The Unexpected Costs of Being Sick
In early December 2014 I went to the doctor for a twinge. Fifty-six days, two surgeries and countless tests later I've been diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. I could recount for you all the co-pay and medication costs, but let's talk about all the things I bought that insurance doesn't come close to covering:
$99 – Parking for my various medical appointments thus far.
$16 – Two Peapod delivery fees because I was bedridden several times over the course of that month and a half.
$26 – Surgery preparation items from CVS: Gatorade and laxatives—breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions.
$8 – Post-surgery incidentals: Sitz bath salts and extra gauze. My mom bought these while I sat high in my apartment. Then she went to Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee before feeding her daughter who had not eaten in 39 hours.
$35 – Panera bagels and cream cheese. I lost my appetite completely, except for bagels, so I drove there in my pajamas with a fever and then ate half of a blueberry bagel standing at their counter, spooking the cashier.
$24/mo. – Over-the-counter meds prescribed by my doctor.
$3 and then $10 – For a pillbox, and then a larger one when I realized just how many pills I'd be popping.
$35 – For a Craigslister to come shovel my car out after snowstorm number two because I was grossly fatigued.
$30 – For a different Craigslister to come shovel my car out after snowstorm number three because I was grossly fatigued.
$17 – Thank you gift card to my nurse friend who answered all my weird texts like, "Would it be bad to take oxycodone while doing colonoscopy prep?" in a timely and non-judgmental manner.
$40 – Wash and fold services. I got fevers every night for weeks. This resulted in a lot of sweaty clothes. Not having the energy to go to the laundromat, I ended up visiting a wash-and-fold way more than I would have normally. (Side note, is it weird to bring your own detergent to a wash and fold if say, the detergent they're using isn't strong enough to get the sexy fever smell out?)
$9 – Bubble bath, as to make my medically necessary baths seem less like medical necessities and more like luxuries.
Money I Should Have Spent
I should have ordered delivery food more. It seems like such a luxury to me, but I should've ordered whatever food I wanted the second I craved it. My appetite was fleeting at best and I should've entertained it better.
I should have bought food at the hospital cafeteria between appointments. Thirty times I should have done this. What on earth is the matter with me?
I should have done more wash-and-fold visits.
I should have hired a cleaner for my apartment, even just once. I was too tired to wash dishes, and I'm one of those people who gets anxious when things are messy. I got so stressed about not being able to wash up the toothpaste smudges on my sink and rock salt stains on my floor and bagel crumbs on my rug. I should have realized that $100 was worth the peace of mind I lost during those weeks.
Having Crohn's means I'll probably end up in a mess like this again sometime in the future. But next time, I'll hopefully remember it's worth it to throw money at the problem.
This post originally appeared on TheBillfold.
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