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columellaGood Question. I think I have gotten to the point of avoiding sleep. Waking up coughing is miserable. Being tired isn't helping, and I know intellectually going to bed late is probably not helping, but yet I can't seem to bring myself to go to bed until I am exhausted in hopes I will sleep through.
For those who have not been in the know, I have been having allergy type symptoms for some time - but it got really bad in mid July. And has been downhill since then. I had what appeared to be a rather severe allergic reaction to something. My Dr. had me try over the counter allergy medication which did nothing. So off to the allergist who tested everything under the sun and gave me a good news/bad news result - good news? I am not allergic to anything. Bad news? I am not allergic to anything! Came up with a diagnosis of Vasomotor Rhinitis - which basically means I am having allergy-type symptoms, but it is not a histimine reaction so antihistimines won't help it. He said I had to not
do things to irritate it, and cleaning house appeared to be the biggest irritant. So told me not to clean anymore - yeah, right. Ended up with two different nasal sprays which helped somewhat, but I was still in a constant state of allergic-type reactions (just not as bad.)
So, take it about a month later. The constant reactions meant I was ripe for any infection that came along. Being that school started about that time - surprise! Secondary infection! Back to the Dr. - antibiotics and another nasal spray. Infection gets worse. So then it was on to heavy duty antibiotics. It got better for a couple of weeks, then worse again. So my primary care doc became concerned about making me antibiotic resistant and sent me to an ENT.
That part was *really* fun. Stuck a scope up my nose. Said my "lungs were wet" and gave me another nasal spray and a round of steroids as well as a chest xray and then back in 2 weeks. The steriods helped a lot so then I got an inhaler and cough syrup with codiene and instructions to come back in a month.
That brings us to today. Inhaler did *nothing* and when I got to deal with the nose-scope again today (and it REALLY HURT) I now have another secondary infection. So more drugs to clear up the infection and then he wants to do a CAT scan once the infection is cleared up.
This brings me to the second part of the subject line because then I had to head to the pharmacy. Something I have been having to do a lot lately. Today's bill? $200!!! (That is not counting the $35 for the Dr. Visit.) Here is the breakdown...
Benicar refill (blood pressure meds) - $100 for 90 days (with my insurance it is still $50 a month, to help they have a deal that if you get 3 months at once you can get one free. Still expensive.)
Diclofanec refill (anti-inflamatory) - did not get because everything was so expensive. Going to talk to my doctor about changing the prescription because a slightly different version is on the $4 Target list.
Nasonex refill (nasal spray) - $35
Levaquin (antibiotic) - $50 for only 5 pills
Prevacid - insurance would not approve at all. Pharmacy faxed paperwork to the doctor and recommended an over the counter option instead for $20. Without the insurance the Prevacid would have been $170. Even if they can get approval from the insurance it will still be $50.
So, end result? $205 and could not get two of the prescriptions. I will call the doctor tomorrow and see if this over the counter option will be sufficient. And call the other one about seeing if changing the other prescription slightly is an option.
Now my question becomes, what do people without insurance do? My blood pressure meds alone cost me $400 a year (with insurance!) I am told it would be $179 a month without insurance. And the current mystery illness? So far I have racked up...
4 Primary Visits @ $20ea = $80
4 Specialist Visits @ $35 = $140
1 chest xray @ $35 = $35
Today's Prescriptions = $105
4 previous nasal spays @ $35 = $140
Cough Syrup w/Codein (from Walmart) = $4
2 Antibiotics @ $15 = $30
Grand Total = $534
This does not include the regular stuff like the blood pressure meds.
So, what if I worked at McDonalds? Or some other service industry job with no insurance? Would I just have to have a heart attack? What would happen when I had to finally call in sick to work with no sick time?
And this is a comparatively mild illnes. I don't have cancer or some other major illness.
But I sitll can not afford all this and wonder what the heck I would do if I was not as fortunate as I am???
For those who have not been in the know, I have been having allergy type symptoms for some time - but it got really bad in mid July. And has been downhill since then. I had what appeared to be a rather severe allergic reaction to something. My Dr. had me try over the counter allergy medication which did nothing. So off to the allergist who tested everything under the sun and gave me a good news/bad news result - good news? I am not allergic to anything. Bad news? I am not allergic to anything! Came up with a diagnosis of Vasomotor Rhinitis - which basically means I am having allergy-type symptoms, but it is not a histimine reaction so antihistimines won't help it. He said I had to not
do things to irritate it, and cleaning house appeared to be the biggest irritant. So told me not to clean anymore - yeah, right. Ended up with two different nasal sprays which helped somewhat, but I was still in a constant state of allergic-type reactions (just not as bad.)
So, take it about a month later. The constant reactions meant I was ripe for any infection that came along. Being that school started about that time - surprise! Secondary infection! Back to the Dr. - antibiotics and another nasal spray. Infection gets worse. So then it was on to heavy duty antibiotics. It got better for a couple of weeks, then worse again. So my primary care doc became concerned about making me antibiotic resistant and sent me to an ENT.
That part was *really* fun. Stuck a scope up my nose. Said my "lungs were wet" and gave me another nasal spray and a round of steroids as well as a chest xray and then back in 2 weeks. The steriods helped a lot so then I got an inhaler and cough syrup with codiene and instructions to come back in a month.
That brings us to today. Inhaler did *nothing* and when I got to deal with the nose-scope again today (and it REALLY HURT) I now have another secondary infection. So more drugs to clear up the infection and then he wants to do a CAT scan once the infection is cleared up.
This brings me to the second part of the subject line because then I had to head to the pharmacy. Something I have been having to do a lot lately. Today's bill? $200!!! (That is not counting the $35 for the Dr. Visit.) Here is the breakdown...
Benicar refill (blood pressure meds) - $100 for 90 days (with my insurance it is still $50 a month, to help they have a deal that if you get 3 months at once you can get one free. Still expensive.)
Diclofanec refill (anti-inflamatory) - did not get because everything was so expensive. Going to talk to my doctor about changing the prescription because a slightly different version is on the $4 Target list.
Nasonex refill (nasal spray) - $35
Levaquin (antibiotic) - $50 for only 5 pills
Prevacid - insurance would not approve at all. Pharmacy faxed paperwork to the doctor and recommended an over the counter option instead for $20. Without the insurance the Prevacid would have been $170. Even if they can get approval from the insurance it will still be $50.
So, end result? $205 and could not get two of the prescriptions. I will call the doctor tomorrow and see if this over the counter option will be sufficient. And call the other one about seeing if changing the other prescription slightly is an option.
Now my question becomes, what do people without insurance do? My blood pressure meds alone cost me $400 a year (with insurance!) I am told it would be $179 a month without insurance. And the current mystery illness? So far I have racked up...
4 Primary Visits @ $20ea = $80
4 Specialist Visits @ $35 = $140
1 chest xray @ $35 = $35
Today's Prescriptions = $105
4 previous nasal spays @ $35 = $140
Cough Syrup w/Codein (from Walmart) = $4
2 Antibiotics @ $15 = $30
Grand Total = $534
This does not include the regular stuff like the blood pressure meds.
So, what if I worked at McDonalds? Or some other service industry job with no insurance? Would I just have to have a heart attack? What would happen when I had to finally call in sick to work with no sick time?
And this is a comparatively mild illnes. I don't have cancer or some other major illness.
But I sitll can not afford all this and wonder what the heck I would do if I was not as fortunate as I am???
