Aa
Anybody else feel guilty about the $ for medical problems?
Tonight my husband just had to ask about the money situation. *sigh* Then I had to explain to him how there isn't any extra money. He makes more money now than we ever thought he would-- we are definitely not rich-- but we are just breaking even again. So as I'm explaining all this I start bawling, nothing new, when I have to tell him the part about it being all my medical bills and prescriptions again that are causing this. Just about the time we think we're really getting somewhere something else goes wrong with my health.
To top it off today, my insurance refuses to pay for the Cortrosyl injection or the test to check my cortisol levels that my endo ordered. Am hoping that it can be down with a 24-hour test, but don't know yet.
It's not enough that my lack of energy and enthusiasm for life is almost non-existant, I have to suck all the money down the tubes with me. And I feel especially bad b/c my husband is sole supporter of the family. We always agreed that we wanted me home to raise our son, but now it seems like he just
works to pay my medical bills. :(
Sorry, guess I just had to get this off my chest. Guess being sick isn't enough, huh? Too bad I quit smoking, cause I could really use a smoke! =)
Dac
To top it off today, my insurance refuses to pay for the Cortrosyl injection or the test to check my cortisol levels that my endo ordered. Am hoping that it can be down with a 24-hour test, but don't know yet.
It's not enough that my lack of energy and enthusiasm for life is almost non-existant, I have to suck all the money down the tubes with me. And I feel especially bad b/c my husband is sole supporter of the family. We always agreed that we wanted me home to raise our son, but now it seems like he just
works to pay my medical bills. :(
Sorry, guess I just had to get this off my chest. Guess being sick isn't enough, huh? Too bad I quit smoking, cause I could really use a smoke! =)
Dac
man oh man oh man. Lets see.......we have been paying 100% of our sons neurologist bills for 10 years now. ( falling down down down the black hole...)
In the past 5 years I have royally screwed things up with 2 kidney stones, trigeminal nueralgia, ruptured ovary sist, sever balance problems, false heart attack scare.....hmmm....oh yeah now Im having surgery on monday ( can no longer see the sun out of the pit and have a really bad burn from being in the molten core area of the earth...)
Money???......whats money???
If I start thinking about bills I feel like Im going to have a heart attack! I mean it! I just have to look at it this way......so what! We have no money and bills are always piling up. Life does go on. With my sons disablitly it will NEVER end. I can do the best I can and take each day as it comes or go stark raving insane! So we dont have a brand new car every couple of years....and we dont take many vacations.....I know my bill collectors by their first names.....theres really nothing I can do about it right now. I do the best I can with what we have. And you know what??? We are a happy family. I have a good marriage and my kids are happy. One day......many many moons from now we might be out of debt. I will be going back to work this fall after 12 years and hopefully start climbing my way out of the pit but I know it will take FOREVER and....I'm ok with that. Life does go on even if theirs no money. But it sure does suck!! LOL
In the past 5 years I have royally screwed things up with 2 kidney stones, trigeminal nueralgia, ruptured ovary sist, sever balance problems, false heart attack scare.....hmmm....oh yeah now Im having surgery on monday ( can no longer see the sun out of the pit and have a really bad burn from being in the molten core area of the earth...)
Money???......whats money???
If I start thinking about bills I feel like Im going to have a heart attack! I mean it! I just have to look at it this way......so what! We have no money and bills are always piling up. Life does go on. With my sons disablitly it will NEVER end. I can do the best I can and take each day as it comes or go stark raving insane! So we dont have a brand new car every couple of years....and we dont take many vacations.....I know my bill collectors by their first names.....theres really nothing I can do about it right now. I do the best I can with what we have. And you know what??? We are a happy family. I have a good marriage and my kids are happy. One day......many many moons from now we might be out of debt. I will be going back to work this fall after 12 years and hopefully start climbing my way out of the pit but I know it will take FOREVER and....I'm ok with that. Life does go on even if theirs no money. But it sure does suck!! LOL
Thank you everyone for all your support. Seems I hit upon a common nerve here.
My insurance has a $400 out of pocket deductible b/f they pay anything. Then they pay 80%. For three straight years 2000-2003 I had my deductible done by Jan. 31! Amazing, huh? Guess I'm just going back into this pattern. Gee, I surely hope not!
