I live, write, and garden in the PNW with my husband of 27 years, disabled daughter, college-aged son, and my 84-year-old mother. We have paid off $250,000.00 worth of debt (if you include the interest) in the last fifteen years and as of 6/12/2020 are 100% DEBT FREE!!!!The good news is I really, really liked this doctor. Great bedside manner, mild-mannered, funny and attentive. I was instantly at ease with him. The bad news is he wants to send me to another doctor at Virginia Mason in Seattle. Because of all the scar tissue from the two previous surgeries he wants to send me to a lady who specializes in this type of surgery when there is scar tissue. He doesn't think there's anyone closer who is good enough. He said she's who he'd send his own wife to if she needed the same thing.
He did give me three weeks worth of free samples of three different medications that might help manage some of the symptoms, but not all of them, and definitely won't make them go away, just improve them hopefully. At this point any improvement is something I'll take.
I was pretty sure surgery was going to be the outcome of this, but I was really hoping I wouldn't need it. I never dreamed I might have to go outside my own city for it, though. The expense of going to Seattle, at least three times, once for initial consult and testing, once for surgery and once for follow up (unless that can be done here) is going to add an extra $120 in gas from the three round trips. Then there will likely be food eaten out, probably two meals. Can you get reimbursed from an HSA for travel expenses to and from a doctor's appointment?
I better start setting money aside in the budget for surgery. Seriously, I'm about to change my user name to SurgeryRobin instead of LuckyRobin. This will be my seventh surgery since 2003. I'm really tired of it. I keep telling myself that I am alive and happy and that nothing has ever been cancerous even if a couple things were still life-threatening because of locations and size of tumors. And this isn't even a case of tumorous growths, it's a case of scar tissue interfering with stuff.
And the last surgery wasn't even related to all this, it was knee surgery for a torn miniscus (and even though I'm still going through PT to walk right, I'm almost there.) So really, I am lucky. But I'm also just so tired of my medical issues getting in the way of me having a real life and being so expensive. At least this time around the insurance is decent. I have to count myself lucky there as well.
Back from the Specialist
February 15th, 2011 at 08:52 pm
February 15th, 2011 at 11:43 pm 1297813400
February 16th, 2011 at 12:59 am 1297817997
February 16th, 2011 at 06:23 pm 1297880605
Yes, you can. http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf Eligible expenses are based on this publication.
February 17th, 2011 at 07:39 am 1297928397