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Post by tigergirl10 on Jun 10, 2011 10:55:35 GMT -5
Not only is endometrosis a horrible disease to suffer with, it is horribly expensive. I am in the nightmare of my life right now. My health has improved and reversal was successful. but been under horrible stress. When I took my insurance plan out at work in June 2010, I took out only the cheapest plan. It was all I could afford. didnt read too much into it, figured I would use it for doctors visits only. At the time, didn't know I had endometrosis. then I got horribly sick in September. didn't know my insurance had a lifetime cap of only 25,000. my first surgery alone was 80,000. And I had 3 surgeries. first one was emergency surgery to save my life and ended up with the colostomy. then went to be reversed in March, only to end up with an ileostomy for 9 weeks. Then back again May 18th to be fully reversed. then a relapse with a kink in the intestine 6 days later which resulted in a 4 day hospital stay.
Just found out a week ago how bad my insurance policy truly was. When the hospital called and told me my bill. I applied for hardship for all 4 hospital stays and got approved. but even with the hardships, my hospital bill is around 25 grand. That doesn't even count the thousands of dollars, I owe for the doctor visits. And the $5000 worth of ostomy supplies that they didn't pay for. I only make $10.70 an hour. and missed a ton of work due to all my hospital stays. just got paid yesterday and my check for the week was only $166.00. I am living with my parents til the wedding in December. and they are not making me pay rent or utilities. My fiancee is just coming off a chapter 13 and said wedding is off in Dec, if the debt isn't elimated. So have a meeting with an attorney and seems like chapter 7 is my only way out. My parents are going to have to pay the fees, because I am pretty much broke. I have like $600 in my savings and that is it. don't know what I am going to do, and now I have no insurance. and Dec 2nd is still nearly 6 months away. and I still have to continue to fight so this endometrosis doesn't come back. Don't know what I am going to do if I get sick again and need medical care again. I still have to go once a month to the drs to get lupron depot injections til September.
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Post by JC on Jun 10, 2011 11:12:07 GMT -5
Oh my GOD. I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this on top of everything else. This really sucks that you have so much to pay for! And now your insurance has run out and you don't have coverage anymore? I don't know what to say, I'm so sorry that this is happening.
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Post by tigergirl10 on Jun 10, 2011 11:32:59 GMT -5
yes I had a lifetime cap of 25,000. I am in debt of like 30,000 prob more. with them all harrassing me for the money. bankrupcy 7 seems like the only way out. even with me paying them $25 a month, it will never make a dent in a debt that severe. and my fiancee said he can't take that type of debt on. his ex wife ran him into severe debt. an his chapter 13 will be finished by the time of the wedding. I don't have any other solutions. and even though I don't have insurance technically, I still have to pay $66. any gaps and my future husband's insurance won't pick me up in December. will be forced to go to charity hospital 45 min away if I need medical care. and when I went to that hospital before, with no insurance, it was horrible. they left me 7 hours in an emergency room moaning in agony. with rectal bleeding. and kept sending me home. charity hospital nearly killed me. that was why my endo took so long to be diagnosed. had to nearly die before I got any help.
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Post by pretty on Jun 10, 2011 11:46:11 GMT -5
many women come back strong from bankruptcy. I can't advise you since I don't have the background to give good advice but I think declaring bankruptcy is a great idea. it's not your fault you had to go through all this, and if it's your only option, you have to take it. 30,000 is what I personally owe for student loans, but those are federal and can be deferred during financial hardship - anyway not really relevant just to give you an idea that debt is universal. I also owe over 10,000 on medical bills, and I just found out I need another 'quick' surgery. you are not alone, we all have to make hard choices and be broke all the time! In your situation I would look into going to school, you could get financial aid, and improve you and your future hubby's lives while educating yourself. Then by the time your bankruptcy is over you'll be all set to make some better income and get better health care as well... praying for you tiger. Pretty
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Post by hellsbells on Jun 10, 2011 16:30:02 GMT -5
I empathise. I have about twice as much debt as you. Not for the same reasons, and I manage to cover it each month, but I know the burden of that much debt. I'm so sorry you have to suffer this too. The US medical system boils my piss. Sounds like pretty gave some good advice.