Told my husband tonight that maybe she shouldn't take any more pay raises or higher positions, b/c every time he starts making more money my health takes a nose dive! ;)
Nyxie--called today and said that the 24-hr cortisol test does not diagnose "adrenal deficiencies". Kinda think she's leaning towards another disease. If she's not I don't know what. Anyway, said that a pharmacy there would sell me one vial of the medicine for $95! That's all, nothin', huh? "And well, you'll just have to pay for it and the test out of pocket b/c you need it." That was it. No 'maybe we can help you' or 'maybe we can work something out' nothing. Told the woman I did not have the money and she said "Well, I don't know what to tell you, other than you're going to have to come up with it." At this point I gave up b/c I've found that dumbbells aren't very good listeners. They are just heavy objects that are always in the way. ;)
Kim--my husband said basically the same thing about taking care of each other and that this is the reason he works so hard. But adding to this is my husband is a roll-#-card-carrying Indian so he doesn't have to pay a dime for anything unless he chooses to go outside of the tribe for help. That has been a big help for us through the years. Too bad I'm not the Indian here.
Cheryl--my dentist wasn't great about it. I paid over $600 out of pocket for a root canal, my ins. paid over $1,000, now they say I owe them $201 over what the ins would pay!! Are ya freakin' kiddin' me?! I don't even have the crown yet! I don't know if it costs like this where you live, but here this is ridiculous!!!! My ins. has already paid out over half of what they allow in a yr. And let me tell you my teeth are decaying at an unbelievable rate, even though I take very good care of my teeth.
Nicki--I will try to keep that in mind...but you know with brain fog and all....stuff gets LOST up there! lol
kitcurious--you did not know how your CT would come out. If hindsight were foresight, yada yada yada....=) We never know we just do the best we can, and hope we make the right decisions. You cannot keep blaming yourself. I would be willing to bet your family doesn't.
SuzieQTT--I understand all too well. My poor little boy has never known what it was like for me to be healthy and full of energy. I use to be hyper and could go with only 3-4 hrs sleep a night. I was a lot of fun with all that energy. But I developed Graves' immediately after he was born. Then went from that to hypohell. I try really hard, I do. But right now I am back to sleeping all day and awake until at least midnight every night. I too am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Last night I was watching Extreme Makeover and thinking about how I might be willing to be away from my family that long if they would send me back healthy. Plus they'd be paying for it all! Yippeeeeee!!! REALLY, REALLY wish I knew what healthy felt like again. Keep trying to remind myself that there are lots of people out there in worse shape than I am, but sometimes it is very hard to not have self pity. Especially when I feel as if I am being a drain on my family and the money they could have.
Wish I could wrap my arms around everyone on here for a HUGE HUG!!!
God bless you all!
Dac
My insurance has a $400 out of pocket deductible b/f they pay anything. Then they pay 80%. For three straight years 2000-2003 I had my deductible done by Jan. 31! Amazing, huh? Guess I'm just going back into this pattern. Gee, I surely hope not!
Told my husband tonight that maybe she shouldn't take any more pay raises or higher positions, b/c every time he starts making more money my health takes a nose dive! ;)
Nyxie--called today and said that the 24-hr cortisol test does not diagnose "adrenal deficiencies". Kinda think she's leaning towards another disease. If she's not I don't know what. Anyway, said that a pharmacy there would sell me one vial of the medicine for $95! That's all, nothin', huh? "And well, you'll just have to pay for it and the test out of pocket b/c you need it." That was it. No 'maybe we can help you' or 'maybe we can work something out' nothing. Told the woman I did not have the money and she said "Well, I don't know what to tell you, other than you're going to have to come up with it." At this point I gave up b/c I've found that dumbbells aren't very good listeners. They are just heavy objects that are always in the way. ;)
Kim--my husband said basically the same thing about taking care of each other and that this is the reason he works so hard. But adding to this is my husband is a roll-#-card-carrying Indian so he doesn't have to pay a dime for anything unless he chooses to go outside of the tribe for help. That has been a big help for us through the years. Too bad I'm not the Indian here.
Cheryl--my dentist wasn't great about it. I paid over $600 out of pocket for a root canal, my ins. paid over $1,000, now they say I owe them $201 over what the ins would pay!! Are ya freakin' kiddin' me?! I don't even have the crown yet! I don't know if it costs like this where you live, but here this is ridiculous!!!! My ins. has already paid out over half of what they allow in a yr. And let me tell you my teeth are decaying at an unbelievable rate, even though I take very good care of my teeth.
