UW MS Clinic
I met my new doctor at the MS Clinic last week and saw her again yesterday. She showed me my MRI which I had never seen and clarified some things regarding my lesions. My previous doctor told me that I had no lesions on my brain...well, my MRI shows differently. I actually DO have lesions on my brain. They are small and since I am not having any symptoms directly related to brain function, my doctor is not too concerned with them at this point. She would like to do a full brain and spine MRI to get more information but since I am uninsured we are going to wait. The full MRI would cost around $5000.
I met with her yesterday to discuss treatment options. We decided on Rebif injections. These injections can cost over $20,000 a year without insurance. My doctor put me in contact with MS Lifelines and they were able to get me a years worth of free injections....PHEW! I already have over $5000 in medical bills just since November with more coming from my clinic visits. The injections are sort of a necessary evil that I am not looking forward to. I have to inject myself three times a week. Most people get flu-like symptoms after each injection that can last up to eight hours. The pain in my legs I can deal with. The bladder control issues I can deal with. What I CANNOT deal with is nausea and headaches...which are two of the side effects of Rebif injections. My doctor says that once my body gets used to the chemicals, the side effects may subside. I should be receiving my first round of injections by mail withing the next few weeks and Rebif will be sending a person out to our house to teach us how to do the injections.
My new doctor really drove home how smokers with MS are generally worse than non-smokers. My plan to quit was dependent upon when I started my injections. If I started my injections this week, I was going to quit smoking in about a month after I got accustomed to the stress of the injections. If I didn't start my injections this week, I was going to quit smoking now. Well, I've set my quit date for the 30th of this month and started taking Welbutrin (which helps me quit) yesterday.
I have a lot going on and prayers are always appreciated...for me and Scott. We are going to have so much to adjust to over the next few months. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing man in my life. I don't know how I would be coping with all of this without him.
I met with her yesterday to discuss treatment options. We decided on Rebif injections. These injections can cost over $20,000 a year without insurance. My doctor put me in contact with MS Lifelines and they were able to get me a years worth of free injections....PHEW! I already have over $5000 in medical bills just since November with more coming from my clinic visits. The injections are sort of a necessary evil that I am not looking forward to. I have to inject myself three times a week. Most people get flu-like symptoms after each injection that can last up to eight hours. The pain in my legs I can deal with. The bladder control issues I can deal with. What I CANNOT deal with is nausea and headaches...which are two of the side effects of Rebif injections. My doctor says that once my body gets used to the chemicals, the side effects may subside. I should be receiving my first round of injections by mail withing the next few weeks and Rebif will be sending a person out to our house to teach us how to do the injections.
My new doctor really drove home how smokers with MS are generally worse than non-smokers. My plan to quit was dependent upon when I started my injections. If I started my injections this week, I was going to quit smoking in about a month after I got accustomed to the stress of the injections. If I didn't start my injections this week, I was going to quit smoking now. Well, I've set my quit date for the 30th of this month and started taking Welbutrin (which helps me quit) yesterday.
I have a lot going on and prayers are always appreciated...for me and Scott. We are going to have so much to adjust to over the next few months. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing man in my life. I don't know how I would be coping with all of this without him.
posted by Kendra | 4:02 PM
1 Comments:
Kendra, you are SO awesome and I know you are going to deal with the injections just fine! And you have a great person to take care of you! I can lend you some relaxation cd's or give you some tips about dealing with nausea (I just went through it all with the pregnancy) if you want. And if you need me to make you dinner anytime, just ask!
It sucks about the health insurance--E and I are STILL paying off an MRI he got when we had bad health insurance and we couldn't afford it.
You guys are all in my prayers, and Rosie sends a hug and a kiss. You are her special angel for helping her get a good life! Just think about all the people and animals you have helped when you aren't feeling well...xo Rachel
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