So insurance still sucks ass. Still have to drive a long fucking way to get medical care and still have a enough unresolved shit that it's making finding employment hard. Though really starting to wonder how much of that is me sucking at the whole job search thing and how much of that is that the job market is just made needlessly shitty to appease shitty employers.
Anyways, my retina specialist sent me over to a uveitis specialist and that specialist thinks he might have a possible solution to the vision issues to my left eye. Apparently, when it got badly inflamed from me being off remicade, it resulted in calcium deposits forming on my cornea. So now I just need to find a cornea specialist that can put me on a treatment to break those deposits up and see if that helps with the vision. Otherwise, will get stuck looking at other options and ones of those is increasingly hoping that advances in medical technology will provide a fix.
Granted, there is the downside where I've learned that I'm likely stuck having to take steroid drops for my left eye for the foreseeable future. So once again, I would like to just say fuck the US's healthcare setup and fuck every asshole that keeps defending it and insisting it's the best system ever. Also triple fuck the ones that are also going around and screaming about Christian values because as a former Christian, I'm quite confidant stating that if Christ walked the earth again, he state everyone defending this system and enabling it, is going straight to hell.
My chest CT showed a bunch of nodules in my lungs but they are small so they don't seem super worried about them
It did show my pulmonary artery at 4.1cm indicating likely pulmonary hypertension. Not surprising to me really. Sucks that I'll probably have to go on oxygen therapy I imagine since I'm already on a diuretic and a vasodilator.
This blows.
Also I've got arthritis in my upper spine. Which explains my neck pain a lot I guess.
So having found out my bio dad is dying of lung cancer I'm much more concerned about those lung nodules now
I wonder if my doctor will be too.
I imagine she'll just get me another CT in 6 months to a year to see if they grow, and if they do follow-up with that other scan.
It's weird I've never really smoked, only maybe two cigarettes my entire life and pot occasionally when I was younger, though I did used to assemble lots of metal wargaming figures in maybe not super well ventilated rooms? I dunno
So having found out my bio dad is dying of lung cancer I'm much more concerned about those lung nodules now
I wonder if my doctor will be too.
I imagine she'll just get me another CT in 6 months to a year to see if they grow, and if they do follow-up with that other scan.
It's weird I've never really smoked, only maybe two cigarettes my entire life and pot occasionally when I was younger, though I did used to assemble lots of metal wargaming figures in maybe not super well ventilated rooms? I dunno
Did your doctor explain why they weren't worried? I can't tell from your post if they just didn't say anything, and so you assume they aren't, or if they explained things. If you have concerns, it is the doctors job to explain why they aren't concerned, and what they are going to do about it in the future. I know it can be hard to advocate for yourself but having peace of mind is important for your mental health.
So having found out my bio dad is dying of lung cancer I'm much more concerned about those lung nodules now
I wonder if my doctor will be too.
I imagine she'll just get me another CT in 6 months to a year to see if they grow, and if they do follow-up with that other scan.
It's weird I've never really smoked, only maybe two cigarettes my entire life and pot occasionally when I was younger, though I did used to assemble lots of metal wargaming figures in maybe not super well ventilated rooms? I dunno
Did your doctor explain why they weren't worried? I can't tell from your post if they just didn't say anything, and so you assume they aren't, or if they explained things. If you have concerns, it is the doctors job to explain why they aren't concerned, and what they are going to do about it in the future. I know it can be hard to advocate for yourself but having peace of mind is important for your mental health.
Oh I just haven't had a follow-up visit yet to talk to my PCP. I've got a couple more tests to do for them before they will probably schedule me again. Those are on the books to get done next Tuesday. A stress test and an echo.
I'm just a little bit worried is all but not extremely worried.
So having found out my bio dad is dying of lung cancer I'm much more concerned about those lung nodules now
I wonder if my doctor will be too.
I imagine she'll just get me another CT in 6 months to a year to see if they grow, and if they do follow-up with that other scan.