Nicki--I will try to keep that in mind...but you know with brain fog and all....stuff gets LOST up there! lol
kitcurious--you did not know how your CT would come out. If hindsight were foresight, yada yada yada....=) We never know we just do the best we can, and hope we make the right decisions. You cannot keep blaming yourself. I would be willing to bet your family doesn't.
SuzieQTT--I understand all too well. My poor little boy has never known what it was like for me to be healthy and full of energy. I use to be hyper and could go with only 3-4 hrs sleep a night. I was a lot of fun with all that energy. But I developed Graves' immediately after he was born. Then went from that to hypohell. I try really hard, I do. But right now I am back to sleeping all day and awake until at least midnight every night. I too am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Last night I was watching Extreme Makeover and thinking about how I might be willing to be away from my family that long if they would send me back healthy. Plus they'd be paying for it all! Yippeeeeee!!! REALLY, REALLY wish I knew what healthy felt like again. Keep trying to remind myself that there are lots of people out there in worse shape than I am, but sometimes it is very hard to not have self pity. Especially when I feel as if I am being a drain on my family and the money they could have.
Wish I could wrap my arms around everyone on here for a HUGE HUG!!!
God bless you all!
Dac
I understand and feel your hurt with you...I will be thinking about you and hope you see happier healthier times.
Suzie
Suzie
My husband and I both worked in the corporate world for quite a few years (about 20 for me). We made good money and never really worried about a lot of things. about 4 years ago my sister was diagnosed with a very aggressive type of Breast Cancer and since she was the one that had been taking care of my mother who has been ill for some time now I wanted to try to move back to my hometown to help. My husband was able to keep his job in Lexington, KY and I quit my job outright and just took a job once we made the move.
In dealing with their illnesses and surgeries I worked on and off for the first year we were here but then I started getting sick and could only find work as a temporary employee. Then one day I went in to work and the owner of the company I worked at told me to let the guys do the thinking ...because foolish me...when he asked what I thought, I told him. I quit that job almost immediately and my husband and I decided that I could go back to school for Cosmetology, which is what I had wanted to do for most of my adult life but with kids and bills it never happened.
My husband found out earlier this year that he will be losing his job (10yrs with this company) in February of 08. He enrolled in a Massage Therapy program and our plan is to open a businesss of our own. Now ...I really should have been able to finish school about 8 months ago but with all the symptoms and the illness due to my thyroid there were literally times I just could not get out of bed. I was told by one doc that I just needed to exercise adn push through this "depression" or that I was going through perimenopause (test showed negative). I was told for most of last year that yes there was a problem with my thyroid but it shouldn't be causing this much trouble. Two months ago I had had enough! I went to my family doctor and asked her to send me to someone else. Someone more proactive with my problems and more knowledgeable about the Thyroid. She did and it makes me so mad at myself and the other doctor that I had to wait so long to get the relief that I have now. What is more surprising is that a lot of you have had the same problem with finding someone to give the correct diagnosis and treatment and for an even longer period of time!.
After all this time of doctors appts, copays, Rxs and test after test I am just Pi**ed OFF! The amount of money we have all paid out for these expenses with not much relief is disgusting!
I have cried and cried and cried until I think I can't cry anymore because I feel like my life and the future of my family has been put on hold because of me and to be honest my thought is that I am just sick and tired of waking up sick and tired! I wonder how many of you feel isolated...like your family really doesn't understand what you are going through? I have looked in my husband's eyes to see if he thinks I'm faking it or that it is in my head. He says that he never thought any of this but that he never fully understood what problems with the thyroid could do until he started studying Anatomy and Physiology and Holistic medicine. He told me that he felt helpless to do anything to make me feel better... he has always been my white knight and tried to rescue me but with this totally helpless. I told him that this is how I felt all this time...hopeless and helpless to do anything about it. I even thought that my family would be better off without me..sad but that is how I truly felt.
I think in my case though there is a light at the end of the tunnel...( hope it ain't a train) I had a TT last week and I already feel so much better and for once in a long time I can honestly say that I think we are going to be okay financially and that eventually we can heal mentally...because this has really taken a toil on my family and on me personally. What happened to that strong, onfident healthy, happy person I once was????
sorry for the long rant but I guess this has bothered me for so long and I just never told anyone...thanks
In dealing with their illnesses and surgeries I worked on and off for the first year we were here but then I started getting sick and could only find work as a temporary employee. Then one day I went in to work and the owner of the company I worked at told me to let the guys do the thinking ...because foolish me...when he asked what I thought, I told him. I quit that job almost immediately and my husband and I decided that I could go back to school for Cosmetology, which is what I had wanted to do for most of my adult life but with kids and bills it never happened.
