I don't mean to be a downer but I need help with this pain. I am only taking OTC meds and I have tried different combos (like Ibuprofen liquid gels and tylenol; Naproxen and aspirin. I have taken so much of these meds that I am afraid my liver is being damaged.

I am desperate. My intro will tell my story. Briefly, I have NO INSURANCE and no way to get prescription meds. Can anyone help me? I have no insurance until January. I AM DESPERATE. I wake up screaming in pai[/color]n! [/b] I go throughout my day sometimes in a catatonic state. I cannot function.....

Honestly, I don't know what to do. (I don't qualify for any public assistance because my husband makes too much money but we still cannot afford for me to go to any doctors.) I am at the end of my rope---seriously.

I am so sorry to hear that you are in so much pain.
Did you follow up on the suggestions that Julie gave you? How did the idea of charity care go?
That is what my brother has. He can go to the ER without fear.
The other thing to do is call your local hospital and ask if they can help you.

I'm so sorry you're struggling!!! I know Linda has mentioned success w/ the "two 500 MG Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and two Advil (Ibuprofen) Liquid Gels Caps", but if you've tried it I'm not sure. I know it's frustrating and completely unfair, but a lot of assistance is based on household income because there's such limited funding. Some take out-of-pocket-medical expenses into consideration so that may help, but you really need to be treated regardless. I went without insurance for several years and had to sell almost everything I owned in order to cover my $1500/mo meds, so I completely understand! It absolutely sucked, but I couldn't deal w/ the pain or vision loss (and I am much better for it now). I don't know anything about your circumstances, but your health has to come first.

Family, friends, churches, social clubs, etc are good resources for hardship assistance. Some physicians will offer samples, but I don't know if that would include any of your meds. The ER would also take a payment plan if you don't qualify for Charity Care. Unfortunately, there's no cheap or easy fix..you'll have to weigh your options to decide how much you can tolerate and how much you're willing to lose. I'd just caution you to make a decision soon..once you lose your vision your options will be much more limited! Feel free to PM me or any of the Moderators/Admin Team if you want to talk more specifically about your circumstances and options.

Take care,
Julie

Thank you for your responses. Unfortunately I do not qualify for Medicaid (Charity) based on my husband's income. It sucks that I might have to divorce my husband so I can qualify for assistance--how messed up is that? We don't own any property to speak of that would give us any funds to use. I have searched nonprofit organizations on the internet but really I don't know which ones to approach or ask for help. I think I will get the same answer from them....(ie. I don't meet the income guidelines). My family cannot help, I really have no friends and I am not a member of a church currently. I know I can go to the ER but I also know that will be just a few hours of pain relief and then I am back to the same place, with just more debt.

Honestly, I don't know what I will do....

If anyone knows of organizations I can contact, please let me know. I live in Florida.

Thanks so much.

Is the discount drug card also limited by income? I know the one offered in my county is for anyone w/o insurance. It is hard to find a PCP when you don't have insurance, but what about the doctor that confirmed IIH?? Since you're an "established patient" (saw him at least once), they may still be able to assist w/ samples or referrals. I could possibly find some resources if you tell me the county where you live..each one has different programs.

Hun, Medicaid and Charity care are not the same thing. Medicaid is run by the State. Charity care can be offered by each individual hospital, by the county or by the State. I know that you are in a very tough situation and it is really difficult to do for yourself, but we can only offer you suggestions in a very vague way since we know so little about your particular situation. Julie has asked you twice for your location because she can give you specifics based on that info. If you feel uncomfortable about putting that info on the forum, please, please PM Julie directly with the info. We are trying to help you but you need to help us too.

I had to have surgery for a ganglion. I went to the local hospital and talked to their billing section as well as their customer service. They had a program available to the needy they could not publicize but I could qualify for it and so my surgery was FREE. It does happen. Let's try to work together on this and try to get you feeling better.

Dear Angelmom;
a week ago I spent at least 30 min typing a long reply to your intro post, trying to give you some suggestions. I am not sure you saw it as you never replied or acknowledged it. please go to that page to read my post. your best bet is to prevent the high pressure spikes that cause you to wake up in so much pain. for 140.00 you can purchase a tongue retaining device that will reduce sleep apnea and prevent some of this high pressure building up in your brain. most people are in denial about the fact they likely have sleep apnea and I don't know if that is why you did not reply. but I am writing scientific articles about this topic and if you delve into the science it is clear that all humans have sleep apnea. it makes everything worse, and especially IIH.

I know you are in an incredible amount of pain and are grasping for straws and probably in a deep fog. you are in a severe crisis situation and you need to take care of yourself. perhaps you should just go to the ER and worry about the medical debt later. you can always claim bankruptcy later. maybe get divorced so it doesn't ruin your husband's credit also when that happens. but you are spiraling and you must do something. things could get worse; it could be like this plus with you going blind. the one thing that could break the spiral right now is to get immediate control over your airway in sleep.

one other simple thing you can try. in the ICU we take patients with cerebral edema, put them on a ventilator and hyperventilate them to bring their ICP down. it is not comfortable but you can hyperventilate yourself. take long slow deep breaths repetitively. (like for 10-15 minutes minimum) you want to do it to the point you get a little lightheaded (but not to the point of passing out); that is the sign you are bringing your CO2 levels down and decreasing cerebral blood flow. you may be able to reduce the pressure for a few hours and decrease your pain level by doing this. it's worth a try.
Dr. Deb

I did mention in the post above that I live in Florida.

