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Originally Posted by wildflowerchild25
I’ve been languishing in bed in the morning. Not exact sleeping, just avoiding getting up. I’m not sure why. I’m not exactly anxious, I’m just finding it difficult to get up and get moving. It’s not fatigue either. I don’t know.
I talked to my dr about the compulsive eating problem I’m having. It’s been going on for at least a month. I’m physically more hungry and of course attracted more to chips and other high calorie salty snacks than fruits and vegetables. I thought maybe it was the seroquel. My dr added in naltrexone fir some reason. It’s mostly for substance use disorders but apparently can be used off label to offset the increased appetite while on antipsychotics. I’ve never heard of that before but whatever. I guess I’ll try it. I’m also going to force myself to portion out salty snack foods instead of mindlessly eating from the bag. I’m trying to find more high protein snacks to eat but it’s difficult because of my picky eating. That’s my own issue haha I must broaden my horizons.
I’m being discharged from program on august 18 and officially “returning to work” then. I put that in quotes because I work in a school so I don’t actually physically return to work until sept 1.
I’m afraid about this new covid variation. We’re probably still going to have to wear masks which I’m fine with. I’m just worried that it will get completely out of control again and my son’s school will close. I’m kind of screwed if that happens. My mom’s working again and so is the other person that was watching him last year. He doesn’t like the one e-learning camp I sent him to and the other is way out of my way on the way to work. I’m not sure I could get there in time. Hopefully it won’t come to that.
I received a phone call from the billing department from my back dr’s office. I was expecting to owe like a few hundred dollars. Turns out I owe $5100!!! I literally started crying on the phone with the person. If it was just that bill I’d be exasperated but that on top of the $4200 hospital bill and the $1500 outpatient bill just made me break down. If I have to pay $200 to each that’s almost half my income. But I just can’t worry about it. I just can’t. RS has said time snd time again that we will be married soon, we won’t have separate money anymore. I mean, as an assurance that he will help me pay for everything. He already pays half the bills but I just…I just feel like some things are my responsibility alone snd I’m losing my financial independence. It’s also knowing that I will never make a significant amount of money in what I do. I get raises but like fifty cents a year. I can’t do anything else like go back to teaching, it’s just too stressful. I just wish I could handle stress like other people can.
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Hi wildflowerchild. I hope the naltrexone helps. I did take that medication for a short while, many years back, but for alcohol cravings. I don't recall any negative side effects, but at the time it couldn't even touch my alcohol cravings. But I know it helps many. It seems to be widely used. That must say something about its efficacy.
I'm sorry to read about your huge medical bills. It is tear-inducing. I mean, when you're so sick to need such major medical care, it's like a slap across the face that the prices add to the punishment. I remember the 3 1/2 years that I had 10 hospitalizations, 12 IOPs, and many of my medications at that time were only available as brands. Tens of thousands of dollars flew out of my husband's and my savings and income in deductibles and co-pays, not just co-insurance and premiums. It basically exhausted it. We both know it can bankrupt many people. Or deter them from even getting help (
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans are skipping medical care because of the cost and also
66% of Americans fear they won’t be able to pay for health care). It isn't right. So many Americans just accept all of this, or feel powerless to fight it. It's obviously harder to fight when you're ill. A while back, my husband went to a financial advisor who said that for retirement, we should plan on having at least $250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, yes) set aside for the two of us JUST for healthcare expenses alone, in the USA. It's a gross abuse of the American people. Abuse! And so often as abuse is, people/victims accept it and/or don't challenge it. Become almost like Stockholm Syndrome victims.
All of the above, and my eventual disability were major reasons for my husband and I moving abroad. We just couldn't afford to live where we did, anymore. I mean, our property taxes alone were over $10,000 per year! You surely know NJ has the highest ones. You also know the high costs of real estate, food, various insurances, etc. We knew that there would be ZERO way for us to continue to stay there, and/or definitely not to retire. It's so sad, really. My family has deep roots in NJ. Both my husband and I love New Jersey, even despite some of its negatives. But the system didn't want us anymore.
When we first moved to Czech Republic, before getting public health insurance here, I had to initially pay 100% for meds and doctors visits. My psychiatrist charged me 500 czk ($23) as 100% pay for my appointments with him. Often he apologized and felt bad for me that I had to pay "so much". But frankly, $23 was a steal. I used to pay $40 as only co-pays (definitely not 100%) for such visits in the US, with major insurance. That's after we met our well over $1,000 annual deductible, etc, etc. Now with public insurance in CZ I pay nothing in co-pays. There are even some people in the US who travel to Europe to have surgeries because the 100% pay can sometimes cost less than co-pays and deductibles for the same thing in the US. With insurance Yes, we (most all people in CZ) do pay into the system for the health coverage, but even that money amount is jaw droppingly low here. Everyone pays, so everyone can get...inexpensive universal health coverage. Most Europeans pay much less for medications than Americans. Only foreigners pay towards private coverage in CZ, and that's also quite low, compared to in the US. Any citizen that elects for supplementary private coverage, it's mostly for extra cushy benefits. I was able to get public sooner, partially because my husband is a citizen.
I could go on and on with this, but will stop here. All these things affect Americans, regardless of political or religious affiliation. Unless, of course, you're quite wealthy.