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Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5721
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 7:54 pm: | 
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Comments?
Judge Orders Teen to Have Cancer Treatment
By SONJA BARISIC, AP
NORFOLK, Virginia (July 22) - A judge ruled Friday that a 16-year-old boy fighting to use alternative treatment for his cancer must report to a hospital by Tuesday and accept treatment that doctors deem necessary, the family's attorney said.
In legal cases regarding refusal of treatment for children, courts consider the child's age and maturity, the family's reasoning and whether the treatment has been shown to work, bioethics expert Arthur Caplan said.
The judge also found Starchild Abraham Cherrix's parents were neglectful for allowing him to pursue alternative treatment of a sugar-free, organic diet and herbal supplements supervised by a clinic in Mexico, lawyer John Stepanovich said.
Jay and Rose Cherrix of Chincoteague on Virginia's Eastern Shore must continue to share custody of their son with the Accomack County Department of Social Services, as the judge had previously ordered, Stepanovich said.
The parents were devastated by the new order and planned to appeal, the lawyer said.
Stepanovich said he will ask a higher court on Monday to stay enforcement of the order, which requires the parents to take Abraham to Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk and to give the oncologist their written legal consent to treat their son for Hodgkin's disease.
"I want to caution all parents of Virginia: Look out, because Social Services may be pounding on your door next when they disagree with the decision you've made about the health care of your child," Stepanovich said.
Phone calls to the Cherrix home went unanswered.
The lawyer declined to release the ruling, saying juvenile court Judge Jesse E. Demps has sealed much of the case.
Social Services officials have declined to comment, citing privacy laws. After three months of chemotherapy last year made him nauseated and weak, Abraham rejected doctors' recommendations to go through a second round when he learned early this year that his Hodgkin's disease, a cancer of the lymph nodes, was active again.
A social worker then asked a judge to require the teen to continue conventional treatment. In May, the judge issued a temporary order finding Abraham's parents neglectful and awarding partial custody to the county, with Abraham continuing to live at home with his four siblings.
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Kibbegirl
Citizen
Username: Kibbegirl
Post Number: 646
Registered: 5-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 7:59 pm: |
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I think the ruling is just appalling. If this child, who clearly knows of pain and suffering, does not wish to continue the treatment and his family supports his decision, then I say let him have his wish. Big Brother is very, very busy. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 2084
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 10:03 pm: |
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My first reaction -- these sound like uninformed parents. Hodgkins disease can be beat -- nauseated and weak for a few months sounds like a reasonable price to pay for a potential lifetime ahead of him! It should be the parents job to support their kid through it.
/p
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Tofugrl3
Citizen
Username: Tofugrl3
Post Number: 43
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 10:27 pm: |
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If chemotherapy worked so well, thousands of people would be alive today. I say let him try alternative treatments. Maybe we can discover new ways to treat diseases such as his. |
FlyingSpaghettiMonst
Citizen
Username: Noodlyappendage
Post Number: 212
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:19 pm: |
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sugar-free, organic diet and herbal supplements supervised by a clinic in Mexico
Probably the same clinic that used peach pits to "cure" cancer. Give me a break. I don't think the state should interfer but ithat doesn't mean a sugar-free diet is gonna cure cancer.}
Any family that names their son, STARCHILD, deserves to have custody withdrawn. |
FlyingSpaghettiMonst
Citizen
Username: Noodlyappendage
Post Number: 213
Registered: 11-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:28 pm: |
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These is his current treatment/....
