Tuesday - July 02, 2013

Panic Attack!

I’m over it now. I think. Having a major case of chicken-itis.

Just sort of freaked out about going to the GI tomorrow. I sooo don’t want to have a colonoscopy. But if I have to, then I have to. Time to Man Up and   take it in the a  take one for the team. Shit. Or lack of, actually. Crivens. I’m not sure which part is worse, the “cleansing” ahead of things or the how-can-this-not-be-utterly-humiliating expensive procedure itself.

Tomorrow is merely a consultation. Maybe the doctor will tell me I don’t really need this. Yeah, sure.

Gee, some “comic relief”.  Reads like I wrote it myself. 

“Houston, we have ignition!”

UPdate

I kept my appointment and had a nice chat with the doctor. I think she was about 17. They’re all so young suddenly! Anyway, this place, an annex to the local hospital, does them in-house and they’re all done under minimal general anesthesia. 20 minutes for the procedure and then up to about an hour waking up and relaxing in the recovery room. They do not use the above Golytely stuff, but a gentler, slower acting cleanser.

It ain’t cheap at all, $2-3000 without insurance, but low income people like myself may qualify for a plan run by the hospital. I could get a near-total discount and only have to pay $100 co-pay. So I’ve got paperwork to fill out, and if I get the nod I can get this nearly for free, plus enormous discounts for all other services at that hospital and the various doctors attached to the annex. It looks like my current income level would put me in the full assistance category, but they have a stepped discount that can help out even if your household/legal income is up to triple the federal poverty line.

A bit of internet research shows that several discount programs exist all over the place. Colonoscopy Assist is striving to become nationwide; so far they are in 32 states and will do the procedure for $950. This is very good. Unfortunately the only place in NJ that currently is part of their network is in Jersey City, and I’d think I might prefer having cancer to going there.

New Jersey also has a FREE program for lower income people, called NJCEED - New Jersey Cancer Education and Early Detection, and you can qualify even if your income is up to 250% of the federal poverty level ... that’s just under $59,000 for a family of 4. They are not the only state that has a program like this; it is open both to the uninsured and underinsured.

Truly, half my panic about this procedure was the cost. With my less than stellar income, there is simply no way I could manage to drop 3 Large on a “recommended” bit of screening. Learning that several assistance programs are out there that I ought to be able to qualify for is really nice.

So if you are in my boat ... the good ship No Money ... do some internet research and ask questions. Don’t forgo what could be a lifesaving examination just to save money; help is probably out there, a little or a lot. It costs you nothing to find out.

OK, that’s my PSA for today.

Oh joy ... we’re having our daily downpour.

Posted by Drew458     on 07/02/2013 at 05:12 PM   
Filed Under: • Daily Life • Health-Medicine •  
• Comments (6) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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