It's weird I've never really smoked, only maybe two cigarettes my entire life and pot occasionally when I was younger, though I did used to assemble lots of metal wargaming figures in maybe not super well ventilated rooms? I dunno
Did your doctor explain why they weren't worried? I can't tell from your post if they just didn't say anything, and so you assume they aren't, or if they explained things. If you have concerns, it is the doctors job to explain why they aren't concerned, and what they are going to do about it in the future. I know it can be hard to advocate for yourself but having peace of mind is important for your mental health.
Oh I just haven't had a follow-up visit yet to talk to my PCP. I've got a couple more tests to do for them before they will probably schedule me again. Those are on the books to get done next Tuesday. A stress test and an echo.
I'm just a little bit worried is all but not extremely worried.
Ok, cool. I see so many people get brushed off by their doctors without any explanation. Bit of a pet peeve of mine.
So having found out my bio dad is dying of lung cancer I'm much more concerned about those lung nodules now
I wonder if my doctor will be too.
I imagine she'll just get me another CT in 6 months to a year to see if they grow, and if they do follow-up with that other scan.
It's weird I've never really smoked, only maybe two cigarettes my entire life and pot occasionally when I was younger, though I did used to assemble lots of metal wargaming figures in maybe not super well ventilated rooms? I dunno
Did your doctor explain why they weren't worried? I can't tell from your post if they just didn't say anything, and so you assume they aren't, or if they explained things. If you have concerns, it is the doctors job to explain why they aren't concerned, and what they are going to do about it in the future. I know it can be hard to advocate for yourself but having peace of mind is important for your mental health.
Oh I just haven't had a follow-up visit yet to talk to my PCP. I've got a couple more tests to do for them before they will probably schedule me again. Those are on the books to get done next Tuesday. A stress test and an echo.
I'm just a little bit worried is all but not extremely worried.
This is not medical advice but may be helpful for context: Brock University cancer prediction equation for solitary pulmonary lung nodules. Higher (more positive) log odds for each item = more risk. Family history is on the lower end. Your pulmonologist is probably using more sophisticated guidelines.
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
If they use MyChart or similar, you can always just send a quick message and say 'hey I see x on my scan and we don't have an appointment scheduled until (whenever), should I be worried or move up the appointment timeline?' MyChart has been hugely helpful for me for a lot of reasons, that being one of them, plus that way I know someone actually looked at my results.
If they use MyChart or similar, you can always just send a quick message and say 'hey I see x on my scan and we don't have an appointment scheduled until (whenever), should I be worried or move up the appointment timeline?' MyChart has been hugely helpful for me for a lot of reasons, that being one of them, plus that way I know someone actually looked at my results.
Yeah I might end up doing that after I get the rest of my cardio tests done
My new primary care doctor is really good about leaving notes on my results after reading them so I know she's being thorough.
Well, I guess it wouldn't be the US healthcare system, if there wasn't some level of fucking bullshit.
Day I'm suppose to go in to see my specialist, I get a fun call stating that they need to cancel the appointment because they no longer take medicaid. Would have been really nice to have been told at the start of the month that I would need to see if I could even find an in network specialist and if not, get an out of network specialist lined that medicaid would have had to pay for.
Really sucks because in theory, my have potentially been on my way to getting the issues with the left eye resolved. Like no guarantee that removing the calcium deposits will result in the vision clearing up. Sometimes it really does feel like this shit system is designed to try to see if it can either destroy people or keep them down completely. Sucks that I'm not having much luck on the job search front because having insurance that isn't medicaid would help in some ways, would still be shit because the issue I'm having with my current medicaid stuff. Is that Virginia contracts all it's medicaid shit through third parties, AKA all the assholes that offer the private insurance plans. A fuck ton of the dysfunction with the US healthcare system is a result of private insurance companies. So a job with insurance, likely wouldn't mean I avoid all the bullshit. Hell, I know when I had a job a few years back, I still had a decent bit of bullshit that I had to deal with.
Hell, pretty much at the point where if someone better than the US gave me medical care and I had assurance of not getting kicked out. I'd be more than willing to leave this country.
Well, I guess it wouldn't be the US healthcare system, if there wasn't some level of fucking bullshit.