Hoxsey's Herbal Tonic / Hoxsey Herbal Treatment
Summary
"Review by the NCI of the 'cures' from these treatments failed to reveal any evidence of effectiveness for these patients with cancer." (Spencer)
"After study of the literature and other available information, the American Cancer Society has found no evidence that the Hoxsey Method results in objective benefit in the treatment of cancer in human beings. Lacking such evidence, the American Cancer Society strongly urges individuals with cancer not to seek treatment with the Hoxsey Method." (CA 1990)
Description / Source / Components
"Hoxsey herbal treatment includes a paste of antimony, zinc and bloodroot, arsenic, sulfur, and talc as external treatments, and a liquid mixture of licorice, red clover, burdock root, Stillingia root, barberry, Cascara, prickly ash bark, buckthorn bark, and potassium iodide for internal consumption. A mixture of procaine hydrochloride and vitamins, along with liver and cactus, is prescribed." (Spencer)
This treatment is currently offered at the Bio-Medical Center in Tijuana, which is operated by Mildred Nelson, Hoxsey's former chief nurse. (U.S. Congress)
During treatment, patients are asked to avoid consumption of tomatoes, vinegar, pork, alcohol, salt, sugar, and white flour products. (Fink 1988)
History
"The Hoxsey therapy was started in 1840, when it was used on a horse with a cancerous sore on its leg. This formula was passed down through the Hoxsey family and has been used internally and externally on humans for more than fifty years. Mildred Nelson, R.N., now operated this clinic [Bio-Medical Centre], which has been in Tijuana since 1963 and formerly was run by the late Harry Hoxsey." (Fink 1997)
Hoxsey was "convicted three times in the 1920s for practicing medicine without a license. In 1930, he was permanently enjoined from violating the Iowa medical practice act. In the 1950s, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration forced him to stop seeing patients." (CA 1993)
Hoxsey's treatment for cancer was based on a formula of ten weeds growing in a field where Hoxsey's grandfather's horse had grazed and been cured of a reported leg cancer. (Janssen)
After being prosecuted for violating the medical practice laws of several states, Hoxsey set up a 'clinic' in Dallas, Texas. (Janssen)
Hoxsey developed prostate cancer in 1967 and treated himself unsuccessfully with his tonic. He eventually underwent conventional surgery. He died in 1974. (Hafner)
Proponent / Advocate Claims
The internal formula is claimed to work "by normalizing body fluids that were chemically imbalanced." (CA 1993)
Proponents believe that "the treatment will help to stop the spread of disease and destroy cancer." (Ontario)
"Hoxsey therapy is practiced at the Bio-Medical Center in Tijuana, Mexico, where, based on patient records, an estimated 80% of patients who use the Hoxsey formula benefit substantially." (Diamond)
"The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) found that 'taken together, the data indicate that many of the herbs used in the Hoxsey internal tonic or the isolated components of these herbs have antitumor activity or cytotoxic effects in animal test systems.' The OTA indicated that a paste made from these herbs had a reliable beneficial effect on the treatment of basal cell carcinoma of the skin." (Spencer)
"A recent in vitro study found that biochanin A from red clover inhibited carcinogen activation in cell cultures..." (Tyler)
Professional Evaluation / Critique
The 'internal formula' of the Hoxsey cancer treatment is now discredited. (Tyler)
"The peer-reviewed scientific literature contains no study indicating that Hoxsey's internal herbal formula is more effective than no treatment at all." (CA 1993)
"The National Cancer Institute evaluated case reports submitted by Hoxsey and concluded that no assessment could be made because the records did not contain adequate information." (Hafner)
"Hoxsey did not claim to know how or why his herbal cancer treatment worked." (U.S. Congress)
"No clinical trials of the Hoxsey treatment have been reported." (U.S. Congress)
"A carefully controlled experiment using Hoxsey tonic in tumor-bearing mice showed no difference in tumor size and growth compared with tumors in untreated mice." (CA 1990)
"Although dietary measures may be helpful in preventing certain cancers, there is no scientific evidence that any nutritionally related regimen is appropriate as a primary treatment for cancer." (CA 1993)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors investigated 400 cases of persons who were claimed by Hoxsey to have been cured of cancer by the treatment. No case of a bona fide cure was found. His clinic was closed in 1960 after legal battles, which lasted ten years. (Janssen)
"However, despite its long use as a folkloric remedy, no solid evidence exists that burdock exhibits any useful therapeutic activity." (Tyler)
The anthroquinone glycoside of Cascara might behave as a weak promoter in rat colon carcinogenesis. (Mereto)
Toxicity / Risks
The external remedies for external cancers are "corrosive enough to destroy body tissues on contact, making no distinction between cancerous and healthy tissues." (CA 1993)
"If the Hoxsey method is used incorrectly, cancer growth may be stimulated." (Ontario)
