CarVan12: Health Scare Continues ... and Worsens :(

[gobucks]

My local union here says that you earn a living wage and get health benefit while journeyman apprentice. 

[KnittingOwl]

16 hours ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

Insurance? If you decide you want to go to Mayo clinic....does insurance pay for that? I'm sure that there's different types and all.

I'm trying to figure out how they got a mayo phone consult. Because they didn't finish all tests with local doctor (5 day in hosp eeg)

And mayo said yep you need to get that done before we go further and you can do it locally.

So why did mayo even take them as a consult???

The short answer is...it depends.

I had wrist surgery at Mayo in 2017. In order to get taken on as a patient by the specific surgeon I wanted to see, I first emailed him (really his PA) and explained my case. They agreed that it was a potential case for him, and then I had to have all of my medical records sent over to Mayo. Once the surgeon reviewed the records and they checked my insurance coverage, we had a virtual visit so he could get more information. At that point, he officially agreed to take me on as a patient. FWIW, my insurance covered it as out of network, so I was responsible for 20% after I met my deductible.

I was able to schedule a visit in early January since I was already in Wisconsin visiting family. I had the consult one day and then I was in outpatient surgery the next day. After that, I had to fly back two weeks later to switch from a splint to a full cast and then 8 weeks after that to get the cast removed.

Yes, it was a hassle. But, it was totally worth it. I'd been having wrist surgery for years. I'd had numerous cortisone shots and another wrist surgery that didn't address the problem despite me directly asking the surgeon in my hometown about what the surgeon at Mayo ended up fixing - a split tear of the ulnotriquetal (UT) ligament.

And, sadly, as I was looking up details of the surgery and surgeon, I found out that he passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. I can't thank him enough for taking me on as a patient and actually believing me. He had a fantastic bedside manner and was great at explaining things. 

[zygote373]

From what I remember of the video, it sounds like their local doctor was involved in (or at least on board with) the Mayo consult. My sense was the doctor had done all the tests he could think of other than the multi-day in-hospital EEG, and was laying the groundwork for a transfer if they don't get a clear diagnosis from that. It sounded like the Mayo specialist thought of a few more tests that their local doctor hadn't, and that the local doctor can order them now that they're on his radar. So now they have the best of both worlds - some of the Mayo expertise/brainstorming without having to travel (or even move), at least not yet. It made sense to me.

As to whether insurance covers it, that totally depends on whether they have real insurance and what it covers. Insurance policies vary widely. Mine would cover consults like this, and my share of the cost would depend on whether Mayo was in network or out of network.

EDIT: Also at this point she definitely has to be aware of the possibility of PNES since she was outed as a frequent visitor of the Bringing Up Bates reddit lmao

Edited October 24, 2022 by zygote373
added a thought

[lumpentheologie]

On 10/23/2022 at 4:28 PM, Keys said:

That’s so interesting… in Canada, there’s no such thing as self-referral to specialists (except for pay-out-of-pocket things like cosmetic procedures from a dermatologist or plastic surgeon). You need to have a referral from another physician, usually your family doctor. Family doctors can do a work-up and try to treat an issue before referring to a specialist, which is reserved for more complex cases and things that are outside the scope of a family physician (surgeries etc). Prevents people from going to a specialist for something that is easily treated by a family physician, or going to the wrong specialist (for example, something like abdominal pain has a wide differential diagnosis and is not always GI-related; might be more gynaecologic, urologic, vascular, psych, even cardiac). 

Interesting, it’s so different everywhere. When I moved to Germany the doctors were like “What’s a referral?” Sometimes a doctor will recommend a place for you to go get a test done or something but in general here you are expected to find and contact your own specialists. And insurance has to pay for whoever you choose. 

[front hugs > duggs]

1 hour ago, zygote373 said:

EDIT: Also at this point she definitely has to be aware of the possibility of PNES since she was outed as a frequent visitor of the Bringing Up Bates reddit lmao

Can you elaborate on this please?

[zygote373]

10 minutes ago, front hugs > duggs said:

Can you elaborate on this please?

A few days ago she did a screen recording of her going to the boutique's website. When she first opened her phone's browser, the Bringing Up Bates reddit was listed as a frequently visited site. Screencaps here: 

 

[displayname]

Oh 100% the 2nd gen google themselves, it would be surprising if they didn't. Most of their incomes depend on managing their image and keeping a pulse on public opinion. 

