Reason #53 Why I'm Taking This Route

I've been collecting invoices for the past couple weeks -- invoices from the place that performed my initial mammogram and ultrasound; the place that did the actual biopsy; the labs (why it's plural, I cannot comprehend; one was in southern California) that looked at the biopsy samples; the radiologist that read the mammogram; and the radiologist that performed the biopsy.  I can't imagine who else might jump on the bandwagon, so hopefully this is it.  Grand Total:  $5,583.22.

May I state for the record, "$5,583.22 is the charge for diagnosis; it includes absolutely no treatment."

A rough search for costs of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy came up with . . . well, all I could find was how much people still have to pay after insurance (deductible; co-pays; percentage not covered by insurance). It's safe to say that the cost of cancer treatment is gargantuan. At the very least, in the neighborhood of $150,000. Plus follow-up treatment costs when the cancer comes back.

Out of curiosity, I added up all my receipts for "treatment" so far.  Grand Total:  $897.41. This includes four naturopathic visits; two acupuncture sessions; two sessions of lymph drainage massage; scads of research books (see the stack here); a new pair of walking shoes and a timer; and half the inventory from the local health food store. It does not include food because 1) I have to eat anyway, and 2) because it would take more brain power than I possess to figure out the difference in cost between organic produce and McDonald's fillet-o-fish sandwiches for a month. I can say that my grocery bill hasn't increased much ($57.29) even though quite a bit of what I initially bought is of the staple variety and will last awhile.

Yet another reason to take this path I'm on. Think I'll keep going! :-)