Consuming doses of potassium iodide may result in toxic reactions such as "pimples, excessive secretion of the eyes or nose, impotence, and a mumps-like condition of the salivary glands." (CA 1990)
Severe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may result from consuming large amount of buckthorn bark. (CA 1990)
"Numerous instances have been documented where liquorice ingestion has resulted in symptoms of primary hyperaldosteronism [an abnormality in electrolyte metabolism], such as water and sodium retention and hypokalaemia [low concentration of potassium in the blood]." (Newall)
"The drug [from Stillingia root] is strongly irritating to skin and mucous membranes. Taken internally, it triggers vomiting (it is used as an emetic) and diarrhea (it is used as a laxative). Skin contact leads to inflammation and swelling. The diterpenes [compounds found in Stillingia root] cause inflammation and are likely to be carcinogenic and virus-activating. It should not be administered." (Physician's Desk Reference)
Dosages over 4 mg [milligrams] of a certain barberry species (Berberis radicis cortex) will bring about light stupor, nose bleeds, vomiting, diarrhea and kidney irritation. (Physician's Desk Reference)
"Spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints can occur as a side effect to the drug's purgative effect. Long-term use leads to losses of electrolytes, in particular K(+) ions, and as a result of this to hyperaldosteronism [an abnormality in electrolyte metabolism], inhibition of intestinal motility and enhancement of the effect of cardioactive steroids; in rare cases also to heart arrhythmias, nephropathies [diseases of the kidney], edemas and accelerated bone deterioration." (Physician's Desk Reference)
Costs
"The current cost for the treatment is $3,500 U.S. This price includes follow-up visits and a lifetime supply of the herbal preparations. X-rays, lab tests and physical exams cost an additional $400 to $900 U.S. per visit." (Ontario) (Fink 1997)
Cancer patients paid over 50 million dollars for Hoxsey's Tonic and many paid with their lives. (Janssen)
References
CA (Anonymous). Hoxsey Method/Bio-Medical Center. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1990 Jan-Feb;40(1):51-55.
CA (Anonymous). Questionable methods of cancer management: 'nutritional therapies'. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1993 Sept-Oct;43(5):309-319.
Diamond WJ, et al. An alternative medicine definitive guide to cancer. Tiburon: Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1997:829.
Fink JM. Third opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 2nd ed. Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1988:32-33.
Fink JM. Third opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 3rd ed. Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1997:41-42.
Hafner AW, editor. Reader's guide to alternative health methods. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: American Medical Association, 1993:128-130.
Janssen WF. Cancer quackery: the past in the present. Semin Oncol 1979;6(4):526-535.
Newall CA, et al. Herbal medicines: a guide for health - care professionals. London: Pharmaceutical Press, 1996:185.
Mereto E, et al. Evaluation of the potential carcinogenic activity of Senna and Cascara glycosides for the rat colon. Cancer Letters 1996;101:79-83.
Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project. Guide to unconventional cancer therapies. 1st ed. Toronto: Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project, 1994:72-75.
Physician's Desk Reference. PDR for herbal medicines. Montvale, New Jersey: Medical Economics Company 1998: 689,1090,1158.
Spencer JW, Jacobs JJ. Complementary/alternative medicine: an evidence based approach. Toronto: Mosby, 1999:142.
Tyler VE, Foster S. Tyler's honest herbal. New York: Haworth herbal press, 1999:316,72.
US. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Unconventional cancer treatments. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1990 Sept:81-86.
Revised February 2000
SOURCE:Hoxsey's Herbal Tonic / Hoxsey Herbal Treatment (http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/ PPI/ UnconventionalTherapies/ HoxseysHerbalTonicHoxseyHerbalTreatment.htm).
Page created:2006/7/22. Unofficial document if printed. Please refer to SOURCE for latest information.
Copyright �2006 BC Cancer Agency. All Rights Reserved.
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Sandi and Paul
Citizen
Username: Momsandi
Post Number: 96
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:30 pm: |
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I am glad he is receiving treatment but I don't think the government should have the right to force him to have chemotherapy. In other words, I'm pleased with the outcome but not the pressure that was used to force this on his person. I see it as a form of assault. |
Bob K
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 12210
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 5:55 am: |
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I think there is some difference if the parents are the ones who encouraged the child to have alternative treatment or if he decided completely on his own. Although 16 is a little young to be making these decisions.