[nolongerIFBx]

On 10/22/2022 at 1:06 PM, Giraffe said:

Is this like me saying I don’t have life-altering anxiety…leaving off the fact that I’m on a med for anxiety so I can get off my anxiety meds because my anxiety’s getting better?? I can’t with these people!

I think what Evan was saying is that if the epilepsy medicine was having some good effects it made him think that it might be epilepsy. If she was taking a heart medication and had some good effects, he would think it was her heart. Not that since the medication was working she could quit it. But, yes, they're expecting God's response to be to take away the problem rather than Him "just" giving them the strength and grace to deal with it.

[AussieKrissy]

5 hours ago, zygote373 said:

Also at this point she definitely has to be aware of the possibility of PNES since she was outed as a frequent visitor of the Bringing Up Bates reddit lmao

how did we find this out?

Just now, AussieKrissy said:

how did we find this out?

never mind 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

18 hours ago, KnittingOwl said:

The short answer is...it depends.

I had wrist surgery at Mayo in 2017. In order to get taken on as a patient by the specific surgeon I wanted to see, I first emailed him (really his PA) and explained my case. They agreed that it was a potential case for him, and then I had to have all of my medical records sent over to Mayo. Once the surgeon reviewed the records and they checked my insurance coverage, we had a virtual visit so he could get more information. At that point, he officially agreed to take me on as a patient. FWIW, my insurance covered it as out of network, so I was responsible for 20% after I met my deductible.

I was able to schedule a visit in early January since I was already in Wisconsin visiting family. I had the consult one day and then I was in outpatient surgery the next day. After that, I had to fly back two weeks later to switch from a splint to a full cast and then 8 weeks after that to get the cast removed.

Yes, it was a hassle. But, it was totally worth it. I'd been having wrist surgery for years. I'd had numerous cortisone shots and another wrist surgery that didn't address the problem despite me directly asking the surgeon in my hometown about what the surgeon at Mayo ended up fixing - a split tear of the ulnotriquetal (UT) ligament.

And, sadly, as I was looking up details of the surgery and surgeon, I found out that he passed away unexpectedly earlier this year. I can't thank him enough for taking me on as a patient and actually believing me. He had a fantastic bedside manner and was great at explaining things. 

This is helpful perspective. Thanks for posting.

 

I'm laughing that several of us have watched the video and taken away different responses/interpretations to what was said. Clear as mud Evan. Clear as mud. Seems like it should have been very simple info to convey

But I suspect it's confusing because they have to continually not mention that any doctor has mentioned pnes.

[noseybutt]

The interesting piece to me is PNES is very much a valid diagnosis. Who cares what other people think, the point is to be able to function.

[just_ordinary]

7 hours ago, noseybutt said:

The interesting piece to me is PNES is very much a valid diagnosis. Who cares what other people think, the point is to be able to function.

But shouldn’t the medication for epilepsy not work in that case? As far as I know PNES patients don’t respond to them and only deal with the side effects but not experience by help with the symptoms at all. Finding the right medication and the right dosage is often enough a longer process, because Iirc they have to build a bit and then you go from there. So if she responds in a positive way to medication for epilepsy, I think PNES is rather unlikely.

[Keys]

1 hour ago, just_ordinary said:

But shouldn’t the medication for epilepsy not work in that case? As far as I know PNES patients don’t respond to them and only deal with the side effects but not experience by help with the symptoms at all. Finding the right medication and the right dosage is often enough a longer process, because Iirc they have to build a bit and then you go from there. So if she responds in a positive way to medication for epilepsy, I think PNES is rather unlikely.

I was actually just reading that response to treatment is not always a reliable indicator of PNES - generally, no response to treatment with anti seizure meds makes it more suspicious to be PNES, but there are also a fraction of people with PNES who do show some improvement on anti seizure meds. 

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

There could be a placebo effect.

And really who knows what medication she's on. As far as I know they've not said but I don't do Instagram for them.

It could be something for anxiety. Could be vitamins for all we know.

 

[Keys]

2 hours ago, WatchingTheTireFireBurn said:

There could be a placebo effect.

And really who knows what medication she's on. As far as I know they've not said but I don't do Instagram for them.

It could be something for anxiety. Could be vitamins for all we know.

 

I think she mentioned being on Keppra (an anti-epileptic). However, she had posted a pic of her med case and it looks like she’s on a few different ones, so very possible she’s on a SSRI or the like, too. 

[gobucks]

2 hours ago, Keys said:

I think she mentioned being on Keppra (an anti-epileptic). However, she had posted a pic of her med case and it looks like she’s on a few different ones, so very possible she’s on a SSRI or the like, too. 

