[Madame_X]

in reply to: I guess I was sicker than I thought I was #1069315

It’s a very sad sign of the times. There is no such thing as job security anymore.

One never knows — they can eliminate you from your job and say to you "The job description has changed and you don’t have skills in X, Y or Z. So based on that, we have to lay you off…" or "It’s just not that busy anymore and your job is being eliminated because of that." Anything can happen.

No way he could have taken his case to the dept of labor?

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Unemployed, no insurance – meds running low… #1069496

Hello – Do you have an option to continue your insurance via COBRA coverage? Unless your employer was fairly small, you should have a 9-month period where you can get 65% of your COBRA payments subsidized. The employer covers the subsidy, and then gets reimbursed by the government.

Certain conditions apply here — I believe you are eligible if you lost your job after July ’08. (this is the option I’m taking, the COBRA subsidy.)

http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/cobra.html

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Unemployed, no insurance – meds running low… #1069494

Can you open your own business…and under that business’ name, apply as a group?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/14/pr … index.html

1. Become a group of one.

In about a dozen states, you can be a group all by yourself for insurance purposes. What this means is that you become, in effect, just like any other company, and insurers can’t deny you insurance or charge you higher premiums because of your pre-existing condition, according to Lembo.

"You’d be surprised at the number of folks who open their own landscaping business" to get the group of one, he says.

To find out whether your state will allow you to become a group of one, see this list from the Kaiser Family Foundation (look at the column headed "Definition of Small Group," and look for "1-50").

For more information on becoming a group of one, see this advice from the American Diabetes Association.

In states where you can’t become a group of one, you can become a group of two.

"You can hire your brother-in-law to become a subcontractor for your landscaping company," Lembo said. "It’s horrible, but what else are you going to do?"

An important note: Under these rules, an insurance company might be allowed to exclude coverage for your specific condition for a short period of time, usually about six months.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: It’s a miracle #1069535

I was twice a day.

I now am 5 mg once a day, down from 40 mg — 20 in the AM and 20 in the pm.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Singing #1069766

Funny you should mention this — about six weeks before I was diagnosed, I was singing along to the radio and somehow I wasn’t cutting it singing to one of my favorite songs. I was wondering what was going on. I didn’t give it much thought back then.” title=”Sad” />

I’m 8+ months post diagnosis and my singing voice is coming back, but slowly.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Memory Loss #1069976

I am still having problems, too. For instance, I’ll be driving towards a destination where all I have to do is proceed straight ahead on the road — instead, I take the local turnoff to get onto an exit that takes me in the opposite direction.

It happened when a friend of mine and I were driving on our way to the beach — an exit that has been second nature to exit from? I forgot — I was driving a good 10 minutes when I realized uh oh, we missed the exit. (It/s the same exit that I’ve taken for years and years, even when we were kids, our parents took that exit to get onto the next highway to take us to the beach)

At that point, I wound up on a road that was not at all familiar — it took us a bit out of the way but it still led to our desination.

It is worrisome — I am still out of work and now I wonder what’s going to happen when I go back — employment is shaky enough, especially for one who is returning to the workforce and is ultra green at her job, you know?

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Has anyone experienced….. #1070418

Funny you should mention that — that, and an increased heart rate of over 100 bpm was how my Graves was discovered.

When I went to my doc, he told me I was dehydrated and to go home. It took an ER visit and a two-three day admission to a med floor to find out what my problem really was.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Just diagnosed with Graves…and I am scared #1070476

Terre:

Please get a second opinion. See what another endo advises.

I was diagnosed in early November, clear out of the blue. It wasn’t fun.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: TED- and eye pain #1070560

If it’s conjunctivitis, both eyes are usually treated — you’ll probably get an antibiotic solution to treat the condition.

I had conjunctivitis quite awhile back; it’s not fun to have. Hope you feel better.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Hi my name is Jorgie Ana and i’m thirteen.. #1070869

Add my best wishes for feeling better soon, too.

We’re here for your assistance — hollar if you have a question, if you get scared or you need to gripe about something.

All the best,
MX

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Wikipedia article about Graves Disease #1070896

Very helpful — Wikipedia was one of the first places on the Web that I hit after I was diagnosed

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Hello! #1071144

Sorry to hear you are having such troubles.

Dizziness indeed is a symptom — that was one of the first symptoms I had. I got out of bed (the day all of this mess began) and I was dizzy — thought nothing of it until I went to lie down when I retired for the night. I got extremely dizzy, followed by an increased heart rate of about 100 per minute.

I still get occasional dizziness, even now, several months after the dx. If I look up, I get dizzy; I still have some when I’m lying down.

Sorry the doc didn’t take you seriously; my GP told me I was dehydrated and to go home and drink a lot of water. (this was the day after the dizziness began where I also had a heartrate of 100 per minute) Dehydration was never my problem — it took a hospital admission for them to discover what my problem was; it was either Graves or a prolapsed mitral valve.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: A little something to make you laugh #1071522

hehe thanx for the laffs!

[Madame_X]

in reply to: depression and GD #1071495

Maybe I can help.

Could be she sincerely did forget — forgetfulness is more or less part of Graves — in which case she should start writing down in a date runner, a TO DO book, Outlook or an Ipod (whatever she wants to use) when to do what and how.

Date runners and other timekeeping materials are handy for everyone, Graves or not.” title=”Smile” />

It could also be that she isn’t keen on wanting to be diligent about having her bloodwork and such done. In that case, not such good news.

She could be hiding out in dorm and missing classes due to a lot of reasons: fatigue or depression could be two reasons.

I hope somebody is able to sit down and speak with her about how she’s feeling and about the other problems she’s having. Maybe her doc or some other objective third party can help — some people may object to a parent or spouse or SO doing so — they may get resentful and think the parent or spouse or SO is trying to "boss" them or control their lives.

Good luck with this issue. You’re very worried and rightfully so. Graves can be tough to live with — I have days where I have no energy and days where I pretty much don’t feel like doing anything or talking to anyone.

[Madame_X]

in reply to: Swine Flu in the news…. #1071623

As a rule of thumb you should always wash your hands when dealing with "the unknown."

And when you leave a public restroom, take a piece of paper towel and use that to open the door to the ladies’ room. The environment is germy enough and we all know that not everybody is diligent about washing hands after a restroom usage.

(I can’t even place the emergence of my Graves’. The last time I had a cold before my Graves emerged was a good year or so before the Graves. I still think it was stress from the horrible job I had; I put up with a year of that nonsense in that environment)

[Author]

Posts