A little background; I'm 45 years old and the only times I've ever been in the hospital are for three childbirths and my tonsils. I have a great job I've worked at for 14 years and don't think I've ever been out over three days for the flu, colds, things like that. Over the last year I've had lower back pain in the morning when I wake up and start moving, nothing bad, just a dull pain that eventually loosened up as I went about my merry day.
Today, I found myself laying in my hallway dialing up Kaiser's phone number for my benefits to see how much I would have to pay to go to the ER by ambulance.
You know, I have always taken my health for granted. On the 16th of March I started having sharp pain radiating down my leg from my left rump, made an appointment and they got me in that evening at 6:10. Except. It wasn't a doctor, it was a nurse practioner, who examined me, gave me a prescription for vicodin and flexeril and a prescription for physical therapy. Having never experienced what was now diagnosed as sciatic pain, I agonized over the next four days, waiting to see the PT. I get there and I am in so much pain that she cannot touch me. "We have to get your pain down to a manageable level before we can do anything", she said. Another prescription of tylenol #3 and robaxin this time. It's getting worse. I've now missed one week of work and have no relief. Monday morning I call the doctor's office again and this time can see a medical doctor in the morning, there is an opening. I hobble into her office with the help of a cane. She doesn't even give me a physical examination, explains about ice and heat, and I get a referral for a CT Scan. She says I don't need an MRo because they are so expensive and only needed for pre-surgery.
One day later, I think I am in real pain (I thought, ha, little did I know!!) so I call back to insist on seeing a specialist. I got a call a few hours later stating I now have a referral to a physiotherapist on Thursday. 10 days after this all started. I make it to the physiotherapist's office where he gives me an examination finally, cancels the CT Scan and orders an MRI, scheduled for 9 days afterwards. He tells me it really feels to him like a L5-S1 extruded disc (herniated disc).
Also, he gives me a 5 day dose of prednisone.
The first three days of prednisone are great, and I feel out of pain enough to catch up on some light housecleaning and think about returning to work soon, but then something happens. The 4th day I am as bad as I was, and today is the 5th day. I woke up and could not move because of the shrieking pain, it made me cry out when I tried to get into a position to even stand up. I made it onto the floor where it took me half an hour to crawl to the bathroom, and then another twenty minutes afterwards just laying with my head on the floor trying to not faint from the pain of my leg and lower back. My husband is a jazz musician and is on his way out of town tomorrow and I am going to be at the house by myself for the next 4 days by myself. So I start thinking, what if something happens, how much am I covered for and what should I go to the ER for, because now I am in some serious pain.
So I am laying on my side on the floor of my hallway calling my HMO to find out that if I call an ambulance to take me to the ER, it will be 75.00 if they approve it, because it has to be a life threatening emergency. Like I broke my leg or I'm bleeding to death or I'm having a heart attack. I'm wondering, what about if I'm in so much pain I can't move and I can't call a cab because there is no way I can get into a car by myself? Is that an emergency? Apparently not life threatening enough. Okay, so where can I go? Well, then I find I have to be transported to SouthWest Washington Hospital or I won't be covered for any hospital stay.
I take another vicodin and robaxin. I seriously hate our medical care here in the US. Okay, I'm not having a heart attack and I'm not on the verge of death, but I am in so much pain when I move it's indescribable.
But yet, I am thinking with all the pain I'm in and all the maneuvaring around in the healthcare system, I tell myself I'm lucky to have health insurance and co-pays. I'm lucky to work for an employer where I have short term disability that's covered and I can take time off of work. But how great would it be to live in a country where healthcare is free and employment benefits are insured for everyone?
I can't afford to have someone come stay with me for the next four days. I had my husband bring up his old skateboard from the garage and dust it off so I can sprawl on it and use it crawl from the bedroom to the bathroom; I have a case of water in the bedroom so I won't get dehydrated; and I have a bottle of vicodin and robaxin to last me until Saturday when he returns and can take me to the MRI; and my laptop and my cell phone for extreme emergencies.
I don't feel this is normal or right, but it's all I can afford. In a way, I think this experience is definitely going to make me a much more empathic person when I see someone with pain and I definitely have woken up to how bad our healthcare methodologies are in the US. My daughter said that if this had happened in Germany, I would have had an MRI the first day I came to the physicians in pain. As it is, I've had 4 of my 8 allotted vicodin today, 3 robaxin and am eyeing the skateboard.