Health and money purrs needed

CatNipped wrote:

Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then
after that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay
for all the testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent
savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.

Purrs for both are on the way. I'm curious, though. Treatment for anemia
doesn't sound "preventative" to me. You have a diagnosis. Now it's an
actual medical condition requiring treatment. This should include follow-up
lab work required after today's visit, and prescriptions under your r/x
benefit. Have you called the insurance company?

Jill

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
I had scheduled a visit with my doctor because the pain from when I broke
my arm has just continued to worsen over the last year. I've been to
several orthopedists and all they do is take an x-ray and shoot cortisone
shots into my funny bone tendon - yet the pain continues to worsen. I have
a feeling that when I fell, since I was airborne for a second and my right
hand was the first part of my body to hit the cement, that I did more than
just fracture and partially shatter my wrist bone. I think I injured
something in the spinal column of my neck (the pain there is really bad and
when I move my head around it sort of crunches there). Also, not only has
the ring finger of my right hand started feeling funny and numb, but the
corresponding toe on my right foot is feeling the same. Anyway, I thought
I'd see my GP and get him to recommend a neurologist. Besides, I've had
quite a number of other health issues lately.

Since it's been a while since I've seen him, he wanted to do some blood
work before I came in, so I went to have my blood drawn this morning.
When I got home Ben told me that I'd gotten a telephone message from my
doctor's nurse asking me to call her back immediately. I did and she told
me that I was *severely* iron deficient and anemic and my doctor wants me
to go back to the lab first thing Monday morning to have an iron panel and
a hemoccult done. He also wants me to start taking Niferex 3 times a day.

From the symptoms I'm having, having looked them up online (I know, bad
idea since it only scares you more), two possible causes of the severe
anemia are leukemia or colon cancer.

Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then after
that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay for all the
testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.


--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/




Talk to your doctor about how this will be coded for insurance purposes.
This doesn't sound like preventative care to me at all. It sounds like
remedial care because a diagnosis of anemia has been made.

I was diagnosed with anemia a little more than a year ago (and also on two
occasions many years ago). My doctor also wanted to check the "primary
suspects" first (colon, internal bleeding), as well he should. However,
mine was actually related to iron deficiency. That was not what he was
really expected, but it was very inexpensive to treat. After several months
of iron pills, my last two blood panels showed *no* anemia. So, you have
been frightened as a result of your Internet search, but it is very possible
that you will also find a routine cause that can be easily treated.

MaryL

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...

"Karen AKA Kajikit" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 3 Aug 2007 18:34:22 -0500, "CatNipped"
wrote:

From the symptoms I'm having, having looked them up online (I know, bad
idea
since it only scares you more), two possible causes of the severe anemia
are
leukemia or colon cancer.

Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then after
that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay for all
the
testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.

Yes, it COULD possibly be something nasty... but you're a woman in
your reproductive years and it's very common for us to be anemic,
sometimes VERY anemeic... so don't jump to the conclusion that you've
got some dire disease sweety - it's probably just the natural
cumulative effects of being a woman and not taking in as much iron as
you're losing every month...

Purrs for all of this to not cost you very much and to have a simple
solution...

LOL! Thank you, but no, it's not that. I'm 55 now and had a complete
hysterectomy when I was 41. Thank you for the purrs, they're very much
appreciated.

Hugs,

CatNipped




The same thing is true for me (except that you need to add a few years for
me!). Nevertheless, my anemia *was* caused by iron deficiency and only
required iron pills for a "cure." Ironically, women past menopause are
often advised to take vitamin/mineral pills without iron, but in my case I
needed a supplement. You may find something just as simple in your
case--so, try to ignore the Internet stuff since you are seeing all the "bad
case" scenarios and really can't make a diagnosis on your own

MaryL

jofirey wrote:
"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then
after that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay
for all the testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent
savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.


Try not to worry over the weekend. And quit looking it up on the
internet until the doctor talks to you.

BTW, if I'm reading this right, you ARE anemic. That is a medical
condition in and of itself and treating it isn't preventive.

Looking for the sources of pain are diagnostic, not preventive.

Preventive is when you are getting tests for something you don't have
symptoms for but want screening to be sure. Flu shots and pap smears
and mammograms are essentially preventive but I'm pretty sure they
have to cover those anyway.

A complete physical just to see if the doctor can find anything wrong
with you would be preventive.

But I've just had tons of experience and a patient and with my
insurance. Somebody here should have better information on what is
and what isn't preventive.

Jo

You've hit the nail on the head in terms of defining preventive medicine vs.
actual treatment for a diagnosed medical condition. Time for Lori to call
her insurance company (the number should be on her card) and get
clarification.

Jill

Sherry wrote:
On Aug 3, 6:34 pm, "CatNipped" wrote:
Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then
after that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay
for all the testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent
savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.


I'm sorry you're having such trouble. It is so silly for insurance
companies to balk
at preventive care. I guess they want you to wait till you get
*really* sick, then they'll
pay for it!! I could really go off on a tangent about insurance, I am
having trouble with
them too.

Until the HMO's started getting so damned tight with the purse strings (yes,
there was a time way back in the deep mists of time when they weren't, I
worked for one run by Prudential), the emphasis was on preventive care.
They'd cover a full physical once a year, annual PAP smear (& mammograms for
women over 35); all the annual shots for babies and school age kids, for a
small copayment. The idea was, don't wait until you're so sick you don't go
to the doctor... you can afford $10. And if it was determined you were ill,
they'd cover that too. Sometimes at a slightly reduced %, depending on
which plan your employer signed up for.

