VERY glad you've been fully diagnosed and on the mend. Live in LA and am CS patient. Shocked, frankly, they didn't find this issue. Thrilled your PCP did. (My PCP is affiliated with CS and is AMAZING.)
PLEASE keep following "Doctor's Orders" until you're all the way back. COVID is VERY persistent. (Have a college friend that got COVID at end of June....still gets fatigued etc. Bad days down to 1 in 4....but he's a marathon runner, Iron Man competitor and rode his bike across the country.) COVID is dangerous. Period.
It seems like ERs just rule out all the stuff that can kill you dead immediately. Then you have to go to specialists to get it pinned down. The first ER sort of gave me a clue when they tried to stand me up after hours and my heart rate shot up. So they gave me another IV bag and that helped. I kept stressing that point to my primary care doctor and then he did the sitting/standing test and found the same thing, then sent me to a cardiologist.
But the only reason I got diagnosed so fast is because when I mentioned my heart rate went up like that a Twitter follower DM'd me and suggested POTS and said his wife got the same thing post covid. She's now debilitated with it, in part, because it took her over a year to get diagnosed (she caught covid near the beginning of this epidemic and the research showing a link between POTS and Covid just wasn't there yet). I can't even imagine the psychological damage of basically being told that nothing is wrong with you and it's all in your head or your some hysterical woman while your passing out and vomiting.
Hope you feel a little better each day. Take your time and realize the heart meds may need to be adjusted(Heart attack 2003-meds since). Sorry you had a rough time. Go Dodgers and Dawgs, Athens GA.
Sorry to hear about what you went through Molly, I hope you are on the road to recovery. As someone who also just got his first bout of Covid now, I feel so bad you had to go through this. Good luck
Thank you, Kesavan. I'm glad you're still with us. Had I caught Covid back in 2020 and developed this syndrome they never would have been able to pin it down so fast. I am so grateful for the researchers at Johns Hopkins who have done incredible work establishing a link between Covid and POTS. I am lucky I got diagnosed in ten days. People who developed it in 2020 post-covid likely had to wait months or years before someone caught it. A nightmare.
Thank goodness the research was done to establish that link and they caught it quickly. I hope you improve and are back writing and living your life soon
The only thing is I am a Mets fan so I hope the Dodgers go down in the playoffs - sorry!
Molly, Glad you are feeling better and that George is back home. When it does come time to fill your prescription, check out Mark Cuban's https://costplusdrugs.com. Even with a "good" health care plan, the cost for some of my meds was significantly cheaper using this site without insurance vs. filling them at a pharmacy with insurance. Good luck!
Re - your insurance. If you met your in network deductible it means your insurance will now pay a percentage of your care (at in network providers)until you reach your “out of pocket maximum” which is the most you will ever have to shell out from your wallet for the year. I know it’s confusing but look at all your statements bc insurance companies assume you won’t and they make “mistakes.”
Also when you get a bill from Cedars call them and ask for a discount and interest free payment plan(sometimes you can get about 5-10% but you usually have to pay all at once). If that’s not doable ask them for an interest free payment plan. And make the payment as low as possible - you should suggest the payment you are comfortable with or they will suggest more. Don’t just ignore the bills bc then you will have the unique pleasure of collection notices and calls when they sell your debt. Be well and take it easy.
Could not agree more. Cedars is well known for vastly overcharging for its services and they will deal. It’s like buying a used car with them in my experience
Hi Molly. I’ve dealt with Cedars a lot. Clients got treated there, and then after a case settled, we needed to deal with the bills from all of their health care providers. Each case was different, but with Cedars I would always focus on how the client had very little money left after paying all of the medical bills, and how difficult it would be for Cedars to collect from the clients. (Because they had little money and in effect were judgment-proof.) So for you, focus on how you are self-employed, how your income is unpredictable, on the other medical bills you have to pay, and that you are not necessarily out of the woods and potentially are facing additional (large) medical bills. And (if this is true), that you can make a one-time cash payment of “X.” (Here, “x’ would be like $1500–$1000, or something much, much lower than billed.) I can give more advice if you want to email separately, but that’s the gist of it.
Also always remember that the $22k is not a real number! Your cost is what the hospital and Insurance co have in a contract - that you will never see. If you call Cedars and say how much is (procedure X) they can not answer because the number for people w your insurance vs my insurance vs no insurance vs Medicare are all different!!! It is absolute INSANITY! So Cedars bills a ridiculous amount, that amount gets reduced to the amount negotiated by Cedars w your insurance company and you pay that amount until you reach your deductible. After that you will “share” that payment (80/20, 60/40 whatever your plan is) until you reach the holy grail of out of pocket maximum (that will be in your policy). After that happens the insurance pays it all....until the year is up and you start all over again!!
