Well big shocker. Since last Wednesday I have been camping out here again at the hospital...good news is that its not MS related, nor heart problems. Wahoo. However before we all start rejoicing with the peasants, lets take a step back and talk about how shitty it is that I'm here because its due to the colitis. Which as we all know, is seriously one of my favorite things to talk about. Remind me again, how much I hate my life.
So I'm here. Have been here. Hate being here, however am becoming a regular here. Nurses know me, people go out of their way to visit me. We're regular old friends around here. Its like cheers except minus the liquor, fun, and Kirstie Alley.
So I'm gonna talk about the colitis for a bit, just because I think the education aspect of it is important. I do apologize that because of my medical disasters this blog has branched out a bit from MS, but hey since my MS is in remission right now, its clearly more fun to talk about as my disease ridden asshole.
I would have to say that my outtake on life is pretty much 100% realist. Which to many people equals pessimism. To each their own I suppose.
I read a lot of "mommy blogs" (which is weird because I kind of hate kids) and I actually really enjoy them. Recently one of my favorite mommy bloggers made a post about optimism, and how we need to spread some around. That by blogging we need to be uplifting as well as truthful. And while the inner pessimist in me disagrees, a large part of me totally thinks shes right.
So instead of another story about how having MS sucks, or how the drugs don't work, and how we're all going to be in wheel chairs and having other people wipe our asses.....today I will be positive.
If you're on myspace, I do apologize as you already know this story.
I do not take MS medications, (Rebif, Avonex, Betaseron, or Copaxone) and I have no desire to do so. I have gotten in minor disputes about this with my neurologist, but we've come to an agreement. I will wait for a pill form, because I was tired of the injections. So...our agreement includes vitamin D everyday, and yearly MRI Scans until an oral medication is available. This seems like a good deal to me. So last November or so when we made our deal, I went in for one last MRI for the year in December, and about a month ago I got the results. I called into the Dr to see what he had to say, I spoke to my favorite nurse and this is what she said. Basically, I have NO NEW LESIONS. Zero. AND...the ones that I do have are SMALLER. Am I some sort of a medical mystery?! Who knows, all I know is that without medication, I am doing just fine andin fact am improving. While I don't think I believe in blessings, if they existed this might be one.
One more ounce of good news.
I had 3 MRIs in 2008. The two that I had in the beginning of the year cost about $8,000. My broke ass clearly didn't have that laying around, so I did what I always do which is called into the hospital to set up a payment plan. The women on the phone didn't quite understand me and referred me to the St. Joe's patient assistance program. I was talking to the coordinator for the program and she told me it was a program that helps patients pay their bills...not a loan...not a payment program...but actually pays the bill. So I was like well...sign my ass up. Turns out being single, broke, and young can work out for you sometimes. I waited along time to hear back from her, and when I called her about 3-4 weeks later she told me news that I could never....ever...have expected. St. Joe's was covering 90% of my bill. HOLY SHIT. I thanked this woman probably about 30 times and cried like a baby when I got off the phone with her. She had helped me in a way that I still don't have words for.
I recently received this bill from St. Joe's. It said the expenses at the top $8000 and some change. It showed their assistance $8000 and some change. And then it said what I owed.
$10
I owe this hospital $10, for over $8,000 in bills. I called my mom, my sister, my boyfriend, I called everyone who would understand how monumentally huge this was. I still think hospitals charge too much for these tests anyway, but I enjoyed the fact that I only owed them $10. If I ever hit it rich, I hope to give a gift like this to someone who needs it, like I did.
