I finally did it. I made a Drs appt and I kept it. No more procrastination.

I use to pay for my own health coverage for years and it was $535.00 per month. Although it did not fully cover my visits the 80/20 was better then having to come up with the full balance of treatments. Sadly it is not cheap to get health coverage and cheaper does not mean better coverage.

hardworking and bharat I am so lucky as a senior citizen I have medicare and a really great United health care hmo as its for people like me on low income and aged. now my son is like you he has it hard as hes not yet old enough for medicare and most health insurances are too expensive.we here in the u S have it really bad now with so many without any insurance they can afford. but now even with my good hmo there are some copays that stagger me like the copay on the ambulances that took me to er and overnight in hospital when I had super high blood sugar then my fall and two round trip ambulances to finally get sent to the rehab hospital. my copay is 150 and my free money after rent and board is 125 so had to pay them in pieces 25 dollars a month. they have accepted it. they really had to as I had no other alternative.So now its up to me to stay super healthy so I will not need any more ambulance trips. lol

I once had a plan that I had no choice but to accept as it was the only one offered at work. I use to pay $350 per month but had a $50,000 deductible. So there was no point in having the insurance as yearly there was no way I would exceed the deductible so all my treatments and visits were completely my responsibility. Yes healthcare here is very expensive and sadly not everyone can afford healthcare, let alone good healthcare.

I also do not like to go to the dr. But in january the 28th i started a real bad backache.so i went to the dr like 3 days later. My dr told me that i had shingles.I said what I never had the chicken pox she said you must of.maybe you just had one and did not no it, Glad i went gave me some pills and pain pills. well i am still in so much pain its been going on 5 weeks now. I dont no much about them but i am so sore tired cant do to much at all. I was really sick friday so i went ack to the dr and she told me to get these patches on put them on for 12 hours than take them off. well they really did not help that much i cant eat to much cause i fell like im going to throw up all the time. but i am glad that i did go to the dr this time but i dont no if she is really helping me. wonder how long this sickness last

Good for you.

hi gardengerty yes for me having diabetes means that a sore or a rash can hang on for as long as a year. that rash before made my leg swell then the swelling wept and I had a real mess. So I was finally send to a wound specialist doctor and that was the best thing that could have happen. in a month and two tubes of this particular ointment it was just plain gone. so now I know what finally will cure it. before I had had antibiotics, antihistamines and still the stuff did not budge.I have no money excuse as my hmo for seniors pays the doctor's bill my only expense is the access b us for five dollars and forty cents round trip but still its cheaper than a taxi both ways.

oh gardengerty I was so stupid last night my friend took me to the new reopening of Target so I could get some diabetic supplies and as I told nelda I was only going to spend t en dollars. oh ny when I got to the cashier it totaled twenty one dollars and thirty six cents. oh I had enough to pay it but now I cannot get my blood woork done until after Nov,1st but thats not really very far off. I just feel so stupid as I did not add up as I went alone. lol I do have to h ave five dollars and forty cents for ac cess bus to the quest laboratory. shame on me. darn.

hi JenInTn Yes we all should put our health first but most of us just do not. I was really worried when I read one response from a person who was diagnosed with diabetes 7 months ago. this mylotter said they lost weight and seemed in good control, then for some reasn he or she quit going to the doctor, and gained back wight and now am not sure what their health condition is . I told him or her oh get to your doctor, get checked up and put on diabetic medications and check your blood sugar four times a day.thats one thing I do not procrastinate on is taking my medications regularly and checking my blood sugar often.I do hope I got through to my fellow mylotter that you cannot go around not treating your diabetes as that could land you in the hospital or in the morgue.

hi louievill oh you hit it smack on the head, I put off going then get some new ache or pain and get the idea oh my gosh now what and dread actually finding out. b u t for a diabetic its wise to follow the dictates of the American Diabetes assoc and go every three months. the fasting blood work is another thing I hate,the fasting part I mean, the blood taking is painless as the quest technicians do it fast and painlessly.Oh yes i can see getting panicked over a cust in your armpit and thought of Ca. I had a sebaceous cyst on my shoulder blade and that thing would get infected so finally after two years of that I did have it completely removed and have been free of that ever since. hi chicks digcars yes I also hat the stares of new doctors I had never seen befor but my own primary care doctor always smiles at me which is reassuring.

