I am now one month post-surgery! Wow, hard to believe. I had two PT sessions last week. I have 3 per week scheduled for the next three weeks. I'm also working on my own at home on the days I don't have PT. I'm keeping a log/journal. Mostly I'm just logging dates and times, but if there's anything of note, like my arm hurting or such, I note that, too. Yesterday, with help from DH, I put on a T shirt for the first time! It was so nice to wear a soft, stretchy shirt! This morning I put on a T shirt by myself. :) I see the doctor again on the 15th. My phys, therapist will give me a progress report for him. Hopefully he will be happy! Donna

A few years ago my son Michael went to the local ER for pain in his lung area, he has no known pulmonary issues. They rushed him in for an emergency Thoracentesis, they removed more than a liter of fluid. Several days later he was released after we were told this probably won't happen again and they found no cause. He was 40 yo but I brought him home to watch him awhile. 6 days later after a night that he ccouldn't sleep he finially fell asleep on the recliner in the early morning so I covered him and let him be. Early after noon I could see his eyes open following me...I KNEW something was wrong, I ask him Michael what's wrong, he whispered mom I'm going to die taking deep breaths between each word. I called an ambulance. He was taken to the local ER where again they did a Thoracentesis and again more than a liter of fluid. He was transported to Presby hospital in Pittsburgh where he was rushed again for emergency procedure. This time a chest tube. For days we watched it pump fluids from his lung. Test after test and no known cause. They also found 7 blood clots in his lungs so he was started on blood thinners. The doctor told us at one point 24 hours and if the fluid is still building up we have to open his chest. Suddenly it stopped. 3&1/2 weeks later he was released to come home. He is 6foot 7 200 pounds normally, he lost 57 pounds that month. They found no known cause for the fluid and no cause for the clots. He was sent home with a Picc line to start 30 days of antibotic infusion. I did all the infusions but a nurse had to come to care for the line. I think each infusion took roughly an hour every 8 hours....so I'm thinking Anglophillia..all the travel time back and forth another hour at least for infusion + beginning and end flush....geesh should we all pack sleeping bags and camp out with you in the hospital parking lot.

With direct primary care, one still should have health insurance. The direct primary care is for office visits. hospital care, either routine or emergency is not covered. If one is in good health, does not take medications, but would like access to a doctor, direct primary care coupled with a high deductible insurance plan may pencil out.

Thank you all for sharing my happiness. If I had no drug insurance -- which American seniors are required to buy as a condition of having Medicare -- Celgene would cover most of the cost of their product, Revlimid. It's been on the market for over ten years. I am pretty sure that patients in other countries pay much less for the product. Maybe I should look 'abroad'? jim -- The $15K every year has to come from somewhere.