Posts by Douglas Mitchell

Quinn: Douglas Mitchell said:Does anyone actually know if JPMorgan Chase has some kind of control over those automatic increases—you know, the ones scheduled every six months? Specifically, will they block an increase if you happen to be sitting in an unauthorized overdraft on the exact day it's supposed to kick in? Or does the automation just run regardless of whether your balance is in the red that day?
Thanks for the reply!!!

It all depends on how long you've been sitting in that unauthorized overdraft. If it was just a one-off thing, it won't matter much, but if you've been running a deficit for a while, they’ll likely scale back your limit. And honestly? If you don't settle up on time, they might just shut the whole thing down entirely.

Thanks, Rebecca Green7! In the meantime, I’ve become convinced this is the right answer. I’ve known for a while that the "metric" they use to calculate the next overdraft limit is based on how long you were actually in the red during the previous period. If you aren't underwater for more than, what, eight days? They immediately send out a notice demanding replenishment—and let me tell you, that is definitely a complicating factor.
We were talking about those three days of unauthorized overdrafts, and it didn't trigger an increase.

Alright, I’ve got a question for the group. Does anyone know if JPMorgan Chase has some kind of control mechanism in place regarding those automatic increases (the ones that either trigger or don't 🙂 every six months)? Specifically, will they block the increase if you happen to be overdrawn on the exact day it's scheduled to go up? Or does the automation just run regardless of whether you're in the red that day?
Thanks for any insight!

Melissa Kim45, please accept my deepest condolences.

slyseal28 said:For the past six months, our association has been working hand-in-hand with an American patient advocacy group to run a massive campaign specifically targeting those insane delays in getting expensive medications approved.

In our specific case, we were stuck waiting two whole months for Medicare to sign off on things, which forced us to pay out of pocket for cytostatics just to make sure treatment could start immediately. But things have shifted—now, Medicare is processing approvals within one to two weeks. That shouldn't be an issue anymore.

That said, if you run into any trouble at all, please reach out to our association.

Thanks so much. I’m hoping we won't hit any snags, but if we do—I will definitely
reach out to the association.

Rachel Brown63 said:Unfortunately, I don't have her phone number, but I do have the Doctor's number: 098 210 845 or 2915 775.
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Rachel Brown63, it would be a whole lot more convincing if you could actually provide
some kind of contact info for a girl you personally know who actually recovered
from a brain tumor using this method you're describing.

Furthermore, I have one specific question regarding the approval process for
expensive medical treatments.

Basically, the oncology protocol for colon cancer with liver metastases
is—FOLFIRI chemotherapy combined with Avastin immunotherapy
administered every two weeks. (You can read my full story in my previous posts)

Today, the oncologist submitted a formal request to the hospital board and
Medicare for the approval of expensive drugs like Campto and Avastin.

The hospital board shouldn't be an issue, but I'm worried because the request was sent from
Miami all the way up to Washington, D.C. for Medicare review.
Since this is an urgent matter (and the request explicitly states that), I'm anxious
and I'm actually asking you guys: roughly how long does that take?

Has anyone here dealt with something like this before?
So, the drugs are available, but Medicare has to approve them first.
Our oncologist told us that all the criteria for approval
have been met.

How long did you all have to wait for approval for expensive chemotherapy?

Best, C.

thanks Carol Long28, I'll definitely get back to you,
velvetgull9, I'll shoot you an email tomorrow ...

I am absolutely exhausted, I'm heading to bed...

velvetgull9, I can't seem to send you a PM,
is that because you're an admin?

In any case, we'll try our best
to get this person to have a normal conversation.

velvetgull9, I know exactly what you're talking about
and you're spot on.
He’s a solid expert, and getting an appointment with someone of his caliber
is usually a nightmare, let alone actually securing
any decent amount of time, but it’s worth a shot.

