Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 Hi Theresa. This is VERY good advice, to find insurance while you're still able. My husband and I have a small business and are uninsured. Before I was diagnosed I told him I thought I should get medical insurance, that I felt something was really wrong. Because we are forced to pay so much money in insurance for our company vehicles etc, he said he'd rather self-insure for our health. That wasn't the best decision, since my rheumatologist is now talking about biologic medications that are in excess of $1000 per month. Even on the less expensive medications, I am paying over $200 a month for meds, and about $125 a month for doctors visits and lab tests. And, once you're diagnosed it is virtually impossible to get insurance at any price. I was told that I would be able to get insurance if I was a-symptomatic and off all meds for five years. It's hard to hear this on top of feeling so crummy, but in the long run you' ll be much better off if you get insurance now. Hope you feel better soon! Hugs, Carol in FL [ ] sorry i never used this mail thing before.anyway he >didnt say what kind of artritis so i asked him and he wanted to do some >bloodwork because of the fatigue and to see if it was RA or lupus. here is >what confused me,he showed me the test results and explained how they run >the test for lupus, how they dilute your blood 40 times normal range was ><1:40 it was written like that and he said after the blood has been diluted >if you still show the antibody then you have lupusmy results were <1:40- >1:80> i said so does this mean there was still lupus in my blood after they >diluted it and he said yes and i said so i have lupus and he said no i >think you are exhausted from work i want you to take a week off work and >take celebrex for the pain and see if you feel better. he acted very >strange like he was afraid to upset me or something but he is a very small >town dr. he just didnt have any answers for me i became very discouraged >and stoped the meds. in 3 days i started running a fever again and swollen >glands and my pain became horrible so im taking it now. my husband is very >supportive but i need help because i didnt take the ins. at work it was so >expensive and we just bought our first house. i dont think this dr. can >help me,where do i turn.something i think may have started all this is >extreme stress which i will explain later but when i was in all this stress >is when my symptoms first surfaced. i hope you can help, i hope someone >can.thank you >Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 16:44:14 -0700 (PDT) > > > > bridgette1959 <bridgette1959@...> wrote: > > > > Hi , > I know that the Drs can be a bit vague about things, what is it >that you are having a hard time with? Give me a shout and I will see >what I can tell you... > >Bridgette > > > > --------------------------------- > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2002 Report Share Posted May 17, 2002 , Carol and are giving you very important advice. If you have no insurance, please get it immediately. If the doctor was aware that you have no insurance, that may be why he was hesitating to explore further or give you a firm diagnosis. Most doctors don't want to give a diagnosis for a serious illness to a patient unless they are absolutely sure. In the early stages of disease, many disorders present in similar ways. It's an injustice to the patient to label her or him prematurely and, perhaps, inaccurately. Sometimes doctors don't formally make the diagnosis, but treat what they believe the patient has. You may not have lupus or RA, but, with your symptoms, it would be wise to seek out a rheumatologist. A rheumatologist would be more likely to correctly diagnose you and figure out how best to treat you. Again though, in terms of money, get your insurance first, then see the rheumatologist. If money had nothing to do with it, I'd say that you should see a rheumatologist without delay. Good luck! [ ] sorry i never used this mail thing before.anyway he > >didnt say what kind of artritis so i asked him and he wanted to do some > >bloodwork because of the fatigue and to see if it was RA or lupus. here is > >what confused me,he showed me the test results and explained how they run > >the test for lupus, how they dilute your blood 40 times normal range was > ><1:40 it was written like that and he said after the blood has been diluted > >if you still show the antibody then you have lupusmy results were <1:40- > >1:80> i said so does this mean there was still lupus in my blood after they > >diluted it and he said yes and i said so i have lupus and he said no i > >think you are exhausted from work i want you to take a week off work and > >take celebrex for the pain and see if you feel better. he acted very > >strange like he was afraid to upset me or something but he is a very small > >town dr. he just didnt have any answers for me i became very discouraged > >and stoped the meds. in 3 days i started running a fever again and swollen > >glands and my pain became horrible so im taking it now. my husband is very > >supportive but i need help because i didnt take the ins. at work it was so > >expensive and we just bought our first house. i dont think this dr. can > >help me,where do i turn.something i think may have started all this is > >extreme stress which i will explain later but when i was in all this stress > >is when my symptoms first surfaced. i hope you can help, i hope someone > >can.thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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