How To Manage When You Or A Family Member Has Been Diagnosed With Mesothelioma
Published in Storytime Tapestry and gather.com
Mesothelioma is a specialized form of cancer that is best treated by a team of mesothelioma specialists. Even though your family doctor may suspect mesothelioma, only the mesothelioma specialists can diagnose and treat this deadly disease.
Here lies the problem. Mesothelioma cancer centers are located in big cities. Rural folk and people living in puny towns do not always have the facilities in their area that they so badly need.
Misfortune
When we are talking about people afflicted with mesothelioma, since this disease lays dormant for decades we are for the most part talking about very sick and elderly people who will have to make major sacrifices along with their families to travel to these sometimes distant locations.
Your family doctor should be able to locate a mesothelioma specialist/center nearest to you. Or you can do a google search for locations.
The mesothelioma website: http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/findspc.htm#doctors provides a listing of mesothelioma doctors and treatment centers.
Economic Hardships
The act of traveling is a major hassle for the sick and the elderly but the cost alive to in traveling is a major factor as well. We must consider, the patient travels, usually with their caretakers. There are airfares, hospital stays, food and lodging for the family to assume.
Then you must add on the treatment costs, doctor fees, exam fees, radiation, chemotherapy treatments, surgery, lab reports, nursing homes, palliative care and so on. These costs will be astronomical. It is estimated that costs for mesothelioma treatment reaches over $150,000 a year.
Do You Have Proper Medical Insurance Coverage?
You must find out if you have coverage for mesothelioma expenses on your existing insurance plan. Is the coverage enough to hide your expenses? Some plans offer some medical assistance but not nearly what is required for this disease. Again you can seek online for full or supplemental medical coverage. Here are two sites to check out, there are more as well:
Helping Mesothelioma is a site for Texas area residents, http://www.mesothelioma-helping.com/blog/2008/08/families-informed-about-insurance.html.
The Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America http://www.mesorfa.org/finance/index.php also provides valuable information on financial assistance for mesothelioma including government medical assistance plans.
Correct Counsel
Thirty people a day die from mesothelioma. This rare form of cancer affects people usually from the age of 60 to 69 and now the symptoms are showing up in people as young as 51. Millions of people will die from this disease. Mesothelioma is a cancer that is contracted solely from exposure to asbestos, working directly with asbestos or with products that contain asbestos. Millions of people working in the military, mines, factories, manufacturering, home insulation, and the families of the victims alike may be affected from this disease (See my article, causes of Mesothelioma for more information). The dismal truth is that many of the sizable chemical companies were well aware of the risk for lung cancer, but hid their contain findings for fright of lawsuits. An even sadder truth is that governments worldwide did not grasp interest in this disease and provide regulation within the industry prior to 1970. Today most asbestos products are banned in most industrialized countries.
If you or a love one suffers from mesothelioma there is detached time to seek out a lawyer to initiate a lawsuit.
It is essential that you scrutinize out a mesothelioma lawyer with a proven track record for success. These lawyers have the competence to win major lawsuits to the tune of close to a million dollars in some situations. Please heed each case is treated individually and some cases will fall in a lower lawsuit bracket closer to the 50 – 100 thousand-dollar range.
To build your case you will need:
A complete working history including all the places you worked, how long you worked and how you were exposed to asbestos.
Your complete medical history including, doctor visits, test results, treatment history and response to treatment, lab reports, biopsy samples, surgery results, pathology reports, staging and diagnosis, billing invoices, cost of and receipts for medications, miscellaneous medical expenses and more.
You will need personal information such as your social security number, address, birth certificate etc.
You will also need to provide any other information where you feel you may have been exposed to asbestos, such as living in older buildings, working in older buildings such as schools, living with a spouse who worked in the asbestos industry etc.
As you can see these investigations are extensive and must be handled quick by a qualified mesothelioma lawyer. You will also want a lawyer or team of lawyers sensitive to your needs and who are devoted to giving you the best service available. You do not want an attorney so overwhelmed that he or she puts other cases before you. You have a right to proper representation in a timely manner.
Internet searches will provide qualified mesothelioma lawyers at your fingertips, http://www.google.com/Top/Society/Law/Legal_Information/Product_Liability/Occupational/Asbestos/ is a good place to start your search for a qualified mesothelioma attorney.
Litigation
Each American dwelling has a statute of limitations on the time allotted to present mesothelioma cases. New legislation has been and will be introduced at the federal level. It is essential to initiate a claim now before your chances may be seriously limited or the qualifications for such lawsuits change.
Over a half of million lawsuits have been presented in American courts today, these awards have been astronomical putting some companies out of business. The government has now provided federal help to offset the enormous reparations that companies must pay.
The Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2005 was an attempt to clear up the ever-rising count of lawsuits pending within the court system. It also protects broad corporations from dispersing claim settlements and has changed some claimant qualifications.
This new office, office of Asbestos Disease Compensation within the Department of Labor, http://www.dol.gov/esa/owcp/dlhwc/lspm/lspm3-402.htm provides current information on possible compensation through a government-sponsored program.
New Treatment Options within the Framework of Musty Medical Care
New treatments such as gene therapy, immunotherapy, and photodynamic therapy (heat therapy) – killing cancer cells with light are now being used along with traditional treatments.
Alternative Medicine
Furthermore, alternative approaches such as acupuncture, homeopathic (herbal remedies) and massage therapy are also showing some promise for the relief of pain and symptoms of mesothelioma.
Helping With Research
As a mesothelioma sufferer you might find it worth your while to volunteer for clinical trial studies. Please note that even though these studies do provide a service by advancing the studies of new drugs and the treatments for mesothelioma patients there are also qualification requirements that you must meet. They do have some risks attached as well.
If you are interested in participating in clinical studies please stop by this website for further information.
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/clinical.htm
Palliative Care
Palliative care treatment often thought of the last ditch attempt to relief the patients of pain and suffering is a program designed to help patients and their families throughout the medical process.
Each palliative care program is designed to fit the individual needs of the patient at hand. In the earlier days of diagnose, palliative care therapies will facilitate the restoration of bodily functions and strengthen the body, and restore mobility to the patient etc. Towards the end, the program will attend to support the patient and family and reduce or alleviate pain.
Both patients and family require emotional support and are given the chance to grieve and voice their feelings in a caring and non-judgment setting. It cannot be stressed enough how palliative therapy is essential to the well-being of patients and families alike.
If you like this article you may also want to read
Mesothelioma – The Causes of this Deadly Killer
Mesothelioma – Part II
Mesothelioma – Part III
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Filed under Mesothelioma Diagnosis by on Mar 5th, 2011. 