my medical news

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Precision
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Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 6:01 pm

my medical news

Post by Precision »

Hi guys,
Got some bad news and I need to discuss it a bit to process it. Sorry this is long.

The back story. I have a genetic degenerative nerve disease. The closest analog would be diabetic neuropathy. It isn't that and it works differently, but the effect is very similar (ish). Long story short, my sense of feeling and pain is very much less acute than most of yours starting more distally from my spine. Meaning my toes only sense the most basic of sensations and pain is not one of them. This has back tracked into about the middle of my foot.

The effect, when you stand too long or wear shoes wrong, you feel a blister and stop doing that. I don't. I get a pressure ulcer and things go a bit sideways.
About 3 years ago, I stepped on a very hot piece of metal. I burned the hell out of my foot. I worked to fix it. It got infected. I saw a pro. The pro was a moron. I went to see another pro...

Side note. I have Christian Health Ministries as my "insurance". The second pro was the wound clinic at a local hospital. They seemed to do a pretty good job, but didn't see me weekly like is normal, but every other week. I didn't think much of is as I was getting better. Then after about 12 weeks, they told me I was as medically improved as I was gonna get (about 85% healed in the wound) and it would take about a year to fully heal. As long as I didn't' have a significant reversion I was on track. I specifically asked and they said there will be some give and take, but over time it should completely heal. If you over do things it will unheal a bit, but if it keeps getting better, no need to see us.

I buggered it up pretty good at the beginning of the month and due to the GF's dad's surprise death, I could not go to the wound clinic. It wasn't infected so no big deal. Then it got infected. I took some antibiotics on hand and attempted to get to the wound clinic. Slight delay so I ended up in the ER to work on the infection. That got me an appointment to the wound clinic.

Upon hearing the above story, the new (to me) doctor was horrified. Horrified that I was released from treatment and he ASSUMED I had bone infection and had for quite some time. Then he realized I had been treated there and immediately shut up.

They used an x-ray to determine if I had bone infection when I was a patient in the past. Same as they did recently at the ER. The DR politely laughed about that and said x-ray will only find MASSIVE bone infection and often not even then. An MRI which the hospital almost refused to give me and I had to pay CASH for, showed strong involvement and certainly longstanding involvement.

Prognosis: possible loss of a metatarsal bone and two toes. The two next to the Great toe on my right foot.

It looks like a bean counter was not able to figure out how Christian Health Ministries works and I was being treated as an indigent despite multiple attempts by me to educate them and get them to give me the bills in a format that my insurance would accept. Bottom line, they get paid in full and faster, but not when they can't get me bills. Their system also does not have an ability to classify my as anything other than self pay / indigent. So I get short shrift...

An MRI 18 months ago before cutting me loose would likely have greatly reduced the damage.

A bit in shock. More than a bit ANGRY and likely to be greatly diminished in my ability to walk...all due to bean counting and incompetence.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
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MiddleAgedKen
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Location: Flyover Country

Re: my medical news

Post by MiddleAgedKen »

I'm very sorry for your trouble, Precision.
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Netpackrat
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Re: my medical news

Post by Netpackrat »

Truly sorry you are having to go through that.
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Gunnuts
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Re: my medical news

Post by Gunnuts »

Sorry to hear about your trouble.

I get aggravated with my insurance/doctors/pharmacy playing games with the prescriptions I'm supposed to take, but this is taking it to a whole other level.
Precision
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Re: my medical news

Post by Precision »

Thanks guys
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
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blackeagle603
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Re: my medical news

Post by blackeagle603 »

Oh man, wish you were closer by, have an open door for you to our hyperbaric chamber. In process of getting a home medical ozone generator as well.

In your situation i'd be investigating clinicians in your area who can offer ozone blood treatment.
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Precision
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Re: my medical news

Post by Precision »

blackeagle603 wrote: Sun Jan 31, 2021 5:06 pm Oh man, wish you were closer by, have an open door for you to our hyperbaric chamber. In process of getting a home medical ozone generator as well.

In your situation i'd be investigating clinicians in your area who can offer ozone blood treatment.
This place has that. They haven't offered it to me though. May well be an artifact of not being able to figure out I am not indigent.
"Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." ~Thomas Jefferson
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blackeagle603
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Re: my medical news

Post by blackeagle603 »

you can get it (out of pocket) on your own. But it's a bit spendy to get as many sessions (dives) as you really want. Which is why I bought one. Several of us in the fam with TBI's, me with a past stroke, wife with early signs of RA, etc. I've had over 100 dives now. Would have broke the bank doing that for fee.

Friends have been over and sped up wound healing, post surgery incisions, big gains for a friend recovering from shingles,
Helped lungs of friend who'd had pulmonary embolism almost died, a year later declared all clear but still couldn't take a full breath. 5 sessions or so and she was taking full breaths again.
"The Guncounter: More fun than a barrel of tattooed knife-fighting chain-smoking monkey butlers with drinking problems and excessive gambling debts!"

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic;" Justice Story
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Netpackrat
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Re: my medical news

Post by Netpackrat »

That's awesome. I know a few years back, PADI was lobbying hard against insurance being able to pay claims for uses of hyperbaric chambers other than treatment of the bends, because they thought that the equipment should be kept idle/reserved for the sole use of divers. I guess they must have lost that fight?
Cognosce teipsum et disce pati

"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
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blackeagle603
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Re: my medical news

Post by blackeagle603 »

Still a very short list of codes for getting HBOT insurance reimbursment. Much longer list of actual "useful for" issues, including general health and lifespan.

But that may be a "good news, bad news" thing. The good news is services with demand and paid out pocket tend to get better and cheaper faster than if 3rd party payer is in the middle distorting the free market.

See also corrective eye surgery, plastic surgery, etc
"The Guncounter: More fun than a barrel of tattooed knife-fighting chain-smoking monkey butlers with drinking problems and excessive gambling debts!"

"The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic;" Justice Story
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