Family Members

Hi! I didn't really see anything else on here posted from family members, so I thought I'd start my own. My b/f was diagnosed...2001? I think. It's hard for me to remember all the dates. We currently have no health insurance, so we have no meds for him. We're having a real tough time convincing anyone that we need help (medical bill wise) and pretty much the only people who will see us is the ER, which doesn't really help. The Dr's there don't know as much about it as we need them to. I've applied us for medicaid (that's not the one for old people, right?) And they keep telling me it doesn't matter what he has we have to get SSI first. I'm really confused. Then all the private insurance companies tell me that because it's a pre-exsisting illness they won't cover it, OR we have to pay for a year or more's coverage FIRST. We can't afford that, that's just rediculous. All in all it's been a very frustrating experience and if anyone has any advice on where to go or who could help it would be greatly appreciated. Living with him without medication is very hard, for both of us. I can't imagine what it's like for him and I feel like I'M going crazy half the time. But I love him to death and I know it can be better, we just need help. I just don't know who to cry to. I'm about out of options. Feel free to message me, I'm online alot through AIM and I will answer ANY e-mail. My AIM is AngelFishStar83 and my e-mail is arriscolwell@gmail.com Thanks everyone!

Katie

that sounds terrible, sorry to hear you are having such problems. I can't imagine being without meds and having CD I personally know nothing about how medicine is dealt with in the states which i assume that is where you are from

Hi Katie

Im sorry im of no help as i live in new zealand. But im sorry for the trouble you are having. I belive there is someone on the site with knowlege on bennifits ect but im not sure if she has knowlege on what you are after.

All the best hun for you and your bf
Kate

Medication can be obtained through manufacturers usually at no cost...all you need is a prescription.
Some of the info can be hard to find, but im sure between all of us here we can get him his meds. If you find the manufacturer of the medication, then it can be worked on from there.

Anyhow, sorry you are having such a bad time. But welcome to the forums

I cant imagine what your going through, hope he gets some help with finding someone to help out. fingers crossed for both of you.

sorry i cant help but ill cross everything that you get it sotred

Sorry to hear about your troubles with health insurance and all. I am currently on COBRA and planned on being a stay-at-home mom but will have to go back to work to get benefits. My husband owns his own firm and it's too small for group coverage.

Ohio has a prescription plan for those that don't have insurance, I found out about it through the unemployment office. I would search the web see if FL has some type of plan also.

MickeyG

Sorry I don't have any answers for you, but I cant imagine what it must be like for the both of you... I really hope you manage to sort something out soon.. big hugs to you both

Elaine xx

Sorry to hear about the problems you're having with insurance. When I went back to school I lost prescription coverage so I ended up going off meds for about 2 years. At the time I was feeling fine and thought I'd made an OK decision. When I had flares I was usually able to control them through diet (I mostly used the SCD diet--http://www.scdiet.org/--it isn't for everyone though), but I ended up in the hospital with major surgery last year. At that point the MD that I was assigned told me about the patient assistance programs most drug companies have. The MD had to do most of the paper work and send the prescription straight to the company. If it's possible at all, I'd suggest affording an appointment with a specialist at least once (it's probably cheaper than an ER visit) and try and get them to help you out with the meds. I got my pills as well as several Remicade injections for free and get my current meds at about 20% of the retail price. I've also heard some good things about the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php); they've helped my mom get some of her drugs free or pretty cheaply.

Good luck!

Try Partners for Perscription Assistance...PPA - google it. They are working on helping me get some really expensive meds. Also, if you go into the hospital talk to them about "charity". I've had a few monsterous bills taken care of because I'm unemployed & uninsured.

at the hospital you go to..ask for the social worker there...go talk to her adn ask her for help..i live in texas and i did..i can't afford the meds either. thye referred me to a clinic..thru the hospital..st. michaels family clinic where they have grants and i qualified for a grant...the dr there gets my meds for my crohns because he knows i can;t afford to go to a gi dr.

he is a primary care, but he has helped me for about 2 yrs now. i don't knwo what i would do without him.

plz excuse my typing..i have arthritis in hands andhe is visting right now..lol
hope this helps some.

jennie

good news!

Aww, I'm sorry to hear that! I have RA so I KNOW how you feel. Sometimes staring at a keyboard makes me hurt. LoL So we finally decided to visit this hospital everyone keeps talking about out here, Sacred Heart. AND WOW. He is on a program that waves his costs for A YEAR. Long enough for us to figure out what the hell is going on with his disability claim. So pretty much we're covered for a while, and he's doing okay. One of the GI's LOOOAAADDDEEDD him up with trial packs! HE IS SUCH A NICE DOC! Justin has to have his gallbladder removed sometime next week though, we just went through a 2 month long stint of him getting pancreatitis THAT WAS NOT FUN :| But we made it with a little help from some strangers...amazingly our cars battery DIED right as I was leaving the hospital to get a change of clothes HIS FIRST NIGHT THERE....isn't that the luck? But a kind man helped me, and I made it to walmart the next day on some jumped juice (lol) and changed it out. BUT WOULDN'T YOU KNOW, 2 days later the alternator died....thanks to my WONDERFUL parents we were able to get that fixed...all the while he was restricted to bed, sick as a dog with them giving him 80 million pills every 2 hours. He doesn't even remember but a day or so of the week he was admitted. Then he stayed home for the next month and 1/2 trying to recover, that was a LONG road, and that's when we decided to go to Sacred Heart, and for THE FIRST TIME since he moved to Florida with me, within the first hour of his stay, we saw a GI, a surgeon, a Nutritionist, the Pastor, and a general practice doc. AMAZING. So...it just goes to show, if you keep trying....lol Now our battle is going to be with Social Sec. Disability. *crosses fingers* lets all pray that goes as smoothly as possible. Best of luck to the rest of you as well! Thanks for all the input!

Best of luck and prayers andd hugs

You can recieve medicaid AND medicare without being an old person. I'm 21!

It is Pre-existing because you let the insurance you had previously, if you had any, lapse, you cant let insurance lapse without picking another up, even for a day. What about trying some supplements?

There are probiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamin b12, acidiphillus, quite a few things you can get from a vitamin store....all things us IBDers could use. Most stores have a whole "digestve" secton. I would NOT recocmmend the colon cleansing or any cleansing though.

Being in the sunlight for 20 to 30 minutes a day, gives you the right amount of vitamin D needed to absorb vitamin C for you bones also.

Its really awful you dont have access to medical care because I cant imagine what taht inflammation is doing in there going untreated, its running a muck!

If he does or has or CAN recieve remicade, which most likely he'd be turned down for unless a GI wrote a letter to the insurance or people paying AFTER being declined he would get help. Centocor the makers of Remicade give out free doses to people that have financial hardships and for people switching health insurances and the new health insurance doesnt want to pay...they only do a limited number of these, so get on the phone with them if you want it.