Where you can negotiate is call Cedars billing office and say you cannot afford the bill you received and is there any way to get a discount. If they say no or they say yes but you have to pay it now you ask for a payment plan (they will do this).
What I don’t know is this: during the height of Covid there was a forgiveness of all Covid related care. I believe this went away when congress did not extend those protections. It may be worth asking your insurance co if they are covering ALL Covid care anymore (I think that’s a big NO - but I do not really know.)
I’ve spent a lot of time in the trenches w insurance co bullshit over the past many years and I hope some of this is helpful to you! It’s really a crime that after an illness you have to battle with the money people but that’s what we have to deal with.
Short aside - I had to go to an ER in Berlin once and had a CT scan as part of that. Cost to me - ZERO! While I was there I kept asking if they needed my insurance info and they kept saying no.
Thank you for sharing your personal story. It is important that these stories are shared. You are young and healthy and probably correct that pre vaccine you would have been on a ventilator.
I am thankful that you were able to access the urgent care, the ER etc...because they were not at full capacity like 2020. All the best in your recovery.
Thank you Ted. I am upset I won the "covid lottery" but thanking my lucky stars it as not worse. Millions of people are going to be permanently disabled by this virus. We are already seeing signs of this as employers struggle to wind people to work even though the economy is booming.
I don't know what we are going to do if this virus continues to rage on. It might not be killing people like it was, but it's still wreaking havoc. I'm not advocating that people stop living their lives. That's not the answer either. But there are little things we can all do to lower our risk like wearing masks and getting boosted and maybe avoiding super crowded indoor events with shitty ventilation and I'm going to do that.
Glad to have you back, Molly. I sincerely wish you a speedy, full recovery. Add my 5000/10 support for Medicare for All (specifically, the British NHS style, if you want to get in the weeds - in practice, this would resemble a VA that everyone can go to, not just military and veterans) to the column. It seems that society is slowly coming to grips with the realization that most, if not all, private insurance has got to go.
I'm not rooting for your Dodgers today, though. Sorry. I can't only go so far. How the heck does Heaney have the ERA he has??? The Dodgers are awe-inspiring right now. I just don't get it!
Heaney has been a miracle. He just hasn't been able to stay healthy.
Tyler Anderson? Is going to get PAID.
The Dodgers keep getting high upside guys like this willing to take one year deals because they want to take a year to fix themselves before they go out on the open market. They know they'll have the best coaching and player development/analytics/research, and a huge spotlight to shine in the playoffs, which could potentially make them even more money.
Fear not Ms. Knight. We are going nowhere. Speaking for myself and all my Dodger fan geeks that need your sane insights to keep from having a stroke every time Doc sends in Kimbrel or taking an overdose of Maalox when we learn Butane needs elbow surgery. You are our Knight in Shining Armor, even when the shine is a bit dimmed by Covid or anxiety or a dog emergency. Get better. And please comment on DV taking the tumble in BrewTown (and how is it that silly mascot can do that slide every night, often multiple times and never breaks any bones or ribs?). And maybe a comment or two on that AMAZING Joe Kelly moment against Darth Altuve last night. All the best. We're always here.
Thank you Stan. Kimbrel will not be closing in the playoffs. My only hope is it's Evan Phillips and or Blake Treinen. I do NOT want to see Dustin May or Urías in that role. Just not fair to them.
One more thing re: expensive meds (my husband has one that costs $14k a month) go to the website of the drug(if it’s expensive it will have one!) and see if they have a copay program where they will eat a large part of the bill and you only pay a copay. Or give a call to a specialty pharmacy and talk to someone there - they usually know about these coupon programs. I have had good success with Wilshire LeDoux pharmacy. Good luck!
Love you Kelley. Thank you.
I am always so happy to get an email from you. Thank you
<3
So happy to read you're feeling better Molly
I am sorry you went through that but glad you are on the mend! Was happy to see George is back home too!
Holy shit, so sorry you have had to endure this COVID stuff, but so relieved you are on the mend.
What’s the story on the Dodger’s guy busted ribs on Bernie Brewer slide in Milwaukee!?
I’m headed to Milwaukee next month to play Anthem for the Brewers-Yankees opener 9/16!
Continued healing vibes…
Jim
Absolutely insane. It even made TMZ!!
https://deadline.com/2022/08/los-angeles-dodgers-david-vassegh-injured-on-slide-video-1235095965/
‘Holy Crap’ is right! Ouch!