My husband found out earlier this year that he will be losing his job (10yrs with this company) in February of 08. He enrolled in a Massage Therapy program and our plan is to open a businesss of our own. Now ...I really should have been able to finish school about 8 months ago but with all the symptoms and the illness due to my thyroid there were literally times I just could not get out of bed. I was told by one doc that I just needed to exercise adn push through this "depression" or that I was going through perimenopause (test showed negative). I was told for most of last year that yes there was a problem with my thyroid but it shouldn't be causing this much trouble. Two months ago I had had enough! I went to my family doctor and asked her to send me to someone else. Someone more proactive with my problems and more knowledgeable about the Thyroid. She did and it makes me so mad at myself and the other doctor that I had to wait so long to get the relief that I have now. What is more surprising is that a lot of you have had the same problem with finding someone to give the correct diagnosis and treatment and for an even longer period of time!.
After all this time of doctors appts, copays, Rxs and test after test I am just Pi**ed OFF! The amount of money we have all paid out for these expenses with not much relief is disgusting!
I have cried and cried and cried until I think I can't cry anymore because I feel like my life and the future of my family has been put on hold because of me and to be honest my thought is that I am just sick and tired of waking up sick and tired! I wonder how many of you feel isolated...like your family really doesn't understand what you are going through? I have looked in my husband's eyes to see if he thinks I'm faking it or that it is in my head. He says that he never thought any of this but that he never fully understood what problems with the thyroid could do until he started studying Anatomy and Physiology and Holistic medicine. He told me that he felt helpless to do anything to make me feel better... he has always been my white knight and tried to rescue me but with this totally helpless. I told him that this is how I felt all this time...hopeless and helpless to do anything about it. I even thought that my family would be better off without me..sad but that is how I truly felt.
I think in my case though there is a light at the end of the tunnel...( hope it ain't a train) I had a TT last week and I already feel so much better and for once in a long time I can honestly say that I think we are going to be okay financially and that eventually we can heal mentally...because this has really taken a toil on my family and on me personally. What happened to that strong, onfident healthy, happy person I once was????
sorry for the long rant but I guess this has bothered me for so long and I just never told anyone...thanks
Yes, I know what you mean. My husband makes good money too. I work part-time and spend the rest of the week running the household and being chauffeur to my son making sure he gets to all the things he needs to get to but it's expensive living here and I wonder about the money that I spend on my health sometimes.
Most of my expenses have been covered by insurance but not all of them and the copay went up an extra ten dollars per visit this year. I have a doctor friend who was an original investor in my insurance company ( it used to be owned by local doctors, not anymore) who said the other day "Wow. They must hate you." LOL Not as much as they may in future. Right now I am newly diagnosed (autoimmune thyroiditis) and just on treatment for 6 weeks or so. The blood tests, doctor visits and ultrasound are all the insurance has had to pay for so far, in relation to the thyroid that is.
The cardiologist ( my heart rate had been weird and my BP too, my doctor friend says probably due to the thyroid) put me through a lot of tests ( my family history was, in the cardio's words, "alarming" father had first HA at age 37 and I am couple years older than that now). Anyway, all of those tests were covered upfront except one. The calcium scoring heart CT he recommended was an out of pocket (hope to get reimbursed )one. I would have opted out of that test due to its cost and vagueness, but family history and being hypo made me uneasy and the doc advocated it, so I went ahead and paid 415 bucks for the calcium test to be told what I suspected, I have zero build up in my heart.
Imagine my chagrin when I looked up the calcium scoring CT heart test online and found it to be dramatically cheaper in other parts of the country. I think it would have cost less to fly down South and back for the darn thing than have it at Fairfax Hospital's radiology center.
I feel really guilty about the CT test. I should've known it would have been clear to begin with.
I'm sure there other things my family would rather have done with the money.
Most of my expenses have been covered by insurance but not all of them and the copay went up an extra ten dollars per visit this year. I have a doctor friend who was an original investor in my insurance company ( it used to be owned by local doctors, not anymore) who said the other day "Wow. They must hate you." LOL Not as much as they may in future. Right now I am newly diagnosed (autoimmune thyroiditis) and just on treatment for 6 weeks or so. The blood tests, doctor visits and ultrasound are all the insurance has had to pay for so far, in relation to the thyroid that is.
