Bipolar Check-in #40

I am sorry you felt excluded, have you done things with them before?
It sounds like the woman who cried could use a friend.
She may become a really good friend, who knows!
bizi

@bizi: Thanks for the support Bizi! Yes, i meet with these women regularly. I'm not confident that this woman would be pleasant as i've been burned by her sort before. She's really loud and pushy and that's not my sort of friend at all. I don't know what will happen, probably nothing since i can't plan ahead or make commitments. The only way i'll do something for Christmas is if i can make arrangements at the last minute, even right on the day itself. It's pretty likely i'll spend it alone but that's okay, i've done it before lots of times and i have my dog for company and i can count myself lucky to be spared all the family squabbles others are suffering!

I spend over 5 hours on hold between Medicare and Humana that is my drug plan.

I have to once again deal with Medicare to find out what level of “ LsI” I have ... so based on that I might be able to continue to get my meds if for whatever reason my broke asp doesn’t qualify anymore.

It will be impossible for me to get any meds , I could manage Xanax and probably cholesterol Med. No inhalers no psych meds ( if I feel the need to go back on) no PsA meds.

There may be a couple meds through GoodRx /or drug maker program. that yes would be cheaper but still impossible to afford. There’s a chance a PsA Med I might fit into a plan that would would be free.

Each plan has a 435.00 deductible. They want over 1,000.00 a month for Latuda and Lamictal and my Symbicort inhalers are 300.00-400.00 each month , after deductible paid I think Latuda drops to 300 hundred some thing and the other 2 ‘meds 270-280 a month.

But overall .... it’s likely I’m screwed about meds I truly need. So today I will find out how much I can’t afford.

Anyone on SSDI or any other insurance the deadline for making changes on drugplans is tomorrow according to Medicare and the 9th according to my Humana drug plan.

Anyway .... yeah this will be an epic cluster F !

You can get meds through patient assistance even if you have insurance. You just fill out the forms and include a letter explaining that you do have insurance but are unable to pay the copay for that drug especially in combination with your other meds that also are expensive. I also include a sentence that along with drug costs I have medical copays, normal bills, etc. I've never been denied and I have/had gotten quite a few meds this way. Anything name brand still will have an assistance program. The only thing they've ever done after I applied was request my financial information.

My plan went up last year but still covers all the meds I'm on, but wouldn't cover a weight reduction medicine even tho the meds I'm on are what caused the weight! I'm eligible for extra help so when I fall into what would be the donut hole my co-pay becomes zero. My plan and the extra help pay more per year for my drugs than I get from SSDI! Isn't that crazy!

Fantastic !!!!! So glad you got sleep

I was really concerned that you would wind up with an infection I’m glad you went and got checked out. Hopefully the meds will kick in quickly and you will start to feel better soon

Write out your meds and doses, inhalers etc and run them on the good rx web site. You will save money I promise you.

I am so sorry that you are going thru this nitemere.
It sucks big time.
((((((((HUGS))))))))
bizi

I hope he is admitted and they can start a treatment to get him healthier.

Remember that yes you do indeed need to take are of you.. like the airplane safety you need to put your oxygen mask first before you can help someone else

There are a few meds that I don’t think they offer help because they are just too old but yet they are financially out of reach.

If my income alone is considered I would qualify for a lot more help but my husbands SSDI is included so that’s where I fall into the “ you make too much money”

I’ll know the facts tomorrow I know the turn around time a few years ago when I went through a company drug plan for Otezla for severe psoriasis it took 9 weeks to be processed so all the applications can take time where I will be with out crucial meds.

My breathing is bad enough with my inhalers so without even for a day is scary because I will not be getting enough oxygen.

It’s all such a mess

But at least tomorrow I’ll find out just how screwed I will be.

Crazy is one word for it.

There are numerous that are cheaper than running through my insurance

These are the goodrx prices on just these are out of reach

My Symbicort inhaler is over 300 and Spiriva is over 400 even Lamictal 140

I’m hoping something can be figured out. This is the exact reason so many elderly or people on disability go ahead and get divorced so they can get help.

Can you get samples from your doctor? That's been another help; my family dr kept me stocked in samples with my inhalers when I was trying to find something that worked and then what combination I needed. Then I was uninsured for a while and I need the inhalers so he just gave me a handful every so often. Another time he gave me a big bag of a med saying I was the only purse whole liked it.