Maybe I should try the slide Sept 16th!
Nah…hope you’re feeling better!
VERY glad you've been fully diagnosed and on the mend. Live in LA and am CS patient. Shocked, frankly, they didn't find this issue. Thrilled your PCP did. (My PCP is affiliated with CS and is AMAZING.)
PLEASE keep following "Doctor's Orders" until you're all the way back. COVID is VERY persistent. (Have a college friend that got COVID at end of June....still gets fatigued etc. Bad days down to 1 in 4....but he's a marathon runner, Iron Man competitor and rode his bike across the country.) COVID is dangerous. Period.
It seems like ERs just rule out all the stuff that can kill you dead immediately. Then you have to go to specialists to get it pinned down. The first ER sort of gave me a clue when they tried to stand me up after hours and my heart rate shot up. So they gave me another IV bag and that helped. I kept stressing that point to my primary care doctor and then he did the sitting/standing test and found the same thing, then sent me to a cardiologist.
But the only reason I got diagnosed so fast is because when I mentioned my heart rate went up like that a Twitter follower DM'd me and suggested POTS and said his wife got the same thing post covid. She's now debilitated with it, in part, because it took her over a year to get diagnosed (she caught covid near the beginning of this epidemic and the research showing a link between POTS and Covid just wasn't there yet). I can't even imagine the psychological damage of basically being told that nothing is wrong with you and it's all in your head or your some hysterical woman while your passing out and vomiting.
It would have killed me.
Hope you feel a little better each day. Take your time and realize the heart meds may need to be adjusted(Heart attack 2003-meds since). Sorry you had a rough time. Go Dodgers and Dawgs, Athens GA.
Good for Molly. Way to battle 🙏☮️🌞
Sorry to hear about what you went through Molly, I hope you are on the road to recovery. As someone who also just got his first bout of Covid now, I feel so bad you had to go through this. Good luck
Thank you, Kesavan. I'm glad you're still with us. Had I caught Covid back in 2020 and developed this syndrome they never would have been able to pin it down so fast. I am so grateful for the researchers at Johns Hopkins who have done incredible work establishing a link between Covid and POTS. I am lucky I got diagnosed in ten days. People who developed it in 2020 post-covid likely had to wait months or years before someone caught it. A nightmare.
Thank goodness the research was done to establish that link and they caught it quickly. I hope you improve and are back writing and living your life soon
The only thing is I am a Mets fan so I hope the Dodgers go down in the playoffs - sorry!
Molly, Glad you are feeling better and that George is back home. When it does come time to fill your prescription, check out Mark Cuban's https://costplusdrugs.com. Even with a "good" health care plan, the cost for some of my meds was significantly cheaper using this site without insurance vs. filling them at a pharmacy with insurance. Good luck!
Thank you so much. I will look into this.
Re - your insurance. If you met your in network deductible it means your insurance will now pay a percentage of your care (at in network providers)until you reach your “out of pocket maximum” which is the most you will ever have to shell out from your wallet for the year. I know it’s confusing but look at all your statements bc insurance companies assume you won’t and they make “mistakes.”
Also when you get a bill from Cedars call them and ask for a discount and interest free payment plan(sometimes you can get about 5-10% but you usually have to pay all at once). If that’s not doable ask them for an interest free payment plan. And make the payment as low as possible - you should suggest the payment you are comfortable with or they will suggest more. Don’t just ignore the bills bc then you will have the unique pleasure of collection notices and calls when they sell your debt. Be well and take it easy.
Could not agree more. Cedars is well known for vastly overcharging for its services and they will deal. It’s like buying a used car with them in my experience
Absolutely insane. $22,000!!! How much can you usually get them to knock off your bill?
Hi Molly. I’ve dealt with Cedars a lot. Clients got treated there, and then after a case settled, we needed to deal with the bills from all of their health care providers. Each case was different, but with Cedars I would always focus on how the client had very little money left after paying all of the medical bills, and how difficult it would be for Cedars to collect from the clients. (Because they had little money and in effect were judgment-proof.) So for you, focus on how you are self-employed, how your income is unpredictable, on the other medical bills you have to pay, and that you are not necessarily out of the woods and potentially are facing additional (large) medical bills. And (if this is true), that you can make a one-time cash payment of “X.” (Here, “x’ would be like $1500–$1000, or something much, much lower than billed.) I can give more advice if you want to email separately, but that’s the gist of it.