yeah when I was young, it to me a long time to have a cyst growing in my armpit to have it biopsied, cause the thought of cancer... cancer kept playing in my mind, despite my medical background, I felt uneasy even though I knew that malignancies did not behave this way, it took a biopsy and an oncologist to assure me, guess most people are like this, weather we admit it or not it's fear of knowing the truth that keeps as procrastinating plus fear of expenses

yeah i completely agree with you. a lot of people are very afraid of finding out the truth. for me it's the doctors stares. i hate the way doctors look down their nose at you or something lol!

pointlessquestions nerve pain in your toes cou ld also be from diabetes gone u nchecked. have you had a diabetes test to be sure you do not have diabetes? neuropathy in the feet are a 'common symptom of type two diabetes.I also do not have a copay so money is not my excuse, I have a small very black bump on my arm and have wondered if its skin cancer, its not sore and never gets bigger but it's very dark.So really i would get checked for diabetes as if uou h ave it and get medicated at once you may get rid of the neuropathy in a few months.

I am glad of that but disc disease sounds really uncomfortable.I hope your doctor can figure out something to relieve the pain. I have to wear a brace on my left foot as its distorted dueto a quack of a doctor I had back then when he thought a ruputred tendon was a sprained ankle by the time he got me a referral to a foot doctor I was told it cou ld not be operated on but that I would have to wear a brace in order to walk.so I was stuck with the brace the rest of my life. otherwise my foot would just turn ion its inside and I would be walking that way which is most painful.so now walking normally is with brace and walker. olh well it gets me where i want to go.

Hi Hatley. My sugar is fine. I've been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease before and had nerve blocks before. My doc thinks it is causing my toe pain and numbness. I'll just be glad when this resolved. I'm tired of not being able to walk around normally.

hi peavey oh I am so glad I had finally made myself go.I too had called and cancelled an appointment and lost the paperwork for blood work too. just because I was afraid to go. so now I went and found out I needed to take thyroid medication so thats taken care of too.so I too have reneged just cause I just did not want to go.He really is a good doctor and a good friend too.

I don't know why we dread the unknown so much!

hi peavey thats it isn't it, the fear of the unknown.well now I know that the last blood work showed I need thyroid medication so he gave me a prescription for the medication.I am not sure just what low thyroid does to a person but guess its not too good.lol.

hi jennybianca I too hate the fasting bit as every time I have blood work done they always check the cholesterol levels too and although I have always had normal levels all doctors do this. and here in the retirement center they get all bent ou t of shape if you miss breakfast and are late getting back. they will dig up something a bit crummy and hand it to you. so now I just buy something to have in my room before I go to do the fasting bit and do not bother the grumps in the kitchen, lol I too dislike fasting all night as I am a diabetic and always in my mind is what if I go low this one night? well probably I will treat the low and go anyway but it would mess up my A1C reading so I try to eat a goodly snack before midnight to see me through till after the blood work.

Ugh, that stinks, you need to keep a supply of "friendly" food for when you don't get back in time. I hope your sugar level went back down and that it wasn't too high..

hi carm yep I am going to the store after dinner with my friend and pick up some hard candy. My blood glucose was down to 73 after dinner last night so was okay. I think yesterday afternoon I stressed out and that will raise your blood sugar for a diabetic.+

hi carm my secure horizons united health insurance for poor senior pay all the doctor bills so money is not excuse for me. the access bus takes me to the front door of my doctor's office and brings me back to my own front door.for this I pay $5.40 round trip which is still much cheaper than a cab each way.but at times its a drag when I am already late for a meal and there's two other people the driver feels he must get them home first. yesterday I did not get back here till ten minutes to two o clock. I had had a half sandwich left for me..Whew why so generous, wonder what happned to the other one. lol lol.but it turned out when I got back here and checked my blood sugar it was high. so now all thats left is going getting the blood work done.

yes mimm you are so right. And usually i had been keeping up going every three months as the American Diabetes Association recommends. I also have a very low pain threshold too. Yes I must keep going every three m onths and also have an A1C test each time. thats a blood sugar test that shows how much blood sugar is in my blood over a three months period.Also had I not gone my need for thyroid medication might have got worse too.