The cardiologist ( my heart rate had been weird and my BP too, my doctor friend says probably due to the thyroid) put me through a lot of tests ( my family history was, in the cardio's words, "alarming" father had first HA at age 37 and I am couple years older than that now). Anyway, all of those tests were covered upfront except one. The calcium scoring heart CT he recommended was an out of pocket (hope to get reimbursed )one. I would have opted out of that test due to its cost and vagueness, but family history and being hypo made me uneasy and the doc advocated it, so I went ahead and paid 415 bucks for the calcium test to be told what I suspected, I have zero build up in my heart.
Imagine my chagrin when I looked up the calcium scoring CT heart test online and found it to be dramatically cheaper in other parts of the country. I think it would have cost less to fly down South and back for the darn thing than have it at Fairfax Hospital's radiology center.
I feel really guilty about the CT test. I should've known it would have been clear to begin with.
I'm sure there other things my family would rather have done with the money.
Yes, I completely know where you're coming from. My husband also makes way more than our monthly bills require, yet there's none left and even we still get behind. When he says he doesn't understand and I have to re-explain that it's the medical bills piling up, it makes me feel so quitly. In the past 3 years, we have paid out at or over $10,000 per year between copays, prescriptions, and our 10%. It's unreal. We have insurance and we're still paying out the ###!
There will come a day when it will get better. Hopefully that day is sooner rather than later. In 10 years, it's not going to matter what our account balance was today, so just let it go. That's what I try to do at least.
Relax, take a hot bath, try to focus on something else today.
Nicki
There will come a day when it will get better. Hopefully that day is sooner rather than later. In 10 years, it's not going to matter what our account balance was today, so just let it go. That's what I try to do at least.
Relax, take a hot bath, try to focus on something else today.
Nicki
The thought never even crossed my mind, but I do see where you are coming from. I'm of course new to all of this and am just now seeing that some things aren't being covered by insurance (luckily minor). It's easy to say you shouldn't feel bad because you can't help how you feel and if it were the other way around, you wouldn't feel bad making sure that your husband is well taken care of. I"m luckily off for the summer but who knows if I will be able to keep up with 25 eight year olds mid August- I"m going to have to but it is a major worry of mine right now and I carry my own insurance, so I have to work, plus living in S. Florida is expensive.
Yes, it is discouraging at times. Hopefully this will be short term expense for you once you are doing better :::::hugs:::::. . My phys. therapy is $30 co pay 3X a week + the $400 out of pocket for orthotics on top of 3 root canals + crowns last year .... yeah, it is rough and we just pay them off sometimes monthly .. my dentist was great about it.
Ask for a discount with your dr. sometimes they'll give you 20% off.
C~
Ask for a discount with your dr. sometimes they'll give you 20% off.
C~
(((((((( Dac )))))))) <--- internet hugs
I feel your pain, hon. Since the severe fatigue started, I haven't been able to run my business and now hubby is the sole breadwinner around here. Talk about guilt! Copay for this, copay for that, and tons of vitamin supplements on top of the meds. Have to get money all the time from him for everything. Ugh!
Re the cortisol testing - a 24 hour urine test would probably give a better overall picture of your output than the stim test. It'll most likely be cheaper too. Talk to your dr about it. She might be able to find a way. I ended up paying for my 24-hour cortisol saliva test out of my own pocket. It ran $141 and most run about the same. The urine test might be covered by ins.
On the bright side, think of all the $$ you're saving by not smoking. Now you can apply it to something that's good for you, like meds. ;)
I feel your pain, hon. Since the severe fatigue started, I haven't been able to run my business and now hubby is the sole breadwinner around here. Talk about guilt! Copay for this, copay for that, and tons of vitamin supplements on top of the meds. Have to get money all the time from him for everything. Ugh!
Re the cortisol testing - a 24 hour urine test would probably give a better overall picture of your output than the stim test. It'll most likely be cheaper too. Talk to your dr about it. She might be able to find a way. I ended up paying for my 24-hour cortisol saliva test out of my own pocket. It ran $141 and most run about the same. The urine test might be covered by ins.
On the bright side, think of all the $$ you're saving by not smoking. Now you can apply it to something that's good for you, like meds. ;)
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
