First off let me thank the founders of WYFP for doing a great job with a great series idea.
My Freaking Problem is, oddly enough, our medical situation here in the states.
I am chock full of diseases so you think maybe the big pharma companies would love me and give me a break or two...well….err…..I will get back to you on that one.
I have Crohn’s and so I’ve been on two drugs for it… both specialty drugs and both costing an arm and a leg. The first was a drug that I had to get an infusion of, so every few weeks I would go to a local infusion center, sit in a comfy chair, get an IV started and wait a few hours. After a short bit of time though, my body started forming anti-bodies for the drug which meant it was no longer working.
So.. along comes specialty drug number two, in which I have to give myself a shot in the belly every two weeks (though sometimes it ended up being every week) and that was a joyous occasion for all
Problem was… that drug never really worked for me. Plus for the last three weeks I have been having a major crohn’s flare. The good news? There is a new med I can try, you go for an infusion the first time and then you get a shot of it every 8 weeks or so. Problem is….you guessed it, the cost and other huge issues since it is also a specialty drug. I have to get a blood test for it, and then when I do they have to send the request to my pharmacy company for specialty meds, which of course will deny it….so they have to do the prior-auth procedure and G-d knows how long that will take or even if I will even be able to afford it once/if I get approved.
In the meanwhile the only option I have is to go on our friend….corticosteroids. Problem is? I have the Type II diabetes and can’t afford the insulin I already use, much less the much larger amount that I now need to try to bring back my sugar levels from 500-600 which is where they have been since I started on the drug.
So basically I am screwed sugar-wise until I find out if I can get, and afford, the new drug. If neither happens I am at a loss as to what I will have to do.
So… that’s my problem for the time being…..what is yours?