Day I'm suppose to go in to see my specialist, I get a fun call stating that they need to cancel the appointment because they no longer take medicaid. Would have been really nice to have been told at the start of the month that I would need to see if I could even find an in network specialist and if not, get an out of network specialist lined that medicaid would have had to pay for.
Really sucks because in theory, my have potentially been on my way to getting the issues with the left eye resolved. Like no guarantee that removing the calcium deposits will result in the vision clearing up. Sometimes it really does feel like this shit system is designed to try to see if it can either destroy people or keep them down completely. Sucks that I'm not having much luck on the job search front because having insurance that isn't medicaid would help in some ways, would still be shit because the issue I'm having with my current medicaid stuff. Is that Virginia contracts all it's medicaid shit through third parties, AKA all the assholes that offer the private insurance plans. A fuck ton of the dysfunction with the US healthcare system is a result of private insurance companies. So a job with insurance, likely wouldn't mean I avoid all the bullshit. Hell, I know when I had a job a few years back, I still had a decent bit of bullshit that I had to deal with.
Hell, pretty much at the point where if someone better than the US gave me medical care and I had assurance of not getting kicked out. I'd be more than willing to leave this country.
Medicare Advantage and Medicaid MCOs should be fucking illegal. Employment based insurance is bad enough but these fuckers are actively making people's lives worse and getting paid tax dollars to do it.
I don't know much about VA Medicaid but some states require monthly enrollment from the doctor's offices and other bullshit that a lot of doctors just can't be assed to do.
A couple weeks ago, I passed my treadmill stress test (no sign of blockage)! So that's good. Took me an hour and a half to recover enough to drive, but that's neither here nor there. Followup to discuss that, the calcium CT scan, and my Holter monitor results next week.
Just got out of the rheumatologist -- 3 vials and--upon poke-- instant dizzy/nausea I assume from a drop in blood pressure. Whee vasovagal... I used to be a good draw! That's for due diligence & research he's on, but he's reasonably confident I have fibromyalgia, 100% not EDS, 100% hypermobile. I'm not convinced he's right re: EDS, but I'm also not convinced he's wrong.
He's giving me a tricyclic, so... not a class I was hoping to ever have but fuck it, if it helps the brain fog and fatigue like he's presenting...
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Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
edited February 28
Kidney stones fuckin suck
Edit: I am now dealing with my third in as many weeks
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Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
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HeadCreepsNOW IS THE TIME FOR DRINKING!Registered Userregular
edited February 28
I've had to call 911 twice for my mom in the past 3 weeks or so. She thought she was having a heart attack or something, but all the tests done at the hospital showed everything was fine. The concensus was that she was possibly having a panic attack or something, but she's complained to me for the past couple of months about a "fluttery" feeling in her chest at times and like her heart is about to explode at other times.
The hospital took a CT scan and couldn't see anything significant, save for "pulmonary nodules" in her lungs, which the nurses blew off as nothing, as they assured her its only worrying for people with a history of smoking or bread cancer. Well, my mom has a history of smoking AND breast cancer, so its pretty fucking worrying.
Now we're sitting in the oncologists office, ready to receive some wonderful news or some really bad news.
I dont think she's going to survive if the cancer comes back. I just don't think she has it in her to fight, and I'm really fucking scared.
Edit: looks like its not cancer. We're so relieved, God damn
Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
I THINK I may have found an ADHD medication to work for me.
And the secret was to just have a very, very, small dose of it.
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
Welp, I'm currently back sitting in the hospital waiting room due to my gallbladder and nausea. It may be after 4am, but I'm not really tired due to having had a nap earlier. It's the second time this year I've come to the hospital over my gallbladder.
Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's fibro and/or Ehlers-Danlos.
Started this post in February!
So, I worked up the nerve to ask the rheumatologist how he ruled out anything rheumatological minus fibromyalgia and he basically blew it off, flatly saying I don't have RA, lupus, or EDS.
Okaaay, but we didn't do the diagnostics from the hEDS checklist beyond establishing I'm hypermobile, so when I say I manage anxiety with information, and attempt to self-inform and advocate, maybe tell me wtf led to the conclusions? Am I now filed under 'hysterical' because I use my brain instead of just faith?