I am glad the court ordered the treatment. |
Nob
Citizen
Username: Nob
Post Number: 320
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 9:10 am: |
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Cancer care has come a long way in the last 10 years -- no way the Mexico treatment would be effective. This is a hard call and if the boy were 18 he would be able to make his own decision BUT the court has hopefully just saved his life. If I were the judge I would agree that it would be appropriate to at least try to save his life given his young age. |
Mr. Big Poppa
Citizen
Username: Big_poppa
Post Number: 794
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 9:16 am: |
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Parents should be jailed for child abuse. No way is a 16 year old mature enough to make those types of decisions. I'm sure he was heavily influenced by his kooky parents (STARCHILD??!??@?!) |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8586
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 11:21 am: |
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I don't know what I think. Anyone who has gone thru chemo (themselves or with someone else) will probably tell you that it's a little more than being "nauseated and weak". It ain't the flu.
If the parents had stood by him in refusing chemo the first time, I would definitely think that the court did the right thing. But, as far as cancer care has come in the last 10 years, it has a long way to go. People are sometimes surprised when they deal with it in person and find that it's not about all the breast cancer "survivors" they see on tv, running marathons.
We don't know the prognosis, we don't know how many times he experienced life-threatening neutropenia in the last round. We don't know anything about his life or extent of illness. It could be that things aren't looking so good and he decided that he didn't want to go thru that again and his parents made the extremely difficult decision to support him.
Or, it could be that he has a good outlook and he has the maturity and foresight of a 16 y/o and his parents made perhaps not the wisest decision to support him.
It could be that they want him to do the chemo but realize that it is very hard to force a 16 y/o to do something like that.
Not enough info to have an opinion, even it if were anyone else's business.
I make a living doing research based on patient advocacy in treatment. I have all the data, research, expert opinion, etc. at my finger tips. I know the stats on how these things usually go and what does/doesn't make patients/caregivers feel better, empowered, whatever. You think you know where you stand on these things and what you would do. Until it happens in your family. I have friends who are physicians who always thought that they knew what they would do, until it was their family.
You just don't know. |
Joan
Supporter
Username: Joancrystal
Post Number: 7828
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 2:28 pm: |
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Well said Greenetree!
Still, I am a bit leary of the court stepping in here and making a determination regarding the type of medical care this child should receive. I think this is the kind of decision a person (young or old) should make for themselves after consulting with their immediate family members and learning whatever is available about possible treatment (and consequences of lack of treatment) where their illness is concerned.
In this case the young person and his family seem to have done just that. They reportedly have chosen not to repeat the traditional treatment after having such a horrible experience with it in the past. The family should be free to make their own decision in this matter. It has no business being refered to the courts and this ruling sets a terrible precident for future cases of this type.
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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8588
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 3:18 pm: |
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My main reason for saying "who knows" is that most of the oncologists I know (professionally, as care giver, as friends) are not cowboys about treating for the sake of treating. There is a point when the scales (statistically) tip to 50/50 and treatment is a judgement call, personal decision thing.
Therefore, it only makes sense to consider that the treating medical team thinks that it is too soon to "pull the plug" on chemo and asked the court to intervene as one of the possible scenarios.
Chemo (and/or radiation) are one of the nastiest, most painful, horrific things a patient and their family can go thru. I can understand why someone would choose not to do it again. But a 16 y/o may not have the maturity and foresight to weigh the risk/benefit. And I can certainly understand how a parent would not want to try and force their child to go thru something like that. The whole "death with dignity" thing and all. It is certainly much less painful to let the cancer take over and get whacked out on morphine. There is no reason these days for anyone with this disease to die in pain.
