That is what my doctor told me yesterday. He apologized over and over but I told him it was not his fault. I could not be upset with him, just at the insurance company. They have decide that sacro-iliac joint dysfunction does not exist and that all of us that have it are just whiny patients who either just want the pain meds or are just plain crazy.
I cannot begin to tell you how insulted I am. Up until a year ago I was the type of person who would forgo motrin and just work through typical headaches and muscle pain. I hated medication (still do) and didn’t want anything to do with it. The insurance company also wants to ignore the established fact that ligaments have less blood supply than other part of the body so the body is limited in being able to heal them on their own. Ligaments also have a high concentration of nerves so the pain is relentless and very real.
I have lived with this pain for over a year now. I have been seen by over eight medical doctors and physical therapist and other professionals. It is constant, unrelenting pain. My MRI’s were perceived as normal in Paris and Sherman even though they were not! I had diagnostic laparoscopy to rule out endometriosis. I was told several things by doctors that were hard to hear. Anything from, “There is nothing wrong with you.”, “It is all in your head.”, “You will have to learn to live with it.”, “You best put off having children indefinitely.” and “We can try to make you comfortable-for the rest of your life.” I was 31 when this happened, way to young to give up on a normal life. Chronic pain is brutal. It is there when you finally get to sleep at night. It is there when you wake up 2 hours later because of it. It is there when your 3 year old baby needs you. It is there when your sweet husband comes home and can bear to see you like that anymore. Pain medication make you sick, depressed, exhausted or not work at all. So you put on a smile and go on, day by day, as best you know how. It wasn’t fair to me or my family.
If we had not moved to Austin, I have no idea what would become of me. My doctor here walked in to the exam room after viewing the MRI films that I had brought with me from Paris-the ones that were “normal”- and after three minutes of examining my low back knew what was wrong. I wasn’t crazy and it may take some time but I can be healed. I well up with tears just thinking about it. I was so relieved, so happy that he didn’t tell me he couldn’t help me. It gave me the hope I so desperately had prayed for.
Those insurance companies should be ashamed of themselves. I know there are some individuals who abuse the system but their numbers are small compared to the people who seriously need help. We are lucky. Even though insurance will not pay for my treatment, we will be able to pay for it ourselves. It will not be cheap but we can swing it. It saddens me to know that some people will not get the treatment they need because they cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket. Why would this insurance company think that this condition is a myth? My guess is to help their bottom line. Trust me, no one would go through months of painful treatments that consist of multiple injections deep within the ligaments and joints and grueling physical therapy if it was all in their heads. Trust me, it hurts.
It is not right that we can pay our insurance faithfully and they have the right to pick and choose what they want to pay for. It is cruel to keep people suffering for their profit.
I had to get that out.
Oh Paige, I am so sorry they are doing that. I have spent a lot of time talking with insurance companies and so much of what they say is just arbitrary. The sad thing is that when we go to pay for prescriptions, hydrocodone would cost 4 bucks when a special type of vitamin d for kidney transplant patients would cost 40. It is cheaper to medicate you for pain than it is for them to treat the problem. The only thing we have going for our situation is that dialysis long term is more expensive than transplant. It’s all about the numbers. I’m just glad you can afford to get the treatment you need. I hate to sound ungrateful because we have benefited from insurance in an extreme way, but there have been some battles that were just not necessary and at times when I was not in the best shape for arguing. I have cried and cussed and written letters so I know exactly how you feel. They make you feel like you are taking advantage of them by choosing to be sick and abusing their money. The worst part is that the person on the other end of the phone doesn’t have any more control over the situation than you do so you really can’t blame them. It’s a terrible mess. I’ll keep you in my prayers.
Thanks, Dee. They do make you feel like you have no right to turn up sick. As if that is what you would want. I had the same happen to me with Rx’s. Pain killers are the cheaper alternative! So sad.