He's at least not insisting on any particular drug, suggests exercise, potentially St. John's Wort.
Apparently Austin is a dead zone for EDS specialists or even those reasonably familiar, and the localish support group is understandably limited in advice to share, so I'm not even sure who to tap for a second opinion to assess and explain more thoroughly. The fatigue is heavy right now, so the thought of driving even the hour and a half to San Antonio is feeling like too much, much less double that to Houston or DFW. But that's apparently my best option for area experts, at least to diagnose. I've got some names, and the longer I wait to try, sigh...
On that note, the neurologist I have a referral for, two of the three experiences mentioned are horror stories; another mentions that the clinic will diagnose but don't treat what they identify. The cardiologist thinks I have dysautonomia but wants a tilt table test before he makes any diagnoses, and there are none in-house, thus the referral.
...Apparently, a table test is not definitive since it's dependent on triggering sporadic symptoms rather than a snapshot of structures, and thus avoided by top cardiologists now bc they're kinda brutal on top of that incomplete picture. Yay.
Fake-edit, but weeks later: The neuro has yet to return the message I left weeks ago -- apparently I have appointments with them, despite the day I left the message being the first time I'd spoken to anyone at the clinic. Didn't know you could schedule someone purely on a referral -- were they ever going to notify me of these appointments, or just charge me when I failed to show up? None of this breeds confidence in their operation.
my medicare plan is supposed to have full coverage for a virtual appointment with the telemedicine doctor service so i used that for an issue that did not need a full in person appointment and then the telemedicine sent me a bill i emailed them and said I am not supposed to have a bill and then i sent a message to the insurance and they said the claim was submitted to them wrong so they denied it then i called the virtual appointment doctor company and told them this and I thought it would be fixed but then i just got another email about the bill and i am worried i might get sent to collections does anyone know how i can fix this?
I think my plan is called a add on plan it is like supplemental but it is not an advantage plan i can look it up more if that helps
i got turned over to collections by mistake once and the collections people were actually very nice about it and sent me a letter apologizing and saying it would not impact my credit but it took hours to get it fixed by the hospital I do not want to deal with that again
i never would have guessed that collections would be easier to deal with than the hospital but i am hoping this does not escalate to that point i don't know what is going on at some of these medical companies
Jr. only thing I can think of is that you might have to contact your state's Medicare office. I know that could potentially be a mixed bag, which is going to vary based on what state you live in. They'd likely be better equipped to help you out and might be able to solve the issue. They should have resources and personnel that can handle this stuff on your behalf and also force the insurer to pull their weight, if they are just trying to find a way to weasel out of having to pay anything.
Wish I could offer better advice, but medicare isn't my wheelhouse. I do know that the offices can work really well if you get competent people. My family happens to know one of the bondmen for Medicaid in Virginia, so we've made good use of that connection when either my or my younger siblings insurer fucks up and won't fix things. It's also how we managed to address some of the BS with Mary Washing Hospital, who seems to have gobbled up all the medical stuff in the Fredericksburg area. Like I have no issues with the actual doctors and nurses, they are usually pretty damn good, if you can get passed all the piss more administration that organization has.
As for me, I get to go in and have have the laser cleanup done on my left eye's lens. Here's hoping that get my vision back to normal and I only have to deal with the issue of still likely having to take Prednisolone in the left eye, on top of the remicade for the ankylosing spondylitis and they took me off of methotraxate because my liver numbers were a bit on the high side and it was actually starting to make me sick on days that I took it, since it's a once a week thing. Got me on a new drug, will see how that works, but not thrilled with it either because of various potential side effects and other risks. They namely have me on it to minimize the risk of developing anti-bodies to the remicade and the fact that I'm still having to deal with flare ups in the left eye. I want to say the procedure will help because I have really shitty vision in the left eye and it's like I'm looking out through a really dirty window, but now one can tell until they clean up the lens.
Granted if it pays off, might make it easier to maybe find a job and get back on my feet, since driving might be an option again for me. Shit vision in one eye with limited range of motion in the neck isn't great or really that safe for driving and people without any issues already feel really unsafe on the road.