Keppra for sure. I have a family member that takes it also so I remembered when she said that. I think they said they added a second med but didn't disclose the name. I don't know what else she takes though. I wonder if she is still on iron or if she was only anemic during pregnancy.

[Smoochie]

On 10/24/2022 at 5:59 PM, nolongerIFBx said:

I think what Evan was saying is that if the epilepsy medicine was having some good effects it made him think that it might be epilepsy. If she was taking a heart medication and had some good effects, he would think it was her heart. Not that since the medication was working she could quit it. But, yes, they're expecting God's response to be to take away the problem rather than Him "just" giving them the strength and grace to deal with it.

That's what I took from it too, but, that they're not sure yet and would like to know. Plus the typical  God could heal her at any time, though I do commend them for speaking highly of their Dr. and how much he has helped her.

My theory as to why they are hesitant to do the 5 day test is that she has to come off the meds, get them out of her system before they can do it, then would need to restart them. She has spoken before about weaning off, then starting again and how bad it makes her feel.

 

8 hours ago, Keys said:

I think she mentioned being on Keppra (an anti-epileptic). However, she had posted a pic of her med case and it looks like she’s on a few different ones, so very possible she’s on a SSRI or the like, too. 

I know they mentioned at some point that since she's been on the 2nd anti-seizure medication that she now can feel when they come on, plus has greatly reduced the severity of them. She also mentioned she doesn't like talking about it a lot and is extremely embarrassed when she has one, though everyone has been helpful to them.

Edited October 26, 2022 by Smoochie

[WatchingTheTireFireBurn]

New video today. I watched it on 2x speed. They went to eye dr. and stroked lawson's ego....and uh.....went to duck's sporting to buy camping stuff supposedly.

Lots of info about how they want to do potty training...but not yet!

Didn't do anything really.

They seemed especially vain and empty headed.

I wonder why they went to dick's when all they wanted was a cheap tent and flashlights. In pretty sure walmart is the place for these things. But of course it's not as asthetically pleasing so I almost suspect they were there to pretend to get that stuff.

And for people who clearly order most things online it was odd. They seemed totally unprepared for what they might want or what size/style/temp rating .

 

I'm a little afraid of how much more potty training related video we're going to get. Dear Evan and Carlin,, Please please do not fully document this process for the internet to consume. I know you're empty-headed and vain and need content but just no. 

[Ilovebrownies]

I’ve seen many psych patients having seizures and hers look just like those.  

[Thorns]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:48 AM, just_ordinary said:

But shouldn’t the medication for epilepsy not work in that case? As far as I know PNES patients don’t respond to them and only deal with the side effects but not experience by help with the symptoms at all. Finding the right medication and the right dosage is often enough a longer process, because Iirc they have to build a bit and then you go from there. So if she responds in a positive way to medication for epilepsy, I think PNES is rather unlikely.

There is several possibilities. One can have both PNES and epilepsy, or it could be placebo. Or epilepsy. Or seizures of other causes, but that might be more far fetched.

[JDuggs]

Evan needs to stop wearing this matchy sweatshirt and sweatpants. He looks ridiculous. I assume he’s wearing that Cuts brand that they push, but the matching pastels make him look like he’s in pajamas. That Zade is one chunk of baby.

Carlin also posted a photo of their black funeral clothes she had laid out. She better not start posting links to the funeral clothes or I will scream.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[neuroticcat]

The baby rolls are amazing. 

I think at this point in influencer life (after childhood on reality TV), I imagine there's very little concept of boundaries. I imagine links and photos from the funeral forthcoming. 

In that sense, it's kind if impressive that some of the second generation have chosen privacy. I mean, the Duggars had much more impetus with the Josh headlines, but are a few of the older Bates more private? Tory? Michaela?

[SassyPants]

Is that a summer dress for Layla? It’s November is it Balmy? is the funeral in HI? Summer dress with boots?

[Tatar-tot]

32 minutes ago, SassyPants said:

Is that a summer dress for Layla? It’s November is it Balmy? is the funeral in HI? Summer dress with boots?

November weather has been crazy.  The past week it has felt like summer because of hurricane Nicole.  A cold front is coming through this weekend so it should start feeling like fall. 

[indianabones]

At all the funerals I've been to in the south (all held at Southern Baptist churches or associated funeral homes), everyone in attendance wore pastels. I've always been the odd one out by wearing black. I'm a little surprised to see the Bates family members wearing black to this one.