I also have an alternative in New York City—I'll most likely take the test results
over to the cancer clinic,
and I'm looking into options at Rib as well.
Check your inbox, I sent you a PM a minute ago.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that
I’ve gone through pretty much everything on the
association's For a new day website, and I seriously
have to say how much I respect the people
behind this whole thing—the ones who started it and keep these projects running.
The work they're doing provides such massive
relief to anyone caught up in these kinds of
rough patches.

Having solid info and actual support, even if it's just
a few encouraging words or a bit of comfort, truly means the world.

cosmicviper76 said:My dad has colon cancer with liver metastases.
I assume my stepfather needs surgery.
Liver metastases can't be operated on if they've taken over both lobes of the liver; you might only be able to manage them with chemo.
More detailed results would help—the big question is whether both lobes are involved.

The tests are back, and unfortunately, the CT scan regarding the liver basically says:
-pathological foci, essentially implants, are visible in both the 1st and 2nd lobes; there's also mention of
some kind of thickening, and it notes that the bile ducts aren't dilated.

Nobody explained anything to us, other than saying the situation is BAD.

Other organs in the abdomen and the lungs look fine. His heart is healthy.

So, I can confirm now that both lobes of the liver are affected.

The biopsy results from the bowel and the liver aren't ready yet, but the diagnosis is pretty much clear even
without them.

He’s been discharged to go home, the medical board will meet, and then they'll get back to us... it's all just
pretty discouraging.

However, since cases like this aren't even treated at the Cross Hospital
because oncology is handled over at Firul, we went ahead—even before that official board meeting—and
managed to track down a surgeon from Firul (getting the cell number for a surgeon
who was supposedly on vacation felt like an impossible mission, but a mix of sheer persistence,
desperation, being well-informed, and a little luck actually paid off). We showed him
what we have so far and scheduled surgery in ten days.

Of course, before that happens, we're going to see the head oncologist in New York City at Firul
to review the scans, suggest a treatment plan, and get a professional opinion on whether the surgery is truly
necessary or not...

In the middle of all this chaos and shock, getting nothing but vague info and terrible prognoses,
we've found a sudden, fierce drive to fight, to hunt down information
from everywhere and find competent doctors.

I don't really know what's ahead of us yet, but it suddenly became
crystal clear that we can't just sit around waiting for anyone or anything; we have to
hit the ground running and fight tooth and nail for everything medicine
can possibly offer right now.

That's all for now. I'll check back in later. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to
get all this out of my system by writing it down.

Hang in there, everyone!!!

cosmicviper76 said:I honestly don't know who I could recommend to you. My dad had surgery at Mercury, and we weren't exactly thrilled with the doctor who handled everything, so I can't give you a solid referral. However, word on the street is that Rib is better than Mercury, so it might be worth looking into them instead.
Once you get some more detailed test results back, please post them. There are plenty of us here, and we'll all do whatever we can to help you out.
Until then, take care of yourself.

My gut feeling is also leaning toward Rib, but we really need to
wait until we see the full breakdown of those tests from Split.

I'll definitely check back in soon;
this morning's news was a total shock.

cosmicviper76, thanks for getting back to me,
but they haven't given us any specifics yet, meaning
the scans we need for answers
aren't finished (tomorrow is the CT scan).

I'll write up a more detailed update once I have
more information in hand.

Could someone please DM me
with recommendations for hospitals and doctors
in New York City who specialize in
this specific type of carcinoma?

It’s a close family member,
colon cancer with metastases
to the liver—we just found out this morning.

The tests were done at the Cross in Split
(the old military hospital).
There's a CT scan tomorrow, and then we'll have the full details....

Since I live in New York City, and this involves
my stepfather, I’d really prefer if
his treatment could take place here in New York City.

So, I’m asking anyone who has any
advice regarding choosing a hospital or a doctor
here in New York City for cases like this
(feel free to PM me).

Also, it would mean so much to hear from someone
who has dealt with this specific type of cancer in their family.

Thanks in advance.

Where can I actually pick up one of those Pilates balls?