Pain Management Community

What exactly do you ask for or want?

I do not understand why you cannot be seen by a doctor in a sliding scale clinic near your home, certainly your income would qualify you?

This kind of problem is best taken care of by your own doctor not an ER.

Take care, Annette

Sorry to hear of your pain...

I have to start by cautioning you that taking other people's medication is extremely dangerous. And if it includes any type of controlled substance from Ultram/Tramadol, Percocet, Lortab/Norco....that it is breaking Federal law and is a felony. For both the person giving you these meds as well as you taking them.

Personally, I would stop this immediately because if you find an actual Dr. to help treat your pain...one of the first things they may do is give you a urine test. And if you have medications in your system that you do not have a prescription for to show the Dr....then you will never get treated with opiates by that Dr. or any one as they will put this in your medical records.

The other danger is if you are taking an opiate or muscle relaxer not prescribed to you and you get into a car accident....then you will be charged with a DUI and be in further legal trouble for taking illegal drugs.

Believe me....we all get pain...that is what these forums are all about as we share our journey.

But illegally taking drugs to soothe this pain is not the answer.

If you have all these wonderful friends...then why not ask them to borrow money for an appt. with a Dr. Without insurance, many Drs. will lower their fee.

My Dr. only charges $75 for a visit. And even if it was a $150 charge for the first visit....I would think that you could find a way to scrape this together through friends, family, or by selling something.

The issue is that if you have had this problem since you were 6 years old....many ERs are not going to see this as a life or death emergency...and that is why you are not getting the proper care.

If you can afford to pay for going to the ER....which is a thousand times more expensive than a Drs. visit...then you should be able to save up enough to get to a DR.

Good luck...

Hi and Welcome,
Well I have to agree with both of the posts you received!I know how frustrating the Pain is and I also have been in financial problems!I don't know what State your in or their Laws but Yes you should definaley seek mediacal help through some sort of meical clinic that is possibly funed through the State!Usually any a Hospital that works with The state ot Goverment can give you the info where to go!
Can you qualify for any aid?
Best of lick,77grace

Yes, I have to agree with Grace and the others on this one, you need to be seen by one doctor. I am wondering why you can't qualify for any type of gov assisted low income help like medicaid or another program your state has in place for low income families with no insurance. Have you looked into any of these programs? It sounds like you would meet the qualifications with your income right now. I hope this helps.

Are you on social security? With SS you can get Medicaid. You will most likely need an attorney for the filing because they deny everyone until you get in front of a judge. Of course if you can work at something then you will not qualify.

Best of luck to you. And I agree with the others. No matter how bad the pain is,DO NOT TAKE OTHER PEOPLE'S MED'S. You can be compounding your troubles. You can't get to a pain clinic from jail!

I can identify with your problem and the others have given good advise to you. Never let anyone know if you get medicine from an illegal source, even a law enforcement offical reading this could track you down to try for an easy arrest.
You need to file for medicaid through your county public assistance office or what ever they call it there. You can file for medical help only which sometimes gets approved easier. However, many doctors limit the number of medicaid patients they will take due to problems with slow payment by the different states. Still if you look you can find one. Also file for Social Security Disability, but to qualify you must have earned so many quarters of work, just call social security and they can tell you what is required and how much work time you have earned. Even part time work can qualify and social security has a national toll free # 800-772-1213 for information. Also some states have reduced rates for students for medical care, check with your college for information. I am not familiar with your states rules.
If you qualify for Social Security Disability (SSD) it takes a while to get approved, but they use to pay the lawyers fees to help prepare your case, again check with Social Security.
I wish I had some other information for you, OH I almost forgot, some states have a Vocational Rehabilitation Office and sometimes they can help pay for training and training expenses like medical supplies. Try looking them up in your phone book under your state government listings. For additional information go to your school or medical centers office and see if they have a social worker who could help you connect with support services in your area.
Also check to see if there are any colleges or Universities with medical teaching facilities in your area, sometimes they may know of a researcher doing work on your medical problem and if they take you as a subject they might cover your medical care while you are in their research study. Also a medical teaching facility might have reduced rates for low income medically needy patients.
It may be that you and your wife will have to consider moving to where the jobs are better. I live in a rural area and the employment pickings are slim here, but go on line and check with some business publications for where the job market is better.
I admire your determination, keep up the good work and do not give up looking. Things are often the worst just before they get better. Also you might consider relocating out of the country, Canada is close and sometimes they may have a better job situation. I know there is lower unemployment in the Dakotas than in places like NY or Calif.
Good Luck and keep the faith. 19Lindy

I get SSDI and my income is too high for Medicaid in my state.

After two years you do qualify for Medicare, I get that. But you have to pay for part of it. I really like Medicare.

Voc Rehab is a great suggestion, they paid for glasses for me, and helped me find a job I could do.

I also considered moving to where it is cheaper to live. There is lower unemployment in the Dakotas but they say you need to have a place to live before you get there. There are oil fields that are hiring, but the housing market has not caught up to them yet. People are living in their cars, or in other folks' basements.

Take care, Annette

Medicare pays 80% of approved expenses. Depending on your age AARP has supplemental insurance for medicare if you are 55 or older. Other wise there are many insurance plans that pay for what SSD does not cover. You have to decide if the cost of the supplemental insurance is worth it. If you check into insurance then try to find one that pays on perscriptions and covers the medicare gap. Also if possible try to find one that will cover things that medicare does not cover. It is hard to find this kind.
They talk of reducing medicare which is going to make things difficult as some doctors don't want to take medicare patients now. On the other hand there is waste in medicare and I think a lot of money could be saved if they just become more careful on the policing of their current rules.
Good luck, I hope things get better for you.

I have a policy through AARP's magazine that covers what Medicare does, plus all the meds I take, and does not cost me anything. I had to check with them to make sure they included my current doctors, and a plastic surgeon I was seeing back then. They just take the $$ that I would have to pay for Medicare part B anyway from my SSDI. They also limit the amount that I would have to pay out of pocket to a bit under $5,000 for the year, they pick up the rest of it.

They do cover mine, but they don't cover my husband's doctor so he opted to stick with Medicare and pay for a Part D drug policy.

So far all of our doctors opted to take Medicare.

I can no longer work, but life is good.

Take care, Annette