NOTE: This is an
additional post this week. If you haven’t read my Monday, October 22 post, go
to that one first, below.
_________________________________
Since
getting good medical care in pregnancy – especially if you’re experiencing a problem
– is so critical, I decided to add an extra blog this week with the points (plus an additional, 7th one) I
addressed at the end of my October 22 post under a different title. This extra post may help more people.
Please pass it on to any women you know who are currently suffering, are newly
pregnant or thinking about pregnancy.
Severe
morning sickness, or hyperemesis
gravidarum, is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is
often dismissed or downplayed by doctors. Pregnant women have died of it. It is
thought that Charlotte Bronte may have died of it in 1855. One woman in the
United Kingdom recently elected to have an abortion because of it. (Google “The
all-day hell of extreme morning sickness” in The Guardian newspaper.)
For my
situation – and I was not able to keep ANY food or water down
for days – Chris and I believe the care I received was irresponsible, reckless,
and bordered on malpractice. We should not
have tolerated the poor treatment I received from the medical director.
Now that
I’m older, wiser, and can evaluate these events with a critical, more realistic
eye, I want to leave you with some tips.
1. KNOW
your insurance policy, especially what it has to say about pregnancy care. Some
policies don’t pay for it or charge extra for it. Some offer extra benefits for it. If you are even thinking about getting pregnant, make
sure you have a good policy that will provide all of the care you MIGHT need. Even if you're young, or have had other, successful pregnancies, please DON”T assume you won’t have
problems this time around.
2. Have a
strong advocate go with you when you visit your doctor. I think you should take
them with you EVERY visit. Pregnant women are in a vulnerable position, with
hormones zooming all over the map. You don’t need the added stress of having to
combat condescending medical staff, especially if you’re experiencing problems
or accompanying sickness. Find a strong family member or friend who’s willing
and able to ask pointed questions.
3. Bury
your fear and ask those questions – LOTS of them. And make sure you get
answers! Be firm. Do your homework. (Some doctors won’t like informed patients;
they want to have total control. Find another doctor if yours is like that and
treats you in a condescending manner.) Demand and expect the best treatment you
can get. You and your baby deserve it!
4. If
necessary, get a second opinion! I can’t stress this enough. If you have even
the tiniest shred of doubt about how you are being treated, find another doctor
or midwife and get their opinion.
5. If you
must, call your insurance company to complain. I actually learned from my
insurance company – way after the “final” devastating event – that my medical
group and the director had a habit of repeatedly denying treatment and payment.
That was their typical operating procedure with patients. I learned that
information from someone at my insurance company. If I had known this ahead of
time, my demands and insistence upon proper care would have been much
different. I would have switched doctors immediately. I assumed too much and
deferred too often.
6. Much
later I learned from another obstetrician that the best way to locate a good
obstetrician is by asking the OB nurses in the hospital. Find someone who knows
these nurses and ask them whom they
recommend. It could mean the difference between life and death – for you and your baby! (That is not an exaggeration.)
7. Finally,
do not feel guilty about going on disability, staying in bed, resting – A LOT!
– and letting your husband and children see to the running of the house. It
really is okay if they don’t keep house, cook or manage like you do. Let it go. REST! I give you permission.
Until next Monday!
Blessings,
Andrea
Nearly all insurance policies exclude pre-existing medical conditions. Pregnancy is considered a pre-existing medical condition and typically leads to denial of coverage. So before you even think about getting pregnant, be sure that you have health insurance cover in place. Good news is, beginning in 2014, all pre-existing condition exclusions for adults will be be removed, including pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
Chris from medicalaidsite.co.za
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteYes, that can be a problem, especially if you work for a small company that provides minimal insurance or you have to purchase your own. Sometimes you can purchase temporary riders for things like pregnancy. We've experienced both. It usually depends on the size of the company you work for. The bigger the company, the more power they have to negotiate with carriers and the better the insurance is for the employee. And you often have several options available to you. Our insurance coverage has been top of the line, everything included for years. The larger companies provide insurance that covers for just about everything. But, then you have to pay more for the Cadillac plan. And because you have people with kidney failure, heart disease, other chronic illnesses, cancer, etc. included, that raises your own premium. By God's grace and mercy, now we can afford to pay for it! And we will end up having to pay for all of the included conditions in 2014.
When I was much younger, we had pretty crummy insurance. That was about the time HMOs were getting started, and they were lousy. Having to have the right zip code for coverage didn't help either. You know, being "out of the service area" even though you were more than willing to drive to the doctor's office.
It is frightening to be diagnosed with a "condition" that isn't covered. (We've experienced that too!) Certainly doesn't help the state of your health if you are worried about paying the bill.
Unfortunately, many women don't have insurance that covers pregnancy, so they NEVER get prenatal care, and they end up in the emergency room to deliver. Emergency rooms will never turn away a pregnant woman in labor, AS LONG as they are at a certain month gestation. If they do not consider the baby viable, they can balk at treating you. When I had to go to the emergency room with my last child, the doctor told me to let them know emphatically that he had sent me. He told me that otherwise they could, and might, turn me away, even though my son was technically viable at 22 weeks of gestation. As soon as I told the triage nurse he had sent me, I didn't even have to sit down in the waiting room. I was promptly ushered into a labor-delivery room. Even passed the ER!
Thank you for pointing that out. It's important information and I will bring it to everyone's attention on my next post!
Blessings,
Andrea
Thank you Andrea, so many have suffered (and are suffering)your experienced advice is so practical.
ReplyDelete