hi cynthisann oh yes dental work is the pits for me as I do not have good coverage for this unlike for my health I have great coverage. so have a lot need to be done and no money; now I am good for three more months once I get my blood work done next week.that was one thing I forgot, a mammogram as I am so awful putting it off, I hate that awful queezing effect as I am always sore afterwards.I saw a funny on mammograms where the woman told how the lights were flickering in the room where the technician had her with her boob under the press then the lights went clear off and the tech left the room. five minutes later the lights came back on but the tech did not return for another ten minutes and she heard the woman yelling reallyloud "get me out of this blankety blank contraption." she rushed in and said."om my dear I just forgot you." the woman was speechless as she was so angry she wanted to brain the dimwit tech. I wonder if that really happened as it made a funny story. lol lol

hi cynthiann yes she wou ld have been 51 had she lived as she was a year younger than her brother.we do have to move on but yes they will be in our hearts forever.I had one miscarriate, two children and lost one, and had t o have emergency hysterectomy so could have no more children , we had wanted three but it was not meant to be.

I am so sorry for your loss Hatley. I have never recovered from the five miscarriages that I had. Somehow we do eventually move on but they are still in our hearts forever

oh sydney I know thats just awful and my son has the same problems as he is working part time and not a lot of money and not old enough for medicare.l have medicare and a gap insurance Secure Horizons for older poor people and Ih ave no copay for doctors so had no real excuse not to go b ut the fact that I had put it off so long and sometimes my doctor can be sharp.I like him though as I have had him for years so he knows me well. i hate it when I have to go to strange doctors. Istill get scared when going to the doctor.

hi bagaras I am way overdue for thedentist. I did get my eye exam done long time back and got new glasses. I am glad you did get excused from jury duty as you mentioned it earlier. with me I think I have the fear that this time they will find some thing else worn and it was just for a diabetic chevck up but I learned my thyroid was not functioning well so got a prescription for that condition . so it was a good thing that I did go.my doctors visits do not have a copay so thats not an excuse for me.

hi jojobadillo yes Diabetes is not a chronic disease to mess around with as it can affect your heart. yes medical clincs for the poor was how I first had to do to get help for my diabetes but they were really good and very kind to me. then when old enough for medicare I got my present gap insurance and my present doctor and he reallytakes good care of me.Glad I could help as we must take care of ourselves we diabetic. let me know how you come out., hugs from hatley

Mrs;Hatley thank you very much,I really appreciate all your concerned....After reading your response,I realized how stupid and immature I've been.Taking important things for granted,not having a care in the world thinking that I feel fine,I'm young and nothing bad will happen to me,Oblivious to the dire consequences I'm subjecting myself into. I lost my job/insurance coverage a couple of months ago and I'm currently on Unemployment,not necessarily the reasons why I didn't go to the doctor.So after having my coffee and PB&J this morning I searched the internet for Medical clinics that provide medical care to low-income and uninsured patients,I found 2 clinics close to where I live and will be making an appointment ASAP as per your advice....and follow the Doctor's orders....I'm not gonna make any promises but I'll try my hardest to do what's necessary to control/regulate and avoid complications of diabetes. Again thank you.!!!!!

I was not sexually abused by my mother, I was beaten, my father was violent too. It was physical, mental and spiritual abuse. Over the years my parents rejected me on several levels and then my siblings did too. My first husband was violent and he rejected me. My subsequent partners were not much to write home about but in one way or another they all rejected me. I feel like I don't fit in anywhere, I'm more comfortable alone and I don't trust anyone. I know I am eating for comfort but I don't know how to fix it. When I find the courage to talk to my doctor or therapist to get myself well, I don't get anywhere. I have managed to start eating less and I'm walking and I've lost 9 kilo. Congratulations on your own weight loss.

oh gifts thats so sad. I wish parents could learn that how they treat us a little kids can make us stronger or can harm us in so many ways. my dad was a verbal abuser to and my mom kept taking it. when I would remonstrate she would comeback" thats just his way." and "don't upset uour father" my G just walking too fast past his chair could upset the man.but now mstickle you need to learn to love yourself and like your self. my hubby made an optimist out of me a pessimist. here is the mantra he taught me; yell I like myself. I am unique. I am give your name, mean it while you are saying it. then I love myself, God made me. repeat those to yourself every day and remember we are all different, our fingerprints are different even our eyeball photo shots are different we are unique 'so like ourselves when we do that others start to l ike u s too.so to get away from going to people who are like your parents were you must work on self esteem. if you like yourself. you come off as likeable to other people.