I'm sorry you have to go through this mess. I go through it but it's pretty easy since only one company doesn't want to cover clozapine and I can't afford what it suggested. So it takes about 15 minutes.

I’m not sure if Symbicort still gives out samples to Doctors.

Spiriva ? my Pulmonary doctor gave me a 2 month supply which is office policy after that it’s by script.

When I first got on SSDI because It was low enough I didn’t have to pay monthly premium. When my husband was approved we now both pay 135.50 per month right off the bat. My husbands drug premium is increasing to 63 and possibly higher depending on which plan we find best for him, I’m certain his medications will cost more also

We have to pay 35 a month for his oxygen, and I’m sure his medication for his nebulizer will increase, both of those are filed through Medicare not his prescription drug plan.

Of course January we start back over with that joyous 250.00 deductible each.

Lots of drug companies do offer saving plans but if your on SSDI it can be a Nope with our combined income. but they will pay if on SSI only.

So I’m not spazzing out I’m just looking at it all logically

I fully believe that the rising cost of Doctor visits and prescription meds is pure population control.

Proven fact more elderly people die the last quarter of a year because they hit the “ donut hole” with prescription coverage, most can’t afford extra coverage for that so they have to choose food or meds or power.

9-10 hours from now I will know what level of medication hell we will sitting in.

Thanks, everyone, for the well wishes! I'm glad I finally got to the pcp yesterday.

bpcyclist, thanks for sharing your story! My husband comes from a family of doctors, and he has lots of stories about how his dad and siblings avoided getting help, when needed. As for hallucinations, I didn't have any yesterday, like you did when you were sick, but I swear I thought I was going mad. And so depressed! I confess that I called my husband and asked him to come home from work to take me to the doctor's office. I didn't feel mentally well enough to go by myself. Even my sister volunteered to take me, but I didn't want her to. She's been through way too much lately. Of course we had to go to the pharmacy afterwards, I can't imagine having done that alone.My doctor confirmed that my long shower and brief outings, the day before yesterday, were probably harmful for me.

I’m drowning, f***ing drowning. My pdoc still hasn’t shown up for days (I’m IP). Nurse got a phone script for me. I’ve taken 200 mg of Seroquel, and 2 mg of Lorazepam. Still very anxious, and irritable. I ended up sobbing when I found out pdoc wasn’t coming in, and my nurse was seemingly blasé about the level of my distress.

All day I’ve been communicating my distress but I’m a calm way so wasn’t taken seriously. This time I lost it and wept and ranted. I’m in trouble. I’m so close to acting. The nurses know this, but I still could sneak out. I’m just hoping the drugs knock me out before I get that far. I’m terrified. PTSD is hell.

Sorry to hear that, Wander. That sounds disheartening.

I hope your pdoc shows up soon, but it's good to hear that the nurse at least got a phone script for you.

Try your best not to sneak out of IP if you know you're close to acting. IP is a safe space and a place to get better.

In my opinion -- and other people's opinions may differ -- you should tell the nurses the truth, that you don't think they're taking you seriously. Confront them about it. Confront someone about it.

I do wonder, though... I know that sometimes hospitals are understaffed, people are overworked, and some get underpaid. That leads to laziness and or not caring as much. Do you think that's the case? That was the case for my grandma when she was in IP (lazy, uncaring staff because they were understaffed, overworked, and likely underpaid). What helped in that case was having someone from the outside advocate for her (my parents). Do you think that would help if your parents could talk to them?

today is national cookie day.

and I really want some cookies!.

2 words: chocolate chip. I love them.

who else likes cookies?

I also entered a compitition today: to win a chocolate hamper for christmas

MMM hope I win, or at least have given the correct answers

I showered today too

I didn't know about this day. Cool!

Of course I like cookies! It had been my plan to make three more types and post the recipes (with pictures) on my blog, but I have been too sick to bake. I've already posted seven Czech Christmas cookie recipes on my blog, plus a Christmas sweet bread. My favorite are Linzer Tart cookies.

Most of the American cookies I have baked are well-known in the US. Of those, my absolute favorite are oatmeal raisin (with nuts) cookies. My sister wrote to me yesterday saying she had made them. I was jealous!

How big is the chocolate hamper? I'm having trouble imagining anything other than a clothes hamper. I like chocolate, but it's not a passion of mine. Yea, I'm a weirdo! I like raw chocolate chip cookie dough, but mostly just the dough part because of the brown sugar, vanilla, and butter.