Has anyone found help with bills and other expenses?

[Umberk]

I am currently in a working potential diagnosis for MS. My mother has it, she was diagnosed when she was in her 30s but she thinks she had it in her early 20s.
I am on 24 and had my first case with double vision and muscle paralysis in my face a couple years ago and got a hefty bill from the experience. My insurance is quite lacking and doesnt pay for a lot of expenses.

My doctor wants to get another MRI done to see what damage has been done or what type of healing has occured from my first encounter with, what might be, this disease. I am wondering if anyone has ever gotten help in the past from any source to lessen the weight of the bill will be on me. I know for a brain scan it will be at least 800$ out of my pocket, possibly more.

I had another issue earlier this summer with numbness on my shoulder and face, and the previous year I had a lot of numbness in my toes.

Any help would be appreciated.

[lyndacarol]

I am currently in a working potential diagnosis for MS. My mother has it, she was diagnosed when she was in her 30s but she thinks she had it in her early 20s.
I am on 24 and had my first case with double vision and muscle paralysis in my face a couple years ago and got a hefty bill from the experience. My insurance is quite lacking and doesnt pay for a lot of expenses.

My doctor wants to get another MRI done to see what damage has been done or what type of healing has occured from my first encounter with, what might be, this disease. I am wondering if anyone has ever gotten help in the past from any source to lessen the weight of the bill will be on me. I know for a brain scan it will be at least 800$ out of my pocket, possibly more.

I had another issue earlier this summer with numbness on my shoulder and face, and the previous year I had a lot of numbness in my toes.

Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Umberk.

I do not have specific suggestions for help with bills and other expenses, but since you are in the process of being diagnosed and have posted in the General Discussion forum, I hope my comments will fall under your category of "Any help would be appreciated."

You mentioned numbness, specifically numbness of the toes. Numbness/tingling in the hands/fingers and feet/toes is the textbook definition of "peripheral neuropathy." This is a common symptom in MANY conditions. In the investigation of the cause of peripheral neuropathy, the University of Chicago suggests the following:

http://peripheralneuropathycenter.uchic ... #bloodtest\

Blood tests

Blood tests are commonly employed to check for vitamin deficiencies, toxic elements and evidence of an abnormal immune response.

Depending on your individual situation, your doctor may request certain laboratory tests to identify potentially treatable causes for neuropathy. These include tests for:

Vitamin B12 and folate levels
Thyroid, liver and kidney functions
Vasculitis evaluation
Oral glucose tolerance test
Antibodies to nerve components (e.g., anti-MAG antibody)
Antibodies related to celiac disease
Lyme disease
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C and B

I assume these are being done in your current workup for a potential diagnosis of MS – MS is a diagnosis of exclusion and these other conditions must be ruled out. Please note that the first blood test the U of Chicago suggests is for vitamin B12.

Since your symptoms (peripheral neuropathy, vision disturbances, muscle weakness) are consistent with a B12 deficiency, I think this is especially important to rule out thoroughly in your case – a serum B12 test alone is not adequate to rule out the possibility of a deficiency (experts today think a serum homocysteine test and a serum or urinary methylmalonic acid test, and even a HoloTranscobalamin test should be done).

With your family history, has your mother been tested for a B12 deficiency? It is possible for a B12 deficient mother to pass a B12 deficiency to her child. There have been several malpractice cases won (for several million dollars each!) when doctors did not look for vitamin B 12 deficiencies and patients went on to develop irreversible neurologic damage.

I urge you to read the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally M. Pacholok, RN, BSN, and Dr. Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O. (This may be available at your library.): http://b12awareness.org/could-it-be-b12 ... diagnoses/

If you are found to have a vitamin B 12 deficiency, it is easily and inexpensively treated; when it comes to MS, the cause is unknown and the "experts" have no effective treatment for MS, in my opinion.

I do not presume to say a B12 deficiency is the cause of your problems; I only suggest that this is one of the conditions that should be checked out. I wish you all the best.

[NHE]

I am currently in a working potential diagnosis for MS. My mother has it, she was diagnosed when she was in her 30s but she thinks she had it in her early 20s.
I am on 24 and had my first case with double vision and muscle paralysis in my face a couple years ago and got a hefty bill from the experience. My insurance is quite lacking and doesnt pay for a lot of expenses.

My doctor wants to get another MRI done to see what damage has been done or what type of healing has occured from my first encounter with, what might be, this disease. I am wondering if anyone has ever gotten help in the past from any source to lessen the weight of the bill will be on me. I know for a brain scan it will be at least 800$ out of my pocket, possibly more.

It depends on what resources are available in your community. For example, you may want to contact your local chapter of the National MS Society and ask them about financial assistance and programs that they're aware of. There are charities that help people with low income get medical care. Some hospitals also have financial assistance, especially those run through religious organizations such as the Franciscan Foundation. In addition, you may be eligible for assistance such as Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act.