Hismones 1/20/25

Is being on hold for ten days worth $3,000? At about 9:20 this morning, I received via FedEx my first 90-day shipment of Orgovyx 120 mg, my two-year hormone (hence the blog title, "Hismones") assignment. The Androgen Deprivation Therapy is supposed to stop prostate cancer growth and help end the disease in me. I actually started calling to find a "90-day pharmacy" in December while visiting with KY family. Apparently, there are only two pharmacies nationally that can dispense the extended amount. Calls started January 3 when back home. The Rx couldn't be filled until January 6 (memorable date nationally) due to my existing 30-day supply. I don't want to go through the entire ordeal, for my fingers' and your eyes' sakes, but suffice it to say that January 8 and 10 and every day afterward, I called the pharmacy and insurance and on occasion sent a message to or answered a call from my urologist. The pharmacy kept getting a rejection when trying to get the med approved. This was unnecessarily complicated by talking to a different person with pharmacy or insurance each time, usually with slightly (or completely) different information. God bless the insurance rep who shared their "pharmacy help line," only accessible by pharmacies but able to dodge or correct approval issues. Finally on January 15, after having two separate reps each from insurance and pharmacy confirm that my medication was approved without further action, "Kyle" said my Orgovyx scrip would be sent for dispensing and offered to enter my information to apply for a copay grant. I didn't think we would qualify, but I gave him our monthly pension information, answered a few other questions and after a few minutes he came back online to tell me we were approved for a $2,000 grant. I wrote $3,000 earlier, correct? Had I simply continued filling the prescription monthly, my copay would have been $125 or $3,000 for 24 months. The 90-day supply has a $250 copay (three months for two-months' cost), or $2000 for 24 months. Had I not buldogged through the approval process, we would be $3000 poorer assuming I'm taking the med for the entire time. That was Wednesday evening, and Kyle said we would receive a call for shipping information. No call Wednesday. No call Thursday. No call Friday morning (my last dose on hand was for today/Monday). So I call one more time, and it's as though they were waiting for me to call them for shipping instructions. After tossing around delivery dates, we agreed that today would be best for me and workable for them. And while it was shipped from just across town (they don't allow pickup), FedEx showed up this morning. And I am both exhausted and extraordinarily grateful. The grant is actually for just one year, but only half of it will be used by then so hopefully extended. Tomorrow, I show up at a surgery center to have gel injected (stop reading now if squeamish) between prostate and rectum. It will harden as a pillow/spacer to allow thorough radiation of the prostate without endangering the rectum which cannot take exposure without damage. Radiation lasts two months; the gel pillow, three before dissolving harmlessly. Thank you for your prayerful support. I have a CT scan soon following the gel procedure to finalize targeting, then two months of weekday radiation. Progress, thanks be to God and to the medical team. The prescription grant softens the blow of the $2K copay for PET scan and tomorrow's procedure. Blessings!