In regards to not replying to the other posts, I did not see a response because when I come to the forum it does not (that I am aware of) inform me that there has been a reply to my post and, honestly, I forget very quickly if I have posted and to which forum. My memory is absolutely horrible. So, unless I have a notification that there has been a reply, I have to "run across" the reply---unless, like I said, I am just not sure how to use the forum correctly.

Also, yes I thought charity care was the same as Medicaid.

I've decided NOT to divorce my husband for medical care. I will be placed on his insurance in January. I will just have to find out if I can get charity help between now and then.

Thank you for spending the time to post. I appreciate your help and incite very much.

God Bless.

Also, I live in Polk County but the doctor who diagnosed me is in Hillsborough County, Florida.

Thanks for any help you can give.

Angelmom, I know that being in pain can make many things seem too difficult to do. I get that. So I recommend that you have your husband help you to use your computer to find the assistance that you need.
I googled medical assistance Polk County FL and found many resources available, including:
We Care Of Polk County

863-701-8070

5151 S. Florida Ave.

Lakeland

FL

As far as the website goes, when you log in go to the home page, the one that has all of the topic areas. A yellow star on the left of the topic means there is a post you have not read. Once you go to that post, the star will turn blue. It makes finding the new posts very easy.

Angelmom,

Many churches have funds that they give to people even if they don't go to their church (or any church). Try calling the church office and they will be able to let you know if they have anything to help. I live in Colorado and several churches in my town are part of an interfaith community that provides assistance regardless of religious affiliation. I hope this helps. :idea:

Wylee's post about "We Care of Polk County" -- this really looks like an organization you should try reaching out to. It is for speciality care and designed for the uninsured who do not qualify for any type of other medical assistance ... which sounds like it is your situation exactly, from what you have described to us.

Please try making that call on Monday! It looks like you may need to be referred into the program by a physician or physician's assistant, so you may want to also put a call into the doctor who diagnosed your IIH and give them the heads up that you may need their assistance in this matter.

*hugs* I'm praying that this or another option will work out for you. Keep us posted on what you are trying,

Thanks for the information and concern from all.

I will look into We Care of Polk County and, if that doesn't pan out, I will look into churches. Like I said, I just need help to get to January when I am placed on my husband's insurance plan.


Have a good day everyone. I appreciate the help.

Angelmom, were you able to speak to anyone at We Care??
How did it go?

Hi, thanks for asking. Actually I have been soooo sick today I have been bedridden and not been able to function and didn't get to call today. I will try tomorrow and will let you know what they say.

Thank you!

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. It looks like Salvation Army resources are depleted in your area, so probably wouldn't be able to assist even if you did meet income guidelines. If your husband was in the service, the Veteran Service Commission can be a good resource for spouses and widows depending on active duty, honorable discharge and all that. Those are programs that run nationwide. I also found a site that breaks down assistance programs by state and county (www.needhelppayingbills.com). It lists all types of assistance programs, but medical is one and includes free healthcare, meds, existing bills, affordable/HIPPA insurance plans, etc.

Locally, if We Care/Charity Care/Discount Drug Card is unable to assist it looks like the Catholic Charities of Central Florida (863-686-7153) have emergency financial assistance that's based more on circumstance than income, so having a debilitating illness without insurance may qualify. The website listed above had other local resources. I hope you're able to find something that helps and you're able to get some relief soon!

Take care,
Julie

Thanks Julie for checking on resources for me.

I will let you know what I find out.

Update:

Well I tried We Care as suggested. I actually called and nobody answered the phone so my husband and I drove there.

This is not a viable option for me--for a couple different reasons:

1) I would still have to fall below the income guidelines (which are very low); and

2) The man running it said it is specialty care and he would not even know which specialist to send me to. In other words, he had never heard of IIH. I believe this organization is partnered with specialty doctors who volunteer their services. Regardless, even if they had the proper specialist, I don't qualify. Basically, I have to be dirt poor and living in a shack to qualify.

I will talk to my husband about churches but, quite honestly, what am I supposed to tell them?

I need on-going treatment with costs that will be quite substantial. I am pretty sure that a church is not going to pay that kind of money for my condition. Maybe if multiple churches chipped in, but they don't give money directly to the person, they give it to the doctors, etc. and I don't know all the costs that would be involved or what the doctor would even do. I don't know about the UK, etc., but here in the US, they require payment upfront for services.

I guess I will just take it day by day and pray that something comes my way...I have applied for disability benefits because, lord knows, I cannot work like this. The problem with that is the approval/disapproval process is so long. I will probably be denied and then have to appeal the decision anyway.

Thanks for listening and offering suggestions....everything will work out in the end because there is a reason I am going through this!

I will put my hope in the Lord!

Blessings to all. :flower: