Thursday, February 25, 2010

The procedure


Tomorrow, I am going to Kaiser to get a "procedure" done. Since we have the lowest level family plan at Kaiser, we pay everything out of pocket until it hits something like $7000. So, given the no-frills coverage, I can't afford the no-pain option for tomorrow's procedure. That would cost $5000. $3K for the anesthesiologist, access to the OR, etc. Instead, I am opting for "pain-reduction" by way of Ibuprofen and Vicodin in the doctor's office, reducing the cost to only $2000.

I was told to practice my breathing exercises that I learned back in prenatal yoga. The nurse also promised to hold my hand. The "uncomfortable" part involves 4-6 injections and should take about 5 minutes so in the end, its no big deal, just expensive and scary. I have tried almost everything else, and this new specialist believes that this treatment is the one for me. Nothing dangerous, certainly not life or death....although I did ask for a friend to say a prayer. Did I mention I am afraid of even the smallest needles?