<p>Sorry you aren’t feeling well, romani. Hope you get good results and feel better soon!</p>
<p>My husband had his gallbladder out, went home the same day and went back to work 4 days later.</p>
<p>Good luck, Romani.</p>
<p>Looks like I have to go back home for an ultrasound. To say I’m irritated would be an enormous understatement. I’m waiting for the college contact person at my hmo to get back to me, but quickness is not a trait she’s known for and I’m off to work for the rest of the day. </p>
<p>Also, still no word on the blood tests. However, the meds seem to be helping the heartburn considerably. No longer feel like I’m breathing fire.</p>
<p>Thanks, sls.</p>
<p>Did they say anything about a Hiatal Hernia?</p>
<p>you have to go back home for an ultrasound? That seems rediculous, and completely unnecessary.</p>
<p>No, steve, they didn’t. </p>
<p>vlines- The HMO says they’ll only cover the test in-network. I seriously don’t know how this is possible. It seems like it should be a perscription, available everywhere. I’m really hoping the person I talked to on the phone was just misinformed (which wouldn’t be a surprise considering how incompetent they are). I don’t get off work til 5 so I’m hoping for a voicemail then.</p>
<p>These kinds of issues have been ongoing the whole time I’ve been at college with my insurance. If it’s not my insurance telling me that they won’t cover it, it’s the doctor/hospital telling me that they don’t take HMOs.</p>
<p>The HMO issue is the one you are dealing with. You have to find someone who is PART of your HMO. You should be able to go online to see if there are service providers IN your area. Also, you can check to see if they cover a percentage of the cost for out of network providers…maybe they do.</p>
<p>This sort of scenario is exactly why we never chose an HMO. We pay more for our PPO, but have never had an issue getting medical care wherever we might be or choose to go.</p>
<p>marth, we had a PPO until my dad’s accident and my mom’s illness. We’ve had to choose our plans very carefully and the HMO was much cheaper. PITA for me, but much cheaper. And it’s great… unless you’re outside of the SE Michigan area haha.</p>
<p>thumper, that’s just it. There are none in my area. I did ask if they’d cover any of it because they’re supposed to give college kids special consideration. As of my break at 3, no voicemail from our college contact woman at the HMO.</p>
<p>Well, not that I hope it gets a lot worse for you, but HMOs are required to cover emergency care even if you’re outside the service area. If the pain gets bad again, and you go to an ER and tell them what is known so far, you’ll probably get the ultrasound and, if needed, the surgery. Your HMO should have plan documents on-line that provide more information on this. Acute abdominal pain is most definitely an emergency.</p>
<p>romani, call the HMO and ask for the Patient Advocate or ombudsman. If they don’t have one, ask them for the number of the state Department of Insurance. (Of course, you can find this yourself, but it’s not going to hurt to let them know that you’re aware of the DOI.) Or your state government may have an Office of Patient Advocacy similar to California’s: <a href=“http://www.opa.ca.gov/contact/index.aspx[/url]”>http://www.opa.ca.gov/contact/index.aspx</a></p>
<p>(For those keeping count, this is reason #3925 why we need single-payer.)</p>
<p>LasMa- I have always been an advocate for single-payer. I hate our system and I’ve been very vocal about this. Tomorrow is my only morning off and I’ll be calling before class.</p>
<p>I did call my doctor today and explained what was going on. As the medicine he gave me is helping tremendously, he did give me the OK to put off the ultrasound until next Monday when I could go home again with the promise that if I get the pains again, I go to urgent care immediately. If it is an ulcer, like he expects it is, I’m already on the medication that he would prescribe me. </p>
<p>I also talked to my aunt, the one who always worries, and even she gave me her blessing to put it off til Monday given everything that’s going on. I got a long lecture though about putting it off for as long as I have. </p>
<p>I am going to continue fighting with the HMO but honestly the stress is probably making it worse. </p>
<p>I slept through the night last night and woke with absolutely no stomach or back pain. It’s not from pain reliever, as I’m not taking any.</p>
<p>Then don’t stress about the HMO any more, and that’s an order! This summer, when you have time, maybe you can call them and ask what you’re supposed to do in a situation like this, if you can’t get home but can’t postpone the test.</p>
<p>It sounds like the doctor may have correctly diagnosed you even without the test. I’m very glad to hear you’re feeling better.</p>
<p>Fwiw- I can’t find out ANY information online. The only place it even talks about ultrasounds is on a document under diagnostic tests: Free if during a regular visit, $10 if it’s at your primary, $30 at a specialist. </p>
<p>That is the only mention of it anywhere. The closest “specialist” I can go to is almost an hour away. </p>
<p>This is so incredibly frustrating.</p>
<p>Thanks, Las. I just wanted to check the site to make sure. Our insurance industry is just so screwy and I’m sick of it lol. I finally can’t get denied because of my pre-existing conditions and it doesn’t seem to have made my life any easier lol.
