Day + 173, Bad Day
Well, some days you get the bear, and some days the bear gets you. Today was one of the latter.
This morning, I called BUMC's cardiology department to verify that they had received the blood labs I had performed yesterday. To my surprise, not only had they received them, but the results had already returned.
I had been eager to hear how well my new medicine, Tricor, had been in reducing my rather high trigylceride counts. They had been the major obstacle in determining my progress at my three-month evaluation, and its reduction was key in getting accurate test results at my six-month evaluation next month.
Even I heard the results, I was speechless. Not only was the Tricor ineffective in reducing my triglyceride levels, but it had actually increased significantly! According to my tests, I now have a trigylceride count over 1600. To give you a comparison, a count of 300 is considered very high.
What does this mean? At this point, I don't know. I do know that I will be unable to get my levels in time for my six-month evaluation. It is possible that they may have to remove it manually, just as they did in June. I am not looking forward to it; aphersis is not fun. I will learn more before the end of the week.
But wait... there's more
That wasn't the end of my bad news for today. This afternoon, I received a call from an agent with my disability insurance. It appears that my disability insurance company is considering my amyloidosis a pre-existing condition, and as a result, they will not pay my long-term disability benefits. This means that I am out several thousand dollars of money that I was hoping to use to pay my bills. This also means that if I need to go back on disability for some reason (such as getting a second stem-cell transplant) I am out of luck.I don't fully understand the details. I will be in contact with my insurance company tomorrow to learn more. If anyone else has had a similar problem, I'd love to hear from you.
posted by Tony @ 6:09 PM |
3 Comments:
Dear Tony,
First and foremost, I truly wish that you make a full recovery. My uncle is also suffering from amyloidosis at the moment.
Secondly, I hope that insurance company goes to hell and I hope that you get an attorney to review your policy and possibly bring a lawsuit seeking a "declaratory judgment" from the court stating that you are insured.
PS - I posted previously....I am an attorney in New York and so I cannot help you in Boston, however, I strongly suggest consulting with an attorney. I am not familiar with the specific facts of when you purchased your policy or what constitutes as a "pre-existing condition" under the terms of the policy, but you should definitely review the language before getting on the phone with your agent so that they do not have the upper hand when you get on the phone.
Thank you for your comments. I'll be receiving the offical notice in the mail, and I'll go from there. From what I know, it doesn't look good for me, as I started seeing doctors before my coverage was in effect. Even though I wasn't diagnosed until after my coverage date.
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