Lyme Doctors.. All So Costly? None Take Insurance??

[Conniel7777]

Lyme, Lyme, Lyme…

The more I read about it, the more ultra super convinced that I have it.

I have a bone spur in my shoulder.

Plantar Faciaitis in both feet.

Severely achey hip joints.. the ache in the hips goes very, very deep.

I have had the “Bulls eye” rash before. ( on the back of my leg.. doc said it was ringworm b/c it was itchy and raised… thanks for nothing, Bozo. )

Abnormal brain MRI with 3 “non specific” lesions. ( these do not “light up” with contrast ) Neuro said these look “just like MS lesions”, but yet she doesnt think I have MS. ( thank God! )

Pins and needles type sensations, burning type sensations, “crawly skin” sensations.

Intermittent dizziness.

Palpitations.

Mitral valve “issues” ( although not prolapse ) with “Mild regurgitation”

Weird feeling in the bottoms of my feet that sometimes feels like I have ZERO padding on the bottom of my feet.. I mean, to look at my feet, they look normal, but sometimes when I walk, it feels like its bare bone hitting the concrete.

Cysts on thyroid.. small and insignificant, but there nonetheless. 

I had Carpal Tunnel that was really beginning to flair when Ii statrted AP a year ago.. it disappeared 6 weeks into AP, but it was definitely there.

Crazy fatigue… also gone 6 weeks into AP.

Last, and definitely not least, the ever popular Limited Sclero. ( Hey, can I start calling it “Limited SCUM-O??” )

In the next few months I am due to be tested for Lyme, both thru the conventional methods AND thru IGeneX. I am pretty sure I will show positive bands thru IGeneX.

( BTW.. just read in another thread you can get Borrelia (sp?) thru  cat scratches?? GREAT! good to know, as I have been a cat rescuer forever. ( I am sure that goes nicely hand in hand with all of the hiking and camping I have done in Lyme country over the last 30 years )  Gotta love it!

Anyway….

How does everyone PAY for these LLMD's?? I mean, yes, our health is paramount, and I have insurance ( Thank God for my insurance.. it pays for my AP Doc & my mino ) but the Lyme doc in NYC that I got from the Road Back list.. Whew! he is P-R-I-C-E-Y!!!  doesnt take insurance…  I dont know how I am going to afford it…

Any decent LLMD's in NJ who take insurance?? ( feeling very dejected and depressed at the thought of being able to pinpoint the problem, but not being able to afford the cure. )

Any input would be GREATLY appreciated…

Your friend,

Connie   >^..^<  PS.. sorry if, at times during this post, I sounded a bit perturbed and bitter.. but I am both! UPDATE: Good News….. I went back thru my private messages and dug up an old message that was sent to me by MAZ.. ( who else?  🙂 ) a year ago.. it is a list of LLMD's in New Jersey…  Well, I went thru the list one at a time, and I typed each doctors name into my insurance companies search engine, in an effort to find a doc that was in my insurance network.. and guess what?? IT WORKED!   :roll-laugh:  :roll-laugh:   :roll-laugh:   :roll-laugh:  :roll-laugh:  :roll-laugh:  :roll-laugh:  :roll-laugh:  :roll-laugh: I actually found a doctor that specializes in Lyme, he is IN NETWORK ( which means that a visit to him will only be a 50.00 co pay! ) AND, hes only 30 miles from where I live!! I did a quick google search on his name, and have found nothing but excellent reviews about him; as a matter of fact, more than 1 patient credits him with saving their lives, and they go on about how knowledgeable he is about Lyme, and how caring he is, treating each person as an individual, etc… the first appointment is 2 hours…    you have no idea how relieved I am!

I dont think I am allowed to type out his name here, but I will say that he is Dr. R, and he has offices in Brick and Neptune, NJ..  if anyone here goes to him please post or PM me with details..   Thanks!!!

[Okie Tam]

Hi Connie,
Good for you in finding a LLMD that will take insurance. While reading your symptoms I noticed several that I too have experienced that I didn't realize may be related to Lyme, I just tested positive myself. Interesting about the brain lesions as my sister also has them but was negative for MS and they can't find out what is wrong with her.

If I may, I have a suggestion for your Plantar Faciaitis. I too had it and can relate to the pain. Doctor's told me I needed to have surgery, etc. but a co-worker suggested a very inexpensive cure that I have passed along to many others with the same excellent results. I wore heel “cups” in my shoes and was immediately pain free. I wore them for a year but the pain was gone with the first use. When I say cups they really are hard plastic molded cups that fit around your heel. Not to be mistaken with inserts. I had to go to a medical supply store that sold/rented wheelchairs, crutches etc. I've never found them at a regular pharmacy or drug store. They cost around $5 each and worth every penny. Of course it limits your shoe selection since you have to wear something with an enclosed heel but worth the sacrifice in my opinion.

Maybe that will help give you some relief as we battle these other bugs.

Kind regards,
Tammy

[Maz]

[user=1441]Conniel7777[/user] wrote:

I dont think I am allowed to type out his name here, but I will say that he is Dr. R, and he has offices in Brick and Neptune, NJ..  if anyone here goes to him please post or PM me with details..   Thanks!!!

Hi Connie,

I hope this LLMD works out for you. According to the LLMD list, it appears as if his specialty is neurology? I have not heard of anyone here going to him, but do hope someone has and can share their experience of him with you.

In the meantime, my best suggestion is to join a Yahoogroup support group for NJ and ask the folk in your state about him. The best people to give recommendations are the patients in-state who see these docs and they can tell you just how Lyme Literate a particular doc may or may not be. One way I think is a good way to screen an LLMD is to call their office and simply ask if the physician is aware of and uses the ILADs/Burrascano Lyme treatment guidelines. Receptionists may not be conversant with what a doc does behind closed doors, so speaking with the nurse, PA or the doc is the best way to find out.

Here is a link to NJ Lyme support groups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=Lyme+New+Jersey

Here is the link to the ILADs/Burrascano treatment guidelines, so you have something to go on when checking into all this:

http://ilads.org/lyme_disease/treatment_guidelines.html

There are so very few LLMDs who do take insurance, because they are offering a different standard of care from that prescribed by the IDSA/CDC, which insurance companies take as the gold standard. LLMDs, in general, have to fly under the insurance radar, because it is the insurance companies who pick up on treatments for Lyme that vary from the prescribed standard of care and they then report these docs to their medical boards. However, for folk with PPO type insurance, it is possible to see out-of-network physicians and still claim back whatever their insurance will cover. My insurance usually covers about half my consult fees and all my labs and meds (if generic and brands if there is no generic).

Do hope this doc is a good one, Connie, and would be great if he's good, but also covered by your insurance…can't get more lucky than that in the Lymelands!

Peace, Maz

[Conniel7777]

Tammy,

 

 Thanks for that info on heel cups.. I have seen them, but didnt know what they were for; now that I know, I will definitely pick some up.. thanks for the tip!

I dont remember where I read it, but I did read somewhere that “non specific wwhite matter brain lesions” can be caused by different things.. migraines being one, and Lyme being another….

 

Connie  >^..^<

[Conniel7777]

Maz,

  Yes, this doc is a Neurologist.. in a way, I am thinking this *might* be a good thing, as I do have those non specific white matter brain lesions that I previously saw a Neuro for…??

 

I am definitely going to “feel him out”… the first visit is a two hour one, so I am going to try to see if he follows Dr. Burrascano.

I also hope this doc is a good one, because financially, right now, its either this guy or nobody.. I cant afford the treatments on my own, and I cant afford to drive or fly out of state, etc…

I wish the President would have made up some special rule for Lyme.. stating that all insurance companies must cover all docs who treat it.. but of course, I also wish these docs wouldnt charge such exorbitant fees.. I mean, at those rates, I expect to walk out of their ofices not only Lyme free, but also with a nose job, a tummy tuck, a face lift.. !!  😉

BTW.. also thanks for the links.. I am going to click on them right now…..

Thanks, Maz!     >^..^<

 

[Michele]

I mean, at those rates, I expect to walk out of their ofices not only Lyme free, but also with a nose job, a tummy tuck, a face lift.. !!

I absolutely agree!!! Well stated! :roll-laugh: You should see my new tummy after my appointment today!!!

Seriously, I hope you find a winner in a doc! And one that is affordable!

Michele

[Conniel7777]

Michele,

 

LOL!!

 That reminds me of SEINFELD, when George Costanza went to see a Chiropractor, and he thought the charge for the office visit was outrageous.. and he said “Who I am seeing in there? SINATRA??”

Thanks for the well wishes.. I will definitely post about my experiences with him.

[Maz]

[user=1441]Conniel7777[/user] wrote:

I mean, at those rates, I expect to walk out of their ofices not only Lyme free, but also with a nose job, a tummy tuck, a face lift.. !!  😉

Connie, you always make me hoot, girl! :roll-laugh: Yea, you're right about the exorbitant out of pocket costs we Lymies have to face, but until this whole political mess is resolved, this is just the state of play for now. The way I look at it is this…my daughter's dermatologist charges $135 for a 3 min consult for her acne. Of course, we only pay the co-pay, so it's no skin off our noses. However, when I see my Lyme doc for a regular consult, he charges $325 for a 30 to 45 min consult! I don't feel rushed or pushed out the door…he focuses entirely on what's going on with the whole picture of me and, I've gotta say, I've never had this kind of attentive medical care in my entire life. There is absolutely no comparison between the 5 min consults I used to get from my old GP (only looking at one issue at a time) and the time my Lyme doc spends looking at all my health issues at once. And, as I have PPO type insurance, I only pay half that as they cover part of the cost for out-of-network doctors.  Honestly, I used to spend that much on a new outfit and, for me, there is no price I can place on what this doc has done to help me get my health back.

So, yea…I can see why the cost for some of these docs seems outrageous, but you-pays-for-what-you-gets with this whole Lyme thing….seriously. These docs are being unfairly targeted left and right and their insurance premiums must be through the roof. In fact, by way of example, I was reading about Dr. J, the pediatric Lyme doc in New Haven, CT, has been targeted for years and was fined about 5 times what other mainstream physicians get fined for some pretty horrific malpractice….like drug or alcohol addictions (rampant amongst the medical profession) or even accusations for sexual abuse of their patients. This guys has healed 10s of thousands of children with Lyme, but they're out for his head and they got him on a charge of prescribing an antibiotic to one of his long-distance patients for strep over the phone….it wasn't even anything to do with Lyme and the child took the antibiotic and got well again. It just so happened that the parents were in the midst of a nasty divorce and the father was claiming the mother had Munchausen's and was trumping up illnesses that her children were suffering. No one is saying Dr. J shouldn't have rx'd the child an abx without an examination, but the repercussions of the charges against him were well beyond what other physicians get punished for when they have committed very serious crimes that do harm their patients and they're also going for his license. It's really a mess out there in the Lymelands. 🙁

Anyway, this is by-the-by, but once you've got into the research of Lyme, so much will make sense with all of this, you'll see steam coming out of your ears! Take a look at this link – it's quite eye-opening and should help explain why most LLMDs prefer to fly under the insurance radar:

http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=8493

Peace, Maz

[Conniel7777]

Maz,

 I havent even BEGUN to research any of this yet, but even so, I am 100% certain that when it comes to the prices they charge, they are well worth it. You are SO right that you get what you pay for, and we do tend to waste money on dumb things, but balk when it comes to spending it for whats important; I am WAAAY guilty of that!!

Even if you pull up the Wikipedia page on Lyme disease, it addresses the controversy, the politics, the DEATH THREATS…!!   pure craziness how everything is motivated by money.

I am just hoping that the doc I am planning to see has found a way to practice good “Lyme medicine” while still taking insurance— fingers crossed!!

 

>^..^<

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