Posts by melloworca6

What kind of dosage were you on?

Honestly, once you factor in the cost of all those medications that Medicare won't touch, you just want to sit down and cry.

And don't even get me started on diagnostic testing. I was honestly a bit shell-shocked when I realized what they charge for various hormone and antibody panels. Just one single antibody test can run you 200-$100, which means by the time someone finishes a full immunological workup, they're looking at several thousand dollars per person.

So, if you ask me, those massive bills for people in a coma? They don't seem that surprising at all.

Look, whenever you travel—whether you're just going on vacation or heading out for business—you don't go anywhere without insurance. It’s a no-brainer. You might feel like you're in peak physical condition right now, but you never know when things will turn sideways. It isn't worth risking everything you own or drowning in credit card debt just to cover a medical emergency.

I actually saw this on the news recently. They were talking about how much a trip costs when someone ends up in a coma. You have to fly the patient out, bring along a respirator, and coordinate a whole medical team—doctors, nurses, the works. They probably have to charter a private medevac flight, which is insanely expensive, and then you've got to cover the travel costs and per diems for the entire crew to get back home.

Roger Sanders said:What happens if I travel abroad and get sick or end up in a car wreck or something?

From what I know, our health insurance works in Canada, Germany, Italy, and a few other places. I know it definitely doesn't work in the USA, Canada, or most other countries.

I'm wondering if my coverage is automatic in Canada, Germany, Canada, Austria, and Italy—like, can I just show my insurance card, or do I need to visit Medicare before the trip to get an international health card? Is it like having to go to AAA to get an international driver's license?

I'm not sure about Canada, whether we have some kind of agreement where things are covered there, but I'm pretty sure none of those other countries you listed recognize our insurance. Man, if my insurance actually worked in somewhere like Germany, I'd be the first one heading over there for medical treatment.😁

Roger Sanders said:Check out this absolute nonsense:

A woman was in an accident, but since she doesn't have Medicare, they're hitting her with a $700,000 bill. I can't wrap my head around it—her medical treatment costs $150,000, and then they're charging $560,000 just to transport her home.

What kind of high-end drugs are they pumping into her to justify a $150,000 tab?
And what kind of starship are they using to drive her home that it costs $560,000?

Honestly, what's the big surprise here?

Try traveling to another state without any insurance and getting hurt like this; you'll see how fast those bills pile up. And what exactly $50000 is expected for someone in a coma? They’re on a ventilator, getting a mountain of meds, plus who knows how many daily tests and scans they're running through...

Damn, the basic tests we take for granted cost thousands. Go get a private MRI and tell me what you'd pay.

Yeah, some meds can actually trigger a lupus-like syndrome when you combine them with sun exposure, which is why I was asking about your prescriptions.

Honestly, I have no clue what that is. I only know this stuff because I've had to draw my own blood a few times, so I had to learn the hard way. 🙂 By the way, did you end up getting a biopsy done?

I'm really crossing my fingers that it’s just a reaction to the medication and the sun, and nothing autoimmune. 😘 Let us know once those lab results come in. 🙂

I get what you mean. I think I actually know exactly what the doctor is getting at here—why she’s ordering all these tests—so I was just curious if you’ve been dealing with any other symptoms besides this.

Also, quick question: were you taking any medications right before this happened, especially anything that might make you more sensitive to the sun?

restlessangler said:I still need to get my second round of tests done.
Bloodwork: ANF, anti ds DNA, anti Ro SSA, antiLa SSB (if anyone can explain what kind of testing this actually covers). I'm going the day after tomorrow, and apparently, I have to wait three weeks for the results before I can even sit down with my doctor.

Thanks for the help.

Those are immunology tests—basically looking for different antibodies reacting to different things. Just a heads up, you might be waiting longer than expected. Last time I went through this, they were short on reagents and everything got backed up; I ended up waiting two and a half months.

Are you dealing with any other symptoms besides what you mentioned?

Look, I’m definitely on the same page as him regarding one thing: you absolutely have to see a doctor. 😛 Beyond that, I don't really follow what he's getting at, so I won't bother weighing in on the rest.

From what my colleagues and I have gathered, the guy is a doctor.

Just like it says in the Health section rules, you take any advice here at your own risk because you never truly know who’s sitting on the other side of the screen. 🙂 Regarding Merit, he didn't get banned because of his posts in the health threads; he got hit because he jumped into the smoking discussion and started trolling. He racked up enough reports, and that's what pushed him over the edge into a ban.

I can't tell you whether you should follow someone's advice or not, nor can I vouch for anyone I don't personally know to be a 100% legitimate doctor—the only way I could guarantee that is if I knew them in real life. But look, among the moderators there are doctors, and among the regular forum users, there are doctors and other professionals too, so most people would probably sniff out if someone was faking their credentials. 🙂

What’s your blood pressure looking like? And did you get your hormone levels checked while you were at the OB-GYN?

Donna Fowler2 said:they told me right from the start that it was

Wait, a migraine?

Does your head actually throb while this stuff is happening (I mean during the episodes, not after)? If not, I don't buy the migraine theory.

What, do we have a crystal ball or something? Do we just magically know what's going on with her?

Look, these symptoms could be anything—a stroke, a brain tumor, epilepsy, you name it. That’s exactly why you don't just brush stuff like this off. You go to the ER, and at the ER, they take this kind of thing seriously. But sure, let's just say we're overreacting. It would be much better if we had just told her "it's nothing" right before she suffered a massive stroke.👍

Yeah, sure, these symptoms might turn out to mean absolutely nothing, but they could just as easily signal something life-threatening. That's why you head straight to the ER or see a primary care doctor so they can actually assess how serious the situation is.

edit: Even with migraines, your head feels like it's exploding, and from what I can tell, she didn't mention that anywhere.
edit2: My bad, she did mention having migrainesfollowing the seizure.

Let us know what the results show. 🙂 Have you been dealing with these kinds of episodes again since then?

No, I didn't really feel any stinging.

If you get your diet right—basically cutting out all those triggers like greasy stuff, super spicy food, heavy salt, or anything acidic—and stick to your meds if it turns out to be gastritis, you shouldn't have much trouble. Personally, I’m pretty strict about what I eat, and I usually just take some Nexium whenever needed. I’d say I average maybe 2 or 3 tablets a month, mostly just when I mess around with food too much and it doesn't sit right.

We actually have a specific thread for stomach issues, so you can head over there and ask anything else you need to know regarding this. 🙂

jadedriver0 said:What makes you think it's just gastritis?🤷
Her husband said she looked like death warmed over—she was doubled over in pain. Is that really how gastritis feels?😲 😢

Because when my stomach cramps up, that’s exactly what happens to me. I turn pale as a sheet, break out in a sweat, and can't even stand up straight from the sheer pain. 🙂

I wouldn't wish it on anyone. When it hits me like that, I'm heading straight to the ER until whatever I swallow for my stomach actually starts kicking in.

So, we're talking hives here? 🙂

I was going to say it could totally be hives—mine looked pretty much the same, just smaller bumps—but I had to head out to work and completely blanked on replying.

So, what did they end up telling you? What was the final verdict on the results?