As anyone with an illness can testify, it has been rough. I am so very blessed by so many folks willing to help me and keep me going. The treatments while individually were certainly bearable, collectively have been physically challenging. I am told it may take up to a year to recover from the side affects. I have one more test in mid August to see if all of this worked and if I am clear.

The best news is that my doctor doesn't want to see me until next February. That tells me he is relatively confident that all is well and my condition has been corrected.

Emotionally this has left me somewhat in awe and at the same time I am devastated.

I must admit that the illness has been nothing compared to the dealings with the hospital. My doctors have been wonderful, supportive, caring, helpful and overall fantastic. The hospital on the other hand was frustrating, demeaning, unwilling to work with me and turned everything into a battle. Their lack of compassion was only exceeded by their arrogance. The battle with the hospital, and don't think for a moment it isn't a battle, was long tedious and I can see where folks just give up. It is frustrating. They worked at being deceitful, condescending, belligerent, arrogant and uncooperative. What they quoted as being a 75,000 bill ended up being a little over 11,000.00 USD and when I paid it they were almost nasty about it. With the hospital it is a money game. While the medical staff works on the patients (and they do an amazing job of it), the administration is working on the money pit game. They are not concerned with medical care or even patient well being. Its all about the money. This hospital is a public hospital, they get government funding to assist with those who don't have the means to pay for hospitalization. So, when they hit you with the high estimates, and you have the audacity to ask for assistance the first thing they do is label you as indigent. Nice, huh!

My medical staff had great bedside manner and showed considerable care and caring about my well being. The administrative staff could use a lot of customer service training or bedside manner training. They are a bunch of cold blooded, nasty mannered, poorly trained and unwilling to even talk with their customers if they can avoid it. They will do whatever it takes to get you over a barrel and then tell you what a terrible person you are and how they are the saviors of the world. Be advised, don't buy into it for a minute. YOU must be your own advocate and fight for your care and financial health.

I would have been better off if I didn't have insurance at all.