But there is also a lot of potential for anyone with this disease not to die at all. But they go thru more than hell to stay alive. |
Sandi and Paul
Citizen
Username: Momsandi
Post Number: 97
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 3:54 pm: |
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Well said, Greenetree and Joan. Families who have not experienced chemotherapy have no idea of the pain and suffering it causes. I have a number of friends who died of the treatments rather than from the disease itself. So how can a court force the young man to undergo such treatments? While I would hope he would choose it, I am horrified that it is being forced upon him. |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 2988
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 4:00 pm: |
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I guess the ruling might have gone differently had he been a Jehovah's Witness or Christian Scientist? These are more middle class religions that I believe can be allowed to avoid traditional medical intervention.
Yeah, Starchild is a dopey name, but so is Apple, possibly Dakota and a number of other names parents of all stripes have named their kids in the last 30 years, not to mention inventive spelling of traditional names.
I wish the kid would do the treatment, and I wish his parents would insist because kids that age with chronic illnesses (even more ordinary ones like diatbetes and asthma) do often go through a think of avoiding taking their medicine, or coming up with their own ideas of what's healthy. It's their age.
I don't like the judge intervening, not one bit, because it is a slippery slope. I don't think much of him calling the parents neglectful. See remarks on Christian Science and Jehovah's Witnesses, above.
Chemo sucks, all kinds. And yeah not everything is perky and cheerfu, with a rubber bracelet. Still, it's better than dying. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 3620
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 12:10 pm: |
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For those that are in favor of this ruling, how should it be enforced? If he physically resists, should he be strapped down and have chemicals forced into his body against his will? |
Nancy - LibraryLady
Supporter
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 3723
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 1:51 pm: |
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I guess what bothers me about the parent's decision mostly is NOT that they have rejected the chemo/rad combo but they have raising their child's hopes by using a treatment with no hope of success. |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8629
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 2:08 pm: |
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Nancy - where did you read that there is no hope of success? |
Nancy - LibraryLady
Supporter
Username: Librarylady
Post Number: 3725
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 3:01 pm: |
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From my post of Sat 11:23 qam
"After study of the literature and other available information, the American Cancer Society has found no evidence that the Hoxsey Method results in objective benefit in the treatment of cancer in human beings. Lacking such evidence, the American Cancer Society strongly urges individuals with cancer not to seek treatment with the Hoxsey Method." (CA 1990
"The peer-reviewed scientific literature contains no study indicating that Hoxsey's internal herbal formula is more effective than no treatment at all." (CA 1993)
"The National Cancer Institute evaluated case reports submitted by Hoxsey and concluded that no assessment could be made because the records did not contain adequate information." (Hafner)
"Hoxsey did not claim to know how or why his herbal cancer treatment worked." (U.S. Congress)
"No clinical trials of the Hoxsey treatment have been reported." (U.S. Congress)
"A carefully controlled experiment using Hoxsey tonic in tumor-bearing mice showed no difference in tumor size and growth compared with tumors in untreated mice." (CA 1990)
"Although dietary measures may be helpful in preventing certain cancers, there is no scientific evidence that any nutritionally related regimen is appropriate as a primary treatment for cancer." (CA 1993)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspectors investigated 400 cases of persons who were claimed by Hoxsey to have been cured of cancer by the treatment. No case of a bona fide cure was found. His clinic was closed in 1960 after legal battles, which lasted ten years. (Janssen)
) |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8631
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 3:05 pm: |
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Oh - I misunderstood. I thought that you were saying that the chemo had no hope of working.
The only thing I know for sure is that I would never want to be a parent in that situation. Beyond the thing of having a child with this disease, but knowing that this is an almost-adult with their own convictions, old enough to understand a lot and having to decide whether or not to support them on something like this. Either way, it's a no-win situation for the parent. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 3627
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 3:13 pm: |
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I would still like to know how those that support this decision see this working if he refuses further.
"If he physically resists, should he be strapped down and have chemicals forced into his body against his will?" |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8633
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 3:17 pm: |
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I think that your question is part of the heartbreak. I suppose that they would have to sedate him against his will & get him that way until his chemo is done. |
Stephanie N.
Citizen
Username: Stephanie_n
Post Number: 13
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 5:34 pm: |
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Yes, cancer treatment has a long way to go. If conventional treatments worked so well, people wouldn't be seeking out alternative therapies as much as they are. I think I read the statistic that 1 in 3 cancer patients seek out alternative therapies, although a lot use them in conjunction with traditional therapy.