Anyways, fuck the US healthcare system and every piece of shit conservative and republican that keeps defending such an immoral system. I'd likely be in much better shape if we had a saner, more ethical and compassionate system, which is not what we have. I'm still alive and kicking despite the bullshit I have had and still have to put up with in regards to our country's healthcare system.
Continuing to get absolutely hammered by Long COVID, which sucks. Daily pain from my sinuses, fatigue issues, and the brain damage COVID dies is noticeable for me - I loose words all the time that I didn't use to.
There's also zero support here for it, my GP is being useless and it's just incredibly draining
Now I get to wait a few days to see if the posterior capsulotomy (or YAG laser capsulotomy), actually did anything to fix the vision in my left eye.
If I'm understanding things right, my body did something that is a bit unusual. A decent chunk of people who get cataract surgery end up developing posterior capsule opacification (PCO). This where the tissue that makes up the lens capsule gets covered in scare tissue or becomes wrinkly and it looks like one is lookin gat a really dirty fucking window. There are a number of people that don't even run into this condition and it tends be more likely to happen to those that have to get a cataract removed when they are young. Mine came out a few years ago, so I was was going to get it one way or another; except my eye apparently developed this condition before I had the cataract surgery. Essentially, when they popped the cataract out, they just put the new lens into a lens capsule that was guaranteed to ensure I didn't have good vision. I'm just hoping this doesn't mean I'll have to get a lens replacement. Granted, I might have to do a second round of the posterior capsulotomy because my the encapsulation was reallly thick and they have to be careful with how much laser surgery they do on my eye in any given time period, too much could inflame it again and pretty much undo all the progress made, if it goes south.
I have to say it's a weird procedure to do because all they do is numb up your eye and through in a few other drops to make the procedure possible. Then you just have to stare at a light a ton and blink, as your eye get hit with a laser that results in a popping sound, where sometimes you feel like something is hitting your eye and occasional you can feel a little bit of heat. Really weird, but I'd take this over the procedure where they remove calcium deposits from your cornea, that procedure is awful and while the numbing drops probably blunt the pain, there is no getting around the discomfort caused by all the pressure put on your eye as they add a solution that lets them scrap the calcium deposit off your cornea.
Did this stuff around 9:30 am, so not sure how much longer i have to wait until I can be sure of whether or not this did much for me or not. I feel like it might have helped, but I get a feeling there is a fair bit of crap in the left eye that will probably take more than a day to clear out. So can't tell if the current cloudiness in my vision is just of all the debris floating in my eye or if that is a result of enough of the crap still remaining, that I'll need a second round.
Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's fibro and/or Ehlers-Danlos.
Started this post in February!
So, I worked up the nerve to ask the rheumatologist how he ruled out anything rheumatological minus fibromyalgia and he basically blew it off, flatly saying I don't have RA, lupus, or EDS.
Okaaay, but we didn't do the diagnostics from the hEDS checklist beyond establishing I'm hypermobile, so when I say I manage anxiety with information, and attempt to self-inform and advocate, maybe tell me wtf led to the conclusions? Am I now filed under 'hysterical' because I use my brain instead of just faith?
He's at least not insisting on any particular drug, suggests exercise, potentially St. John's Wort.
Apparently Austin is a dead zone for EDS specialists or even those reasonably familiar, and the localish support group is understandably limited in advice to share, so I'm not even sure who to tap for a second opinion to assess and explain more thoroughly. The fatigue is heavy right now, so the thought of driving even the hour and a half to San Antonio is feeling like too much, much less double that to Houston or DFW. But that's apparently my best option for area experts, at least to diagnose. I've got some names, and the longer I wait to try, sigh...
On that note, the neurologist I have a referral for, two of the three experiences mentioned are horror stories; another mentions that the clinic will diagnose but don't treat what they identify. The cardiologist thinks I have dysautonomia but wants a tilt table test before he makes any diagnoses, and there are none in-house, thus the referral.
...Apparently, a table test is not definitive since it's dependent on triggering sporadic symptoms rather than a snapshot of structures, and thus avoided by top cardiologists now bc they're kinda brutal on top of that incomplete picture. Yay.