Also always remember that the $22k is not a real number! Your cost is what the hospital and Insurance co have in a contract - that you will never see. If you call Cedars and say how much is (procedure X) they can not answer because the number for people w your insurance vs my insurance vs no insurance vs Medicare are all different!!! It is absolute INSANITY! So Cedars bills a ridiculous amount, that amount gets reduced to the amount negotiated by Cedars w your insurance company and you pay that amount until you reach your deductible. After that you will “share” that payment (80/20, 60/40 whatever your plan is) until you reach the holy grail of out of pocket maximum (that will be in your policy). After that happens the insurance pays it all....until the year is up and you start all over again!!
Where you can negotiate is call Cedars billing office and say you cannot afford the bill you received and is there any way to get a discount. If they say no or they say yes but you have to pay it now you ask for a payment plan (they will do this).
What I don’t know is this: during the height of Covid there was a forgiveness of all Covid related care. I believe this went away when congress did not extend those protections. It may be worth asking your insurance co if they are covering ALL Covid care anymore (I think that’s a big NO - but I do not really know.)
I’ve spent a lot of time in the trenches w insurance co bullshit over the past many years and I hope some of this is helpful to you! It’s really a crime that after an illness you have to battle with the money people but that’s what we have to deal with.
Short aside - I had to go to an ER in Berlin once and had a CT scan as part of that. Cost to me - ZERO! While I was there I kept asking if they needed my insurance info and they kept saying no.
Be well my friend. Go Dodgers!
Thank you for sharing your personal story. It is important that these stories are shared. You are young and healthy and probably correct that pre vaccine you would have been on a ventilator.
I am thankful that you were able to access the urgent care, the ER etc...because they were not at full capacity like 2020. All the best in your recovery.
Thank you Ted. I am upset I won the "covid lottery" but thanking my lucky stars it as not worse. Millions of people are going to be permanently disabled by this virus. We are already seeing signs of this as employers struggle to wind people to work even though the economy is booming.
I don't know what we are going to do if this virus continues to rage on. It might not be killing people like it was, but it's still wreaking havoc. I'm not advocating that people stop living their lives. That's not the answer either. But there are little things we can all do to lower our risk like wearing masks and getting boosted and maybe avoiding super crowded indoor events with shitty ventilation and I'm going to do that.
Glad to have you back, Molly. I sincerely wish you a speedy, full recovery. Add my 5000/10 support for Medicare for All (specifically, the British NHS style, if you want to get in the weeds - in practice, this would resemble a VA that everyone can go to, not just military and veterans) to the column. It seems that society is slowly coming to grips with the realization that most, if not all, private insurance has got to go.
I'm not rooting for your Dodgers today, though. Sorry. I can't only go so far. How the heck does Heaney have the ERA he has??? The Dodgers are awe-inspiring right now. I just don't get it!
Heaney has been a miracle. He just hasn't been able to stay healthy.
Tyler Anderson? Is going to get PAID.
The Dodgers keep getting high upside guys like this willing to take one year deals because they want to take a year to fix themselves before they go out on the open market. They know they'll have the best coaching and player development/analytics/research, and a huge spotlight to shine in the playoffs, which could potentially make them even more money.
It's a pretty good system for all involved.
Just listened to you and Poz. It's just insane how good the Dodgers are at developing talent!
And yes, to me, there are two home run records. Honestly, there are sort of three - the 154 game season record matters too.
Fear not Ms. Knight. We are going nowhere. Speaking for myself and all my Dodger fan geeks that need your sane insights to keep from having a stroke every time Doc sends in Kimbrel or taking an overdose of Maalox when we learn Butane needs elbow surgery. You are our Knight in Shining Armor, even when the shine is a bit dimmed by Covid or anxiety or a dog emergency. Get better. And please comment on DV taking the tumble in BrewTown (and how is it that silly mascot can do that slide every night, often multiple times and never breaks any bones or ribs?). And maybe a comment or two on that AMAZING Joe Kelly moment against Darth Altuve last night. All the best. We're always here.
Thank you Stan. Kimbrel will not be closing in the playoffs. My only hope is it's Evan Phillips and or Blake Treinen. I do NOT want to see Dustin May or Urías in that role. Just not fair to them.
One more thing re: expensive meds (my husband has one that costs $14k a month) go to the website of the drug(if it’s expensive it will have one!) and see if they have a copay program where they will eat a large part of the bill and you only pay a copay. Or give a call to a specialty pharmacy and talk to someone there - they usually know about these coupon programs. I have had good success with Wilshire LeDoux pharmacy. Good luck!
A quick note to thank you for this advice. I have a couple of expensive pills and have been wondering how to deal with costs.
this community is awesome. thank you!
Please take care of yourself. You are a valuable voice in so many ways.
Thanks you Bob. <3