and feel more confident and secure about losing a breast or chemo etc. Thank-You so much for posting this... Love and miss you everyday Vick...

[erickajm]

Thank you for posting this.. I signed and hope others will do the same.

[journey826]

I signed. This is outrageous I had an appendectomy in January and I had to stay 10 days,and I think a mastectomy is just as deserving of the recovery time I was allowed.

[manolos mom]

I lost my mother in 1980 at the age of 47 to Breast Cancer. I remember her crying and feeling like she was no longer a woman. They did not have reconstructive surgery then and I saw what she looked like having both breast and lymph nodes removed. This is very tramatic and every women should sign and stand up for this. Insurance companies are way out of line....Please pass this on to all women because lets face it, we all know someone who is going thru this right now. Lissette

[Robin Lodal]

I signed it.

How sad.

[TresCutePiggies]

I have signed this previously. It's very, very sad.

[MinMuf1]

I know first hand about the revolving door breast removal surgery... My sister in law just went through it - In early AM; out by lunch and is going through kimo and all at home!!! Utterly rediculous!!! Thanks so much for posting...

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by manolos mom

I lost my mother in 1980 at the age of 47 to Breast Cancer. I remember her crying and feeling like she was no longer a woman. They did not have reconstructive surgery then and I saw what she looked like having both breast and lymph nodes removed. This is very tramatic and every women should sign and stand up for this. Insurance companies are way out of line....Please pass this on to all women because lets face it, we all know someone who is going thru this right now. Lissette

Lissette I am so sorry about your mother's treatment back in the '80. It was truly a barbaric surgery with not a very good outcome, but things have come a long when since them. I will make sure that I sign the petition and pass is on to all that I know for their signature as well.

I work with breast cancer patient every day with my line of work and LOVE my job. I feel so privileged to be allowed to be part of their surgery day to make sure things go smoothly for them and offer support and comfort. It is amazing how far treatment has come in the past 20 years or so. Back when your mom had her surgery they took everything including muscle down to the chest wall. I work in the OR now during breast surgery and every day what I see done amazes me how far they have come and the reconstruction that is offered is amazing! Now all they need is the cure!

I am so sorry that you lost your mom at such a young age to this horrible disease. I too lost my dad at the age of 49 yrs to lung cancer. I still miss him every single day.

Have you had any testing to see if you have the breast cancer gene? Please be vigilant with mammograms for yourself, sisters, daughters and neices. I had ovarian cancer last year and they are now monitoring me for calcification on my left breast. Any type of hormone driven cancer is all related.

[manolos mom]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

Lissette I am so sorry about your mother's treatment back in the '80. It was truly a barbaric surgery with not a very good outcome, but things have come a long when since them. I will make sure that I sign the petition and pass is on to all that I know for their signature as well.

I work with breast cancer patient every day with my line of work and LOVE my job. I feel so privileged to be allowed to be part of their surgery day to make sure things go smoothly for them and offer support and comfort. It is amazing how far treatment has come in the past 20 years or so. Back when your mom had her surgery they took everything including muscle down to the chest wall. I work in the OR now during breast surgery and every day what I see done amazes me how far they have come and the reconstruction that is offered is amazing! Now all they need is the cure!

I am so sorry that you lost your mom at such a young age to this horrible disease. I too lost my dad at the age of 49 yrs to lung cancer. I still miss him every single day.

Have you had any testing to see if you have the breast cancer gene? Please be vigilant with mammograms for yourself, sisters, daughters and neices. I had ovarian cancer last year and they are now monitoring me for calcification on my left breast. Any type of hormone driven cancer is all related.

Thanks Jodi, Its been rough but I have survived. He works in mysterious ways,my middle daughter is in her second year of Med school and wants to be an Oncologist. What a blessing in my life. Yes, It looked barberic, they did take all muscle down to the bone and all of her underarm and sent her home with a squeeze ball to streghten her muscle.There was a group of women called reach to recovery that helped her emotionally. One thing I will never forget are my mothers nurses who helped me and my family. I will never forget them. Im so glad things have changed but this outpatient surgery is crazy. Yes I have a mamo once a year and I have not been tested for the gene but I think this will be my year to do so. Its an honor Jodi that you work with these patients and I just want to tell you thanks for doing so. Im sorry you had ovarian cancer. How did you find this. Isnt it a silent cancer. Im sorry about your father, its so hard lossing a parent at such a young age. The best advise I can give anyone that has cancer and has children is to talk about it with them and let them know you may not be around. I found my mothers hair she lost in chemo in her drawer wrapped in tissue about a week after she died. I was so mad at her but now I understand. I didnt mean to get off subject but everyone please sign for all the women who are suffering with Breast Cancer....

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by manolos mom

Thanks Jodi, Its been rough but I have survived. He works in mysterious ways,my middle daughter is in her second year of Med school and wants to be an Oncologist. What a blessing in my life. Yes, It looked barberic, they did take all muscle down to the bone and all of her underarm and sent her home with a squeeze ball to streghten her muscle.There was a group of women called reach to recovery that helped her emotionally. One thing I will never forget are my mothers nurses who helped me and my family. I will never forget them. Im so glad things have changed but this outpatient surgery is crazy. Yes I have a mamo once a year and I have not been tested for the gene but I think this will be my year to do so. Its an honor Jodi that you work with these patients and I just want to tell you thanks for doing so. Im sorry you had ovarian cancer. How did you find this. Isnt it a silent cancer. Im sorry about your father, its so hard lossing a parent at such a young age. The best advise I can give anyone that has cancer and has children is to talk about it with them and let them know you may not be around. I found my mothers hair she lost in chemo in her drawer wrapped in tissue about a week after she died. I was so mad at her but now I understand. I didnt mean to get off subject but everyone please sign for all the women who are suffering with Breast Cancer....

I was very lucky that they found the ovarian cancer because it is known as the silent killer and I was only 43 when I had a hysterectomy for a very large cyst on my ovary. It wasn't until after I had the surgery when the final pathology came back that they found localized cells in my left ovary. Thank god they decided to take everything while they were in there otherwise I would have needed to have a second operation to remove the other ovary.

I just recently started back to work with a different company than who I was working with before my surgery and it feels great to be back in the OR and involved with the care of these women. But please remember breast cancer can and does also happen to MEN as well. There was just a man last week that had breast cancer and it is always so much more shocking when it is a man because it is thought of as a female cancer.

There is also a new device on the market that can help a doctor detect and treat lymphodema in its earliest stages while it can be reversed. Anyone that has a sentinel node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection runs the chance of getting this but once again the insurance companies will not pay for testing by this device. Can you even imagine treating and STOPPING the progression of lymphodema, it shouldn't be a battle wound in your fight against breast cancer! If caught in the very earliest of stages 0 to 2 with treatment it can be stopped and the insurance companies will not pay for the testing. There is no excuse for this to be happening. Our surgeons and doctors should be able to use the best treatment to make us whole and healthy and insurance companies should not be allowed to dictate medicine!

[Britster]

I signed it.

[blueeyes_jd]

oh my gosh!!! I CAN NOT believe this is happening!!! my Mother Died of breast cancer when I was 7 years old... so I dont remember what she endured... but Im sure it was A LOT!!! it just makes me sick that they can feel ok about doing this to their own mothers, wifes, aunts , daughters and EVERY female or male in their lives that may have to go through this... SHAME ON THEM!!! I would NEVER wish this on anyone... but they deserve to be treated like all of these women and men that have had to go thorugh this for what they are trying to do...