Magnate
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: metro DC suburbs
Posts: 2,576
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Magnate
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: metro DC suburbs
Posts: 2,576
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Infusions..
about the doctor orders and the insurance: You qualify for a long-term series of infusions by the insurance company due to your diagnoses. No problem there!
Doctors are usually very cautious about starting and then maintaining infusion orders...first off to see how it affects you positively and negatively [usually either you will feel a bit or a lot better-or not] and then see what your blood work looks like, as infusions can put a strain on your liver functions. If all works out it could be continued indefinitely.
One other issue that probably no one has told you about is Blood Work.
You will probably have blood drawn immediately before your infusion [easy thing to do in a hospital], but you will probably have orders for more blood work again some time after your infusions. Should your blood be taken by the home nurse at a later date, be sure to get copies of those tests! If anything required on the tests says "* could not do, sample hemolyzed", talk to your doctor about getting separate blood work orders and get the blood tests at an area laboratory [Usually Quest Diagnostics or Labcorp] That way the blood doesn't deteriorate and gets tested completely right away. I always arrange for blood work orders to be done on the day before I get my infusions and before my next [various] doctor visits. This way the docs get up-to-date reports on my overall status. It's hard to get all of my docs to cooperate at the same time, but in the end they are happy to get complete reports. Saves time and hassle in the long term.
Many folks who receive infusions are able to continue working, tho maybe on a modified schedule. You have to work infusions into either an infusion clinic schedule or home nurse's schedule. Those schedules may entail adjusting your work hours to work the infusions in.. For me, the infusion schedule is my FIRST priority, because it works for me and when I'm even a day late I hurt more!
Take it as it comes, it's going to work or not. I believe that it WILL WORK! - j
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