Stacey's Medical Fund
Donation protected
3/23/17
If you have been following along with me the past few months. My LTD plan was closed back in January. All my doctors notes and examinations continue my disability but the Insurance company is trying to get out of paying for my long term disability payments. A plan I had paid into for years before I became disabled. I had also applied for SSDI at the same time but that usually takes much longer and almost all claims are denied. I applied back in 2013. Imagine my surprise when in February I receive noticed that my appeals had been approved. There is just the wait for the wheels of the Social Security machine to actually crank out the payments owed. Per the SSA site my payments will be the fourth Wednesday of the month. I was hoping to get paid today. Unfortunately I was told by SSDI that March payments are made in April so I will not start getting a check until the end of the month. Disappointment over the delay and stress over the continued appeal of my private LTD policy. I owe a lot of gratitude to the Dailykos community for helping me out and I have what I hope will be my last request. I need to raise about $1000 for basic living expenses for April. These are my car payment and regular bills, food for woozle daisy and pootie Samy and for me and grand babies. Any help or even good thoughts sent my way is greatly appreciated
Support System breakdown/ Jan 2017 I was further diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma after I had my thyroid removed. It is benign in 90% of cases. Unfortunately I turned out to be the one in a million, and not in a good way. Mine are a part of a genetic mutation. I had multiple tumors that encapsulated both carotid arteries and my aorta. They were considered inoperable because of location. Then in 2013 I was also diagnosed with Carcinoid with mets to my spine. I'll spare you the gory details but I have been disabled since 2013. I had planned and had a private long term disability plan. They have required an independent medical review each year and I was told I had nothing to worry about by my claim manager. They have denied my case after four years. This comes as a complete shock. I'm also waiting on a response from ssdi. I have exhausted my savings and my rent is due on the 1st. I can't get out of my lease until April and my rent is $1951. I would be so appreciative of any help that anyone can give me
Original Diagnosis / 2009My journey to this diagnosis began about a year ago. I was just hired at a new company and decided to take my insurance out for a spin by going to see the most prominent ENT doctor in Southern California. I have had a paralyzed vocal chord since 2002. I was hoping he could offer me a more permanent solution for my vocal chords. My voice quality had gotten so poor that I am rarely able to speak above a whisper. My job requires I give frequent presentations and you never really know how much you use your voice until it's gone. The doctor was impressive and confident he could fix my voice but first he wanted to order a few tests.
This is where the story gets sticky. The insurance company wouldn't approve the ultrasound he ordered of my neck. About that time a person at my work was let go. She was sick and had been out of work. Since she hadn't been there for a year she wasn't covered by federal FMLA. This is the law that says an employer can't fire you if you need to take time off for medical reasons. I put two and two together and decided I couldn't afford to lose my job. It looked like the insurance company was going to continue to jerk me around on covering the tests I'd need to have surgery so I decided to wait until I was employed for a year. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about losing my job.
Fast forward to this year. I was determined to get the surgery on my voice. Now I had no choice I had to do something. Speaking is a large part of what I do everyday. I went back to the specialist, he ordered his tests, the insurance company is still dancing around covering them. Then he says something that brings me up short. He says that they found something "interesting" in one of the tests they did last year and need to retest me. That's how he put it...."interesting"............. So I go in for a CT scan, MRI, MRA and FNA of my thyroid.
The last time I had spoken to the doctor he had scheduled me for my voice surgery. Something about that "interesting" test result had me calling him to get the results of the tests. Now let me explain that I had not done so the year before because I had assumed if my test came back with results that were really bad the doctor would have to call me. In hindsight I know this was a mistake. You should always get the results of your tests. Even if you feel pushy doing it. Be pushy....
This morning I got to the doctors office after being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half feeling angry from the residual road rage and stupid I had wasted my time and thirty dollars in co-pays and parking fees just to hear the doctor say nothing was wrong with me. I sit there waiting and finally the doctor comes in. He asks me why I'm there? Do I have questions about the surgery? I'm confused and disappointed. He hadn't even bothered to look at my test results. I tell him that I had called for my test results and was told I had to come in for them. Ahhh that seemed to jog his memory so he looks through my file and quick as a flash he told me they will not be doing the surgery on my voice because the test results show I have thyroid cancer and I will need to have surgery to have my thyroid taken out as soon as possible. Do I have any questions? I sit there in shock for a second. I couldn't think of any questions. He just said the "C" word we are all afraid to hear.
So here I am. It's midnight and I'm telling this story to you because I'm too afraid to explain it to my family. Afraid to make it real.
If you have been following along with me the past few months. My LTD plan was closed back in January. All my doctors notes and examinations continue my disability but the Insurance company is trying to get out of paying for my long term disability payments. A plan I had paid into for years before I became disabled. I had also applied for SSDI at the same time but that usually takes much longer and almost all claims are denied. I applied back in 2013. Imagine my surprise when in February I receive noticed that my appeals had been approved. There is just the wait for the wheels of the Social Security machine to actually crank out the payments owed. Per the SSA site my payments will be the fourth Wednesday of the month. I was hoping to get paid today. Unfortunately I was told by SSDI that March payments are made in April so I will not start getting a check until the end of the month. Disappointment over the delay and stress over the continued appeal of my private LTD policy. I owe a lot of gratitude to the Dailykos community for helping me out and I have what I hope will be my last request. I need to raise about $1000 for basic living expenses for April. These are my car payment and regular bills, food for woozle daisy and pootie Samy and for me and grand babies. Any help or even good thoughts sent my way is greatly appreciated
Support System breakdown/ Jan 2017 I was further diagnosed with an extremely rare cancer pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma after I had my thyroid removed. It is benign in 90% of cases. Unfortunately I turned out to be the one in a million, and not in a good way. Mine are a part of a genetic mutation. I had multiple tumors that encapsulated both carotid arteries and my aorta. They were considered inoperable because of location. Then in 2013 I was also diagnosed with Carcinoid with mets to my spine. I'll spare you the gory details but I have been disabled since 2013. I had planned and had a private long term disability plan. They have required an independent medical review each year and I was told I had nothing to worry about by my claim manager. They have denied my case after four years. This comes as a complete shock. I'm also waiting on a response from ssdi. I have exhausted my savings and my rent is due on the 1st. I can't get out of my lease until April and my rent is $1951. I would be so appreciative of any help that anyone can give me
Original Diagnosis / 2009My journey to this diagnosis began about a year ago. I was just hired at a new company and decided to take my insurance out for a spin by going to see the most prominent ENT doctor in Southern California. I have had a paralyzed vocal chord since 2002. I was hoping he could offer me a more permanent solution for my vocal chords. My voice quality had gotten so poor that I am rarely able to speak above a whisper. My job requires I give frequent presentations and you never really know how much you use your voice until it's gone. The doctor was impressive and confident he could fix my voice but first he wanted to order a few tests.
This is where the story gets sticky. The insurance company wouldn't approve the ultrasound he ordered of my neck. About that time a person at my work was let go. She was sick and had been out of work. Since she hadn't been there for a year she wasn't covered by federal FMLA. This is the law that says an employer can't fire you if you need to take time off for medical reasons. I put two and two together and decided I couldn't afford to lose my job. It looked like the insurance company was going to continue to jerk me around on covering the tests I'd need to have surgery so I decided to wait until I was employed for a year. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about losing my job.
Fast forward to this year. I was determined to get the surgery on my voice. Now I had no choice I had to do something. Speaking is a large part of what I do everyday. I went back to the specialist, he ordered his tests, the insurance company is still dancing around covering them. Then he says something that brings me up short. He says that they found something "interesting" in one of the tests they did last year and need to retest me. That's how he put it...."interesting"............. So I go in for a CT scan, MRI, MRA and FNA of my thyroid.
The last time I had spoken to the doctor he had scheduled me for my voice surgery. Something about that "interesting" test result had me calling him to get the results of the tests. Now let me explain that I had not done so the year before because I had assumed if my test came back with results that were really bad the doctor would have to call me. In hindsight I know this was a mistake. You should always get the results of your tests. Even if you feel pushy doing it. Be pushy....
This morning I got to the doctors office after being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half feeling angry from the residual road rage and stupid I had wasted my time and thirty dollars in co-pays and parking fees just to hear the doctor say nothing was wrong with me. I sit there waiting and finally the doctor comes in. He asks me why I'm there? Do I have questions about the surgery? I'm confused and disappointed. He hadn't even bothered to look at my test results. I tell him that I had called for my test results and was told I had to come in for them. Ahhh that seemed to jog his memory so he looks through my file and quick as a flash he told me they will not be doing the surgery on my voice because the test results show I have thyroid cancer and I will need to have surgery to have my thyroid taken out as soon as possible. Do I have any questions? I sit there in shock for a second. I couldn't think of any questions. He just said the "C" word we are all afraid to hear.
So here I am. It's midnight and I'm telling this story to you because I'm too afraid to explain it to my family. Afraid to make it real.
Organizer
Stacey Carpio
Organizer
Simi Valley, CA
