A Spoonie's Slump

Today has been a big challenge. I woke up in intense pain and my whole body felt like it was on strike. Not only did I have my usual migraine, but my arms and legs were so sore as if I ran and did jumping jacks in  my sleep. Still not ruling that out as a possibility :)

So I thought of going to a doctor. The ones I called said, without insurance, I'd be paying a minimum of $75 and it's due at time of service. Since I'm seeking assistance for migraine, the price went up. Since my account is significantly less than that, I decided to stay home and "tough it out." Unfortunately, this is the first time I've decided to decline medical help. So I began the process of applying for health care assistance. The problem: I do not have children. It's very difficult to get any assistance no matter how much you make (and I'm definitely in the poverty level) unless you have mouths to feed. I have chosen not to have children at this time because I cannot properly provide a fulfilling life while I'm sick. I'd hate to put a child through that.

The other day I applied for the Affordable Health Care program from http://www.healthcare.gov and each plan was half my month's pay. I couldn't believe it! When I chatted with a representative, she said I could appeal. I'd hate to have to get a second job just to afford health care because I'm already working as much as I physically can. Working more would only trigger more attacks, which would cause me to go to the doctor more. Not a smart idea.

So what is a spoonie to do? My solution is to keep applying to programs for assistance, making appeals, and stating my case so I can get the care I need. I'm not looking for handouts, I just want to be able to afford a reasonable amount of care. Stay tuned for more.

What have you done when you couldn't get help that you needed?