I didn't go through traditional chemo. for my thyroid cancer, I went through a form of radiation called Radioactive Iodine (RAI), which is ingested in liquid form. The dose I had in October 2005 was much higher than typically used, and there were about 3-4 days when the only energy I had was used up by all the vomiting I did. I can't even begin to imagine feeling that way for three months.
I know my case is drastically different than this, but going through what I did, I can't tell you how much I sympathize with this family. If the chemo didn't work the first time around, there is a chance it ain't going to work the second time around, either. |
combustion
Citizen
Username: Spontaneous
Post Number: 278
Registered: 4-2006
| | Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 5:47 pm: |
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I don't feel qualified to judge the decision of either this child or his parents without knowing more about his current condition. How aggressive is his cancer, what are his chances of survival, what are his chances of the cancer coming back, how much pain is he in. Some doctors get rabid about caring for a patient, if they even have a 5% chance of success, they want to do anything possible to save the patient. They discount how much pain they put the patient through and the patients wishes. If this child has a very good chance, and was just disillusioned by a "setback," then the court may be justified. However, if the doctor is only prolonging his death and suffering, then it is morally wrong of the court to force their ideals on this person. When you're healthy, it's easy to say you should try anything to save a life. But when you're actually the person who is sick, you begin to see things differently. |
Valley_girl
Citizen
Username: Valley_girl
Post Number: 125
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 1:51 am: |
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Does his family have health insurance? What if they decided to drop it? Would the equation change? |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8667
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 7:15 am: |
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I doubt that insurance has anything to do with it. Chemo itself isn't really that expensive. And there is, unfortunately, no shortage of patients. Hospitalizations from complications drive it up a bit, but unless there are procedures and surgeries, not that much, either.
And the treating MDs wouldn't see hospitalization revenue or surgical revenue. They would only get the contracted portion of their charge for checking on the patient while hospitalized.
I kept track of what the total (reimbursed, not reimbursed, paid, not paid) costs of my mom's treatment were in 2005. With both outpatient and inpatient chemo, radiation, 9 hosptilizations,myriad scans, several urgent care trips to the doc office, injections of Procrit & other expenses, it wasn't as high as I would've thought. The drugs are the most expensive & the MDs don't see any of that money. |
Calliope
Citizen
Username: Calliope
Post Number: 740
Registered: 3-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 9:30 pm: |
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I once had a wonderful doctor (and believe you me that is some high praise coming from me) who said:
"When man crawled out of the cave he learned to treat disease in three ways. He cut it out; he burned it out or he poisoned it out. We haven't crawled very far from the cave"
Catastrophic illness should not be the subject of conjecture or judgment, including that of our judiciary.Even if the judge had the wisdom of Solomon, there would be those who would castigate him.
Life is sacred, but each of us also has the sanctity of our own body, and that includes a 16 year old,who I can only surmise,faces facts about his life that no young person should ever have to face.
When ,in the "best interest of the child" a court imposes an invasive, painful and potentially deadly course of treatment (how many people know that chemotherapy is carcinogenic in itself?)and removes from the hands of the parents and this young man ,himself, ultimate responsibility for his destiny, I believe we have embarked on a slippery slope,that constitutes a further erosion of our very fundamental freedom to LIFE. |
Peter G. Magic
Citizen
Username: Pmagic
Post Number: 178
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 1:02 am: |
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I concur, Calliope. I have seen too many patients die from the chemo to believe that it should be forced on anyone. I would recommend it but to force a person to take it - I just don't understand that court decision! |
Michaela
Citizen
Username: Mayquene
Post Number: 222
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 1:05 am: |
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But shouldn't the child also have the freedom to be free from coercion from his parents, even though they are well-meaning, when the stakes are so high? He might simply be too young or too immature to be making a fully informed decision. Or not. Depends on the details, I suppose. |
Peter G. Magic
Citizen
Username: Pmagic
Post Number: 179
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 1:05 am: |
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If it could be shown that the 16 year old were to have died from the chemo I believe that his family could successfully sue the court that forced him to take the treatments as well as the doctor and the hospital. |
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