Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group

That was very strange they hopitalized you for optic neuritis. What part of the country do you live in? That they did that to you? I thought perhaps you lived in a country with a national health care, like canada that you were hospitalized so easily.

I was without insurance when I had a multisymptom attack that unexpectedly diagnosed MS. Within 1-2 days my balance went bad, I was unable to use my right hand to sign, write or open doors. I was unable to hold any urine. I was slurring words. The right side of my body wasn't working right. I went to ER. They said it was either a stroke or MS. They did an MRI and said it was MS without a doubt and I had MS for a long time.......
They admitted me to the intensive care unit overnight, for observation. They must have been hedging their bets. Released me the next morning with an appointment to see a neurologist and an internal walking foley catheter inserted to deal with the continence problem.

By now I had remembered that I did have optic neuritis, 17 years before when MRI's weren't around. An opthomalogist treated it with oral steroids and told me this MIGHT be MS. I didn't look up what MS was and never had big problems in the 17 years, so being diagnosed with MS was a BIG UNEXPECTED SURPRISE. I HADN'T PLANNED FOR IT.

The hospital did give me forms to fill out for medicaid, and I did apply. But I did not qualify because I had more than $2000 in assets. I immediately wrote response letter to all who billed me, the hospital, do, r doc, lab, radiologist who read the MRI ect. Actually I called their billing department.

I explained I was without work or insurance so I was unable to meet my financial commitment but I am responsible for it so I would like monthly payments be set up.

They all did with any problem. But with so many monthly payments to make, there was no way I could have made the total of all the monthly payments in a single month!

So I chose the lowest balance and paid what I could to that one & sent about $5-10 to the rest...so they knew they were not forgotten, just put on hold more than their monthly payment.

The MRI center it turned out had a private charity fund I could apply to, I did and was accepted. So my MRI bill was wiped clean. The hospital charged me for a regular room rate, instead of intensive care...which is very expensive!

So calling & explaining my situation along with my intent to pay off my debt did have benefits to me.

Later I did find out with health care, as long as A monthly payment is made it is not worth the effort for a health care provider to sue a person.

I was lucky, none of mine charged interest on the accounts. but I was without a job or insurance, they didn't know if they could get interest from me...if I had a job or a spouse with a job(I'm single) they probably would have charged interest.

The hospital bill was the largest, even with only 1 day. At the end the gave me an "uninsured discount". They bill the uninsured a higher amount because of the defaukt risk. If the person defaults, the hospital can write the amount off in their taxes as a bad debt expense. When I got near that uninsured amount they gave me an uninsured discount for paying my debt. So I ended up paying it off earlier than I thought.

I applied for disability, was awarded that & am still unemployed because of disability but I am on Medicare now.

So all I know about that situation, is apply for medicaide, if eligible that gets you out of the mess.
Otherwise call thre billing departments explaining your situation and intent to pay, get set up with minimum monthly payments...and pay a little each month to them regardless of what the monthly amount is, until hopefully the debt is paid off.

I think it's important to know what state you live in. Here in Wisconsin, there is no excuse for anyone not to have good heath care. We have a state run program that began in 1999 called "BadgerCare". It is available to all low income individuals and, unlike medicare, the state pays, often at no cost to the individual, for ones choice of medical plans made available through major heath care providers. I often wonder why the feds aren't looking at what already works well here in Wisconsin and apply our system to the rest of the country.

With your $8,000 hospital bill, call the hospital's business office! Most hospitals will take into consideration your income, then reduce the bill accordingly and allow affordable, low, time payments.

As far as treating your symptoms without health ins. I think the best way (for me anyway) is researching nutrition.I have done some searching for myself not because I am without health ins but because for the last 8 years I am without a diagnosis and cannot seem to find anyone yet willing to touch me. They say I am a difficult case, but that doesn't help much whan I have a flare up. So I did some checking around the internet and found some interesting info and also read a book called the MS Recovery Diet which I have been following since June. I had a very rough year with symptoms flaring almost constantly since last Oct., but for the last month I have felt so good and have had such energy. I don't know if it is the diet doing what it claims or just my body settling down again, but I'll keep at it and see what happens. When you can't find help anywhere else it sure doesn't hurt to try.

After a lot of research, here and elsewhere, it seemed to me that what helped people actually feel better were the diet, often called Best Bet Diet, and LDN. Both of these can be done on your own. I had pretty much given up on having a life, but am finding that the diet is amazing for the profound fatigue and heat intolerance. The problem is staying on the diet while actually eating food in the US. There is a diet group at Yahoo.com (the MS-diet) which offers excellent advice and information on cutting edge research. Be your own best advocate and do try to get the best medical attention you can find. Some people are not diagnosed or treated for years after their first symptoms. Hopefully that is not you, but while trying to find out what is wrong, you can be trying different things to see what works. Good luck. and hugs.

I have already researched dietary treatments, I will be trying to eat a more natural diet but that gets expensive.

I live in Missouri and Missouri healthcare sucks.

I am trying to get some aid, but it does not look hopeful.

I think the main reason I was hospitalized is that I was under severe emotional stress.

It started with me going in to have my eyes examined, becuase I feared I had glaucoma. The doctor came to me out in the waiting room after the exam and asked if she could talk to me alone. Not a good sign. I asked her in a joking manner, what we were talking about, a tumor? Silence. Really not a good sign, and again she offered to talk to me in private. I finally got her to tell me that she suspected a brain tumor. I was referred to a specialist. The specialist agreed with the first eye doctor and I was told to Go To The ER. I walked into the ER convinced I was gonna die. Less than a month before my wife's cousin died from an aggressive brain cancer. The MRI showed optic neuritis. There were no visible lesions in the brain, but to be honest I don't think they were looking that closely. They were focused on my eyes and too busy assuming I was a closet drinker and drug user. Blood work was all clean though. After three days of heavy steriod doses they just sent me home. No followup.

The optic neuritis still has not gone away and now it's in both eyes. I find myself wearing sunglasses indoors if there are flourescent lights. But what is really bothering me are the constant fatigue. I am tired all the time. The other thing is that I have lately been unable to trust my own senses. I often feel heat or cold without cause sometimes I feel a buzzing sensation that I mistake for my cellphone in my pants pocket. I have found that icepacks help my eyes, but it's hard to drive like that.

I feel like I am whining and I hate it.