Fake-edit, but weeks later: The neuro has yet to return the message I left weeks ago -- apparently I have appointments with them, despite the day I left the message being the first time I'd spoken to anyone at the clinic. Didn't know you could schedule someone purely on a referral -- were they ever going to notify me of these appointments, or just charge me when I failed to show up? None of this breeds confidence in their operation.
@pooka The USA Ehlers-Danlos Society has a virtual support group that meets a few times a month over Zoom. Their next one is tomorrow afternoon, you just need to register (link). They're going to steer clear of direct medical advice of course, but they might be able to point you in the right direction for getting that second opinion.
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Anyways, my retina specialist sent me over to a uveitis specialist and that specialist thinks he might have a possible solution to the vision issues to my left eye. Apparently, when it got badly inflamed from me being off remicade, it resulted in calcium deposits forming on my cornea. So now I just need to find a cornea specialist that can put me on a treatment to break those deposits up and see if that helps with the vision. Otherwise, will get stuck looking at other options and ones of those is increasingly hoping that advances in medical technology will provide a fix.
Granted, there is the downside where I've learned that I'm likely stuck having to take steroid drops for my left eye for the foreseeable future. So once again, I would like to just say fuck the US's healthcare setup and fuck every asshole that keeps defending it and insisting it's the best system ever. Also triple fuck the ones that are also going around and screaming about Christian values because as a former Christian, I'm quite confidant stating that if Christ walked the earth again, he state everyone defending this system and enabling it, is going straight to hell.
battletag: Millin#1360
Nice chart to figure out how honest a news source is.
It did show my pulmonary artery at 4.1cm indicating likely pulmonary hypertension. Not surprising to me really. Sucks that I'll probably have to go on oxygen therapy I imagine since I'm already on a diuretic and a vasodilator.
This blows.
Also I've got arthritis in my upper spine. Which explains my neck pain a lot I guess.
I wonder if my doctor will be too.
I imagine she'll just get me another CT in 6 months to a year to see if they grow, and if they do follow-up with that other scan.
It's weird I've never really smoked, only maybe two cigarettes my entire life and pot occasionally when I was younger, though I did used to assemble lots of metal wargaming figures in maybe not super well ventilated rooms? I dunno
Did your doctor explain why they weren't worried? I can't tell from your post if they just didn't say anything, and so you assume they aren't, or if they explained things. If you have concerns, it is the doctors job to explain why they aren't concerned, and what they are going to do about it in the future. I know it can be hard to advocate for yourself but having peace of mind is important for your mental health.
PSN:Furlion
Oh I just haven't had a follow-up visit yet to talk to my PCP. I've got a couple more tests to do for them before they will probably schedule me again. Those are on the books to get done next Tuesday. A stress test and an echo.
I'm just a little bit worried is all but not extremely worried.
Ok, cool. I see so many people get brushed off by their doctors without any explanation. Bit of a pet peeve of mine.
PSN:Furlion
This is not medical advice but may be helpful for context: Brock University cancer prediction equation for solitary pulmonary lung nodules. Higher (more positive) log odds for each item = more risk. Family history is on the lower end. Your pulmonologist is probably using more sophisticated guidelines.
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Yeah I might end up doing that after I get the rest of my cardio tests done
My new primary care doctor is really good about leaving notes on my results after reading them so I know she's being thorough.
Day I'm suppose to go in to see my specialist, I get a fun call stating that they need to cancel the appointment because they no longer take medicaid. Would have been really nice to have been told at the start of the month that I would need to see if I could even find an in network specialist and if not, get an out of network specialist lined that medicaid would have had to pay for.
Really sucks because in theory, my have potentially been on my way to getting the issues with the left eye resolved. Like no guarantee that removing the calcium deposits will result in the vision clearing up. Sometimes it really does feel like this shit system is designed to try to see if it can either destroy people or keep them down completely. Sucks that I'm not having much luck on the job search front because having insurance that isn't medicaid would help in some ways, would still be shit because the issue I'm having with my current medicaid stuff. Is that Virginia contracts all it's medicaid shit through third parties, AKA all the assholes that offer the private insurance plans. A fuck ton of the dysfunction with the US healthcare system is a result of private insurance companies. So a job with insurance, likely wouldn't mean I avoid all the bullshit. Hell, I know when I had a job a few years back, I still had a decent bit of bullshit that I had to deal with.
Hell, pretty much at the point where if someone better than the US gave me medical care and I had assurance of not getting kicked out. I'd be more than willing to leave this country.
battletag: Millin#1360
Nice chart to figure out how honest a news source is.
Medicare Advantage and Medicaid MCOs should be fucking illegal. Employment based insurance is bad enough but these fuckers are actively making people's lives worse and getting paid tax dollars to do it.
I don't know much about VA Medicaid but some states require monthly enrollment from the doctor's offices and other bullshit that a lot of doctors just can't be assed to do.
PSN:Furlion
Just got out of the rheumatologist -- 3 vials and--upon poke-- instant dizzy/nausea I assume from a drop in blood pressure. Whee vasovagal... I used to be a good draw! That's for due diligence & research he's on, but he's reasonably confident I have fibromyalgia, 100% not EDS, 100% hypermobile. I'm not convinced he's right re: EDS, but I'm also not convinced he's wrong.
He's giving me a tricyclic, so... not a class I was hoping to ever have but fuck it, if it helps the brain fog and fatigue like he's presenting...
Edit: I am now dealing with my third in as many weeks
The hospital took a CT scan and couldn't see anything significant, save for "pulmonary nodules" in her lungs, which the nurses blew off as nothing, as they assured her its only worrying for people with a history of smoking or bread cancer. Well, my mom has a history of smoking AND breast cancer, so its pretty fucking worrying.
Now we're sitting in the oncologists office, ready to receive some wonderful news or some really bad news.
I dont think she's going to survive if the cancer comes back. I just don't think she has it in her to fight, and I'm really fucking scared.
Edit: looks like its not cancer. We're so relieved, God damn
And I'm on my third go around with the community mental health team, because my brain is still a charnel house desperately in need of help
Steam: https://steamcommunity.com/id/TheZombiePenguin
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And the secret was to just have a very, very, small dose of it.
Started this post in February!
Okaaay, but we didn't do the diagnostics from the hEDS checklist beyond establishing I'm hypermobile, so when I say I manage anxiety with information, and attempt to self-inform and advocate, maybe tell me wtf led to the conclusions? Am I now filed under 'hysterical' because I use my brain instead of just faith?
He's at least not insisting on any particular drug, suggests exercise, potentially St. John's Wort.
Apparently Austin is a dead zone for EDS specialists or even those reasonably familiar, and the localish support group is understandably limited in advice to share, so I'm not even sure who to tap for a second opinion to assess and explain more thoroughly. The fatigue is heavy right now, so the thought of driving even the hour and a half to San Antonio is feeling like too much, much less double that to Houston or DFW. But that's apparently my best option for area experts, at least to diagnose. I've got some names, and the longer I wait to try, sigh...
On that note, the neurologist I have a referral for, two of the three experiences mentioned are horror stories; another mentions that the clinic will diagnose but don't treat what they identify. The cardiologist thinks I have dysautonomia but wants a tilt table test before he makes any diagnoses, and there are none in-house, thus the referral.
...Apparently, a table test is not definitive since it's dependent on triggering sporadic symptoms rather than a snapshot of structures, and thus avoided by top cardiologists now bc they're kinda brutal on top of that incomplete picture. Yay.
Fake-edit, but weeks later: The neuro has yet to return the message I left weeks ago -- apparently I have appointments with them, despite the day I left the message being the first time I'd spoken to anyone at the clinic. Didn't know you could schedule someone purely on a referral -- were they ever going to notify me of these appointments, or just charge me when I failed to show up? None of this breeds confidence in their operation.