I’m not going to worry about it anymore. I’ll make an appointment out there for next Monday. The blood results should be in tomorrow and maybe the ultrasound won’t even be necessary.
Now off to enjoy “Radical Evolution” for my bioethics class. I’m currently on the Heaven scenario when technology makes us all “perfect”. When I’m in pain, I look forward to that even though I’m really not a fan of these kind of “live forever” technologies. I’m such a technophobe sometimes.</p>
<p>Oh wow. I understand your pain with the insurance company.</p>
<p>When i was sick, I knew that i had it and everything would be covered. </p>
<p>Lo and behold i was wrong.</p>
<p>I’m a military brat and I am on the insurance they use. Well when i went in to get my ID card redone, they did not inform me that my insurance had changed from “prime” to standard.</p>
<p>Long story short, i got it fixed but damn was it a run around @_@</p>
<p>I would suggest, also, that you talk to your parents about looking into a private plan for you that is not an HMO. Your family can stay on the other plan but get something you can use at school. This is just downright silly. I also agree about talking to a patient advocate or flat out calling the state insurance commissioner. I HATE HMO’s and I would NEVER use one. I would eat mac and cheese every day before I had to use an HMO and this is a prime example of why. Also, if you can look online at your plan documents, see what THEY say (not what someone “told” you) about getting care out of the area. They have to have something in there about that. Copy that information and read it back to the “college rep”. It’s amazing how far you can get being informed.</p>
<p>Hi, glad you are feeling better Romani, and sorry about the HMO hassles.
One thing I wanted to mention, in researching my own health issues that were caused by being on birth control–just wanted to see if by chance you are on Yaz, Yasmina, or Ocella? Apparently those 3 have a form of hormone that is unique, not found in older types of bc pills. And apparently, this is causing a greater-than-average number of women, including VERY YOUNG otherwise healthy women, to have blood clots, pulmonary embolisms and–guess what? Gallbladder attacks! In very young women who normally would be at very low risk for that. </p>
<p>So–if you are taking one of those bc pills, another thing to talk to your doc about. I personally would urge anyone on those pills to switch to another, older, more proven, type.</p>
<p>The FDA has warned the manufacturer of Yaz over issuing false data that understates the risks and overstates the benefits. Many lawsuits are in place against Yaz, and many people think they are too risky to be on the market.</p>
<p>Hope you keep feeling good! Take care.</p>
<p>Nope, I’m on the same generic pills I’ve been on for years.</p>
<p>that’s good, Romani–just couldn’t help thinking of you when I read about the gallbladder damage side effect! </p>
<p>Glad you are on the winding road to recovery!</p>
<p>Thanks :). </p>
<p>Unfortunately, today I’m having more pain. But I think that’s because my body is adjusting to the extreme change in diet. </p>
<p>I literally am not supposed to eat at least 90% of my normal diet. -.-</p>