Ok my family, friends & Facebookies. I know that some of yall are wondering what is really going on. I have not mentioned being sick because I was really overwhelmed & trying to come to terms with the diagnosis myself. I had meningococcal meningitis as an infant & spent many weeks on the critical list at TC Thompson. The long-term high fevers associated with this disease can cause a blockage in the drain pipe that allows fluid to release from the brain. In my case the blockage is partial otherwise I would not be here today. So, in a nutshell, I have walked around for 42 years ignorant to the fact that I have a life threatening condition. I have always experienced terrible headaches, have had CT scans & MRIs through the years but for whatever reason was never at any point advised of the blockage or of the potential risks. I can not even count the number of times that I have been to the doctor & to the ER because of the pain nor can I tell you how many times I was given one narcotic injection or the other to kill the headaches & then sent home. I have thrown away hundreds of prescriptions for pain meds without ever getting them filled because I have never taken pills that way. Had the fluid pressure ever at anytime built up too high it could have killed me very quickly. I was in the ER three weeks ago because my blood pressure shot through the roof & my head felt like it was going to explode. To check for bleeding because of the high blood pressure they did a CT on my head. What they found instead of bleeding was enough fluid to warrant a look from a neurologist. Last Wednesday that neurologist saw me in his office & told me exactly what was going on & the seriousness of my condition --- grave was the exact term he used. He highly stressed that the procedure needed to relieve the pressure be scheduled & performed ASAP & that this is not something that I should drag my feet on as I am lucky & blessed to still be alive & kicking. I called his scheduler the same afternoon & left a voice mail. On Friday I finally got a call back but it was from the business office rather than the scheduler. I no longer have the insurance that I held for so many years & since I am completely self pay they will give me a rather hefty discount on the doctors fee. But they will not schedule my very much needed surgery until I pay the remainder of this discounted fee in advance. So there it is. I have put everything that I have into this dream of mine, no longer have any health coverage, and no real means of income because the only money that I see belongs to the store not to me personally. And rather than allow me to have the surgery that I need now & make small monthly payments I was advised to come up with the money first. I can wait it out & go back to the ER should my condition get worse but who is to say that it wont be too late by then. I feel like my life is hanging in the balance while they hold out for a few dollars. I made the decision to leave my job & set out on my own. I have looked into health coverage for myself but the rates were shocking. I do not qualify for any type of assistance other than the discounts given to self-pay patients. So here I sit just waiting to see how all of this will play out & praying to God for a good outcome......
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 19:10:36 +0000
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