All that got lost in the administrative shuffle and the money-grabbing
mentality. Doctor's used to be gung-ho about the HMO concept until
administrative types started trying to tell them how to practice medicine by
refusing to approve legitimate treatments for known illnesses. It's a damn
shame, really.

Jill

"CatNipped" wrote

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.

Major "let this be something very minor" purrs vibrating across the pond
from me & my lot.

As a pessimist by nature myself I can vouch for the dangers to one's mental
equilibrium of self-researching the causes of a problem & latching onto the
worst cases, so do try & avoid that

If you recall Jerome K Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat" he (J) was something
of a hypochondriac.
One day he obtained a medical dictionary and read it cover-cover,
ascertaining therefrom that he had the symptoms of every single
ailment/injury/disease that it contained EXCEPT Housemaid's Knee. Being who
he was he was indignant that he didn't have that too.

He hightailed it off to his GP & received a prescription. Without reading it
he presented to the Chemist - who fell about laughing & said "you need a
restaurant, not a Chemist, to fill this!"

It was a presecription for a steak dinner.

HTH
Gordon & the FF
(Not that I'm suggesting you're a hypochondriac, of course )


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"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
I had scheduled a visit with my doctor because the pain from when I broke
my arm has just continued to worsen over the last year. I've been to
several orthopedists and all they do is take an x-ray and shoot cortisone
shots into my funny bone tendon - yet the pain continues to worsen. I have
a feeling that when I fell, since I was airborne for a second and my right
hand was the first part of my body to hit the cement, that I did more than
just fracture and partially shatter my wrist bone. I think I injured
something in the spinal column of my neck (the pain there is really bad and
when I move my head around it sort of crunches there). Also, not only has
the ring finger of my right hand started feeling funny and numb, but the
corresponding toe on my right foot is feeling the same. Anyway, I thought
I'd see my GP and get him to recommend a neurologist. Besides, I've had
quite a number of other health issues lately.

Since it's been a while since I've seen him, he wanted to do some blood
work before I came in, so I went to have my blood drawn this morning.
When I got home Ben told me that I'd gotten a telephone message from my
doctor's nurse asking me to call her back immediately. I did and she told
me that I was *severely* iron deficient and anemic and my doctor wants me
to go back to the lab first thing Monday morning to have an iron panel and
a hemoccult done. He also wants me to start taking Niferex 3 times a day.

From the symptoms I'm having, having looked them up online (I know, bad
idea since it only scares you more), two possible causes of the severe
anemia are leukemia or colon cancer.

Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then after
that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay for all the
testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.


--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/

CatNipped wrote:
snip
Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.

Purrs on the way.
--
Adrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
CatNipped wrote:

Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then
after that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay
for all the testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent
savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.

Purrs for both are on the way. I'm curious, though. Treatment for anemia
doesn't sound "preventative" to me. You have a diagnosis. Now it's an
actual medical condition requiring treatment. This should include
follow-up
lab work required after today's visit, and prescriptions under your r/x
benefit. Have you called the insurance company?

Jill

No, no, I think y'all have it backwards. They pay for *preventative*
treatments (pap, vacs, etc.), but they *don't* pay for treatment for an
illness or disorder!

Hugs,

CatNipped

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
. ..

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
I had scheduled a visit with my doctor because the pain from when I broke
my arm has just continued to worsen over the last year. I've been to
several orthopedists and all they do is take an x-ray and shoot cortisone
shots into my funny bone tendon - yet the pain continues to worsen. I
have a feeling that when I fell, since I was airborne for a second and my
right hand was the first part of my body to hit the cement, that I did
more than just fracture and partially shatter my wrist bone. I think I
injured something in the spinal column of my neck (the pain there is
really bad and when I move my head around it sort of crunches there).
Also, not only has the ring finger of my right hand started feeling funny
and numb, but the corresponding toe on my right foot is feeling the same.
Anyway, I thought I'd see my GP and get him to recommend a neurologist.
Besides, I've had quite a number of other health issues lately.

Since it's been a while since I've seen him, he wanted to do some blood
work before I came in, so I went to have my blood drawn this morning.
When I got home Ben told me that I'd gotten a telephone message from my
doctor's nurse asking me to call her back immediately. I did and she
told me that I was *severely* iron deficient and anemic and my doctor
wants me to go back to the lab first thing Monday morning to have an iron
panel and a hemoccult done. He also wants me to start taking Niferex 3
times a day.

From the symptoms I'm having, having looked them up online (I know, bad
idea since it only scares you more), two possible causes of the severe
anemia are leukemia or colon cancer.

Now the really, really bad news. My new insurance only pays for
preventative treatment up to a $1,500 deductible per year and then after
that still only pays a portion of your cost. So I have to pay for all
the testing and all the treatment out of our non-existent savings!

Some purrs for both my health and my pocket book would be greatly
appreciated.


--

Hugs,

CatNipped

See all my masters at: http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/




Talk to your doctor about how this will be coded for insurance purposes.
This doesn't sound like preventative care to me at all. It sounds like
remedial care because a diagnosis of anemia has been made.

I was diagnosed with anemia a little more than a year ago (and also on two
occasions many years ago). My doctor also wanted to check the "primary
suspects" first (colon, internal bleeding), as well he should. However,
mine was actually related to iron deficiency. That was not what he was
really expected, but it was very inexpensive to treat. After several
months of iron pills, my last two blood panels showed *no* anemia. So,
you have been frightened as a result of your Internet search, but it is
very possible that you will also find a routine cause that can be easily
treated.

MaryL

Thanks Mary. I see him in 3 weeks unless he calls me in before then.

Hugs,

CatNipped