hi mstickle put the wrong name on the right comment sorry

I would not qualify for any programs, but thanks anyway for the advice. I cannot afford it because I am putting every penny possible into a retirement account--there were no 401Ks when I was working and I stayed home to raise the kids while my spouse didn't save anything for retirement. Now I have to scramble to save what I can and help it grow unless I want to live with my kids when I'm old. Where does my insurance company get the right to interfere with my doc's decision, anyway?! That's pretty scary.

neildc I also have a cataract in myleft eye but the opthamologist claims removing the catarct will not help my sight because I also have macular degeneration started but I need the opionion of a second specialist as I think it will help. I have not the excuse of money as my doctors are covered by my hmo and medicare. I just do not like going to the doctor but he was most kind and very helpful too.I know a lot of people now days have no insurance or pay so much they can hardly do it. I am most fortu nate

yes for a change being elderly hashelped.we have a horrible mess there in the US as so many cannot afford the expensive health insurances and try to do without. its just not right as people below medicare age that cannot afford health insurance are getting no help at all.so everyone is made at obama as he wants to give insurance to all and those who can afford insurance do not want to see those who cannot get help this is crazy.they are so afraid of socialism they will not even admit their fellow Americans need health insurance.

yes hatley, you are so fortunate that you have hmo and medicare. although the government can help with our medicare, they do not help that much. people here need to pay for personal health insurance but they are expensive or just out of the budget. who would think about the future when today alone is a problem with food on our table?

hi marylyn oh yes I was so afraid he would yell at me as I had not got bloodwork done for ages but he was really kind and was pleased that my blood glucose levels had really improved and that I had lost three pounds.I have to go to a separated lab as approved by myh hmo so will do that next week.fasting of course which is what I hate but will get it done. my senior citizens hmo does pay all of my doctor's bill so am lucky.I did have to get a prescription for medication for my thyroid which i did not know was too low. lso thats taken care of.

hi marylynn oh yes the paper work but a l ot of the workers are very nice and helpful too. I am gearing up to do the lab thing maybe Tuesday with monday to prep and get an access ride.the fasting is not too bad if I have something to eat afterwards in my room, forget the kitchen grouches. lol

Hi Hatley, I am glad you made your appointment and got some good news. Just think if your doctor had told you sooner about your thyroid condition, you could have been on that medication and had improvement in that area too. The doctors are human too, sometimes they forget, or their nurses did not inform them of the test results. My husband's employers have a hospital that takes out blood once a year and it is all paid for, which is wonderful. They take the blood for the blood sugars, cholesterol, etc. Which is really nice. We also hate the fasting, but manage to get through it. I am glad that you have such good coverage. We will be looking into the medicare in the next few years, not looking forward to all the paper work. Have a nice evening. Hugs

oh Rittersport take care of that diabetes as it will get bad if you do not. I love your responses and want to see you come on here 'and not be ill from not taking care of your diabetes.

hi rittersport I am glad to hear that.I am doing so great with my own blood sugar, all because I leave out a lot of stuff, even if my table mate thinks I am starving myself. my gosh I am fifty five pounds overweight yet so am not starving at all. its not l ike I was doing a lot of r unning or walking. typing I do not think is classified as an exercise to get your heart beating faster. I tried to insist with my husband that I was exercising my fingers,he just laughed. you know up down up down. lol lol looks like it is going to rain here, and its forecast sofar its just black skies no rain.

hi dear Hatley, my diabetes is only mildly so far and I monitor my morning glucose every morning so I know where I stand with it. Hope you are well and have a great weekend.

hi telmesh oh I started on my new pills this mornikng. on hmos here in the states the bloodwork is free but we must go to Quest laboratories to have it done. those on private healthe insurance get to have their blood work done at their doctors.at least my doctor I have now does not make us on hmos wait u ntil he has seen his patients with private health insurance. he is really a very kind doctor Yes I think I am doing something right. lol

hi telmesh I do so hope Obamas health reform insurance plans help all here in the US who don't have any insurance at all. something has to work here for those younger than myself.oh and missing a drs appt can really tee them off as I have no copay and I do try if I see for some reason I cannot make it I will cancel a day in advance.

Well done hope the new pills help. Our health system is very different than yours but I think both governments are making the systems meet in the middle somewhere.