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Post by 1234 on Jun 10, 2011 18:01:13 GMT -5
Tigergirl, this is awful. Our medical system is so criminal. Thinking about you.
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Post by painttheseconds on Jun 10, 2011 21:23:11 GMT -5
One of my close friends just filed for bankruptcy and she is getting through it. She also had a lot of medical bills on her hands without proper insurance coverage. It's not a fun or easy process from what I understand, but she's made it work for her.
I'm so sorry that on top of everything else you have had to deal with, that you have this on your plate as well. Wishing you the best and thinking of you. Our medical system is awful.
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Post by tigergirl10 on Jun 11, 2011 10:58:23 GMT -5
I meet with my attorney Monday. my parents offered to pay most of it. they have that type of money in the bank. but I can't take from them. I could see maybe helping me if they choose to do so. there is no way I could take that type of money. my dad is trying to retire this year. and they are paying for my wedding. I can't financially drain them. just very depressed. because my credit rating was very good near perfect. it was 7.50. and now it will be totally ruined. and if anything should happen between me and my fiancee, and would find myself single again, it would be horrible. would never be able to fianance anything. I turn 35 in 2 weeks, and just feeling like a loser right now. How could of been so stupid and not read the insurance policy more carefully? guess I never thought I would ever get that sick. I ignored my symptoms for years and would never go to a doctor til I was on a level 10 type of pain. the few times I went to chartity hospital in the years before I had insurance, it was horrible! was passing blood and in horrific stomach pain. yet they left me lying on a couch in the ER with about 200 otherpeople. screaming in agony and they didn't seem to care. didn't get seen til 7 hours later and they just sent me home, saying it was all in my head basically. so thought I was doing the right thing about finally getting insurance, only to have a crappy policy of a lifetime max of 25,000. never in my life I heard of a cap that low. and after the emergency surgery, why didn't the hospital tell me I was maxed out on my benefits? before they did the 2nd surgery and the 3rd surgery, my reversal? if I would of known, guess I would of had no choice but to go to charity. but then I might of not been able to have the reversal and would of been devestated if the ostomy was permanent. was hard enough living through it for over 8 months. just very extremly stressed out and no solution is a good one. stressful enough trying to plan a wedding in less than 6 months that might not be able to take place because of this debt.
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Post by JC on Jun 11, 2011 16:16:31 GMT -5
Would you considering borrowing the money from your parents and paying them back instead? That way you don't have to file bancruptcy? It's an option to consider at least?
I'm sorry, I wish I had better advice to give.
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Post by tigergirl10 on Jun 11, 2011 22:22:21 GMT -5
Would you considering borrowing the money from your parents and paying them back instead? That way you don't have to file bancruptcy? It's an option to consider at least? I'm sorry, I wish I had better advice to give. Sorry I just can't do that. 30 grand? that would be my parents almost whole life savings. and my dad is fixing to retire. don't have the heart to leave them with nothing. and I would never be able to pay them back. even if I paid them $100 a month, I would be paying until I am 65. and they would prob be dead by then.
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Post by JC on Jun 12, 2011 15:03:42 GMT -5
Oh I see what you mean.I really hope that you can find a better way around all this. We'll always be here to lend a shoulder. How have you been feeling since the reversal?
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Post by tigergirl10 on Jun 12, 2011 20:44:20 GMT -5
been feeling ok. still just get tired easy. and go to the bathroom a bit more. my stomach still doesn't feel 100%. and still for some strange reason loosing weight even though I eat a lot now. 123 pounds at 5 ft 4 in. but that is ok with me, I love my new size. even though I was never a big person. 147 at my heaviest last summer but that was all do to endometrosis tissue.
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Post by JC on Jun 13, 2011 4:59:35 GMT -5
It's good to hear that you're feeling better. You're probably still healing from the surgery and trauma your body went through. I hope in continues to get better.
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Post by tigergirl10 on Jun 19, 2011 8:32:18 GMT -5
My parents insisted on paying off the hospital. That is a lot of money. They didn't want me to file chapter 7
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Post by JC on Jun 19, 2011 8:49:07 GMT -5
Oh holy crap. That's truly amazing of them but I know how you feel about them putting forward so much money. I'm sorry
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