I think my plan is called a add on plan it is like supplemental but it is not an advantage plan i can look it up more if that helps
i never would have guessed that collections would be easier to deal with than the hospital but i am hoping this does not escalate to that point i don't know what is going on at some of these medical companies
Wish I could offer better advice, but medicare isn't my wheelhouse. I do know that the offices can work really well if you get competent people. My family happens to know one of the bondmen for Medicaid in Virginia, so we've made good use of that connection when either my or my younger siblings insurer fucks up and won't fix things. It's also how we managed to address some of the BS with Mary Washing Hospital, who seems to have gobbled up all the medical stuff in the Fredericksburg area. Like I have no issues with the actual doctors and nurses, they are usually pretty damn good, if you can get passed all the piss more administration that organization has.
As for me, I get to go in and have have the laser cleanup done on my left eye's lens. Here's hoping that get my vision back to normal and I only have to deal with the issue of still likely having to take Prednisolone in the left eye, on top of the remicade for the ankylosing spondylitis and they took me off of methotraxate because my liver numbers were a bit on the high side and it was actually starting to make me sick on days that I took it, since it's a once a week thing. Got me on a new drug, will see how that works, but not thrilled with it either because of various potential side effects and other risks. They namely have me on it to minimize the risk of developing anti-bodies to the remicade and the fact that I'm still having to deal with flare ups in the left eye. I want to say the procedure will help because I have really shitty vision in the left eye and it's like I'm looking out through a really dirty window, but now one can tell until they clean up the lens.
Granted if it pays off, might make it easier to maybe find a job and get back on my feet, since driving might be an option again for me. Shit vision in one eye with limited range of motion in the neck isn't great or really that safe for driving and people without any issues already feel really unsafe on the road.
Anyways, fuck the US healthcare system and every piece of shit conservative and republican that keeps defending such an immoral system. I'd likely be in much better shape if we had a saner, more ethical and compassionate system, which is not what we have. I'm still alive and kicking despite the bullshit I have had and still have to put up with in regards to our country's healthcare system.
battletag: Millin#1360
Nice chart to figure out how honest a news source is.
There's also zero support here for it, my GP is being useless and it's just incredibly draining
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If I'm understanding things right, my body did something that is a bit unusual. A decent chunk of people who get cataract surgery end up developing posterior capsule opacification (PCO). This where the tissue that makes up the lens capsule gets covered in scare tissue or becomes wrinkly and it looks like one is lookin gat a really dirty fucking window. There are a number of people that don't even run into this condition and it tends be more likely to happen to those that have to get a cataract removed when they are young. Mine came out a few years ago, so I was was going to get it one way or another; except my eye apparently developed this condition before I had the cataract surgery. Essentially, when they popped the cataract out, they just put the new lens into a lens capsule that was guaranteed to ensure I didn't have good vision. I'm just hoping this doesn't mean I'll have to get a lens replacement. Granted, I might have to do a second round of the posterior capsulotomy because my the encapsulation was reallly thick and they have to be careful with how much laser surgery they do on my eye in any given time period, too much could inflame it again and pretty much undo all the progress made, if it goes south.
I have to say it's a weird procedure to do because all they do is numb up your eye and through in a few other drops to make the procedure possible. Then you just have to stare at a light a ton and blink, as your eye get hit with a laser that results in a popping sound, where sometimes you feel like something is hitting your eye and occasional you can feel a little bit of heat. Really weird, but I'd take this over the procedure where they remove calcium deposits from your cornea, that procedure is awful and while the numbing drops probably blunt the pain, there is no getting around the discomfort caused by all the pressure put on your eye as they add a solution that lets them scrap the calcium deposit off your cornea.
Did this stuff around 9:30 am, so not sure how much longer i have to wait until I can be sure of whether or not this did much for me or not. I feel like it might have helped, but I get a feeling there is a fair bit of crap in the left eye that will probably take more than a day to clear out. So can't tell if the current cloudiness in my vision is just of all the debris floating in my eye or if that is a result of enough of the crap still remaining, that I'll need a second round.
battletag: Millin#1360
Nice chart to figure out how honest a news source is.
@pooka The USA Ehlers-Danlos Society has a virtual support group that meets a few times a month over Zoom. Their next one is tomorrow afternoon, you just need to register (link). They're going to steer clear of direct medical advice of course, but they might be able to point you in the right direction for getting that second opinion.