So I have Crohn's, and because I had to leave my job in order to move, I lost my insurance and thus had to quit my medication. It took so long to get things sorted out here that I of course ended up having a flare of symptoms again, which led to being unable to get a new job, which made going to a doctor seem impossible. I finally went anyway, and I'm in the process of trying to get some form of financial help so that I can start treatment, which will be a long way off since they want to do tests first and that'll put me months out. Not sure what I'll do until then, but one step at a time I guess.
But because life hates me, it decided that being in constant pain from one condition wasn't enough! The other day I took my ear tunnels out to clean them, and somehow one ear tore and was really irritated/swollen. Did a lot of cleaning and whatnot and basically I lost 2 sizes in one day, seemingly out of nowhere. Then while that's going on, I start having UTI symptoms. No idea how or why, but hey, sure, let's make me even more miserable. Had to contact a cheap clinic for antibiotics, so there's that. And now my lower back hurts. It started yesterday and hasn't let up since. I've been taking Tylenol and it helps slightly, but I have no idea where this pain came from or what to do about it aside from that. I told the doctor about it, fearing it was related to the infection, but they didn't seem to think it was cause for alarm. I guess we'll see if the pain clears up along with the other symptoms.
Just... why? Why do so many things have to be wrong with my stupid body at once? And how am I supposed to get a job like this? I can't keep paying my bills for much longer; I've got enough for another couple of months if I don't have any more unexpected expenses like this, but at this rate, I'm not counting on it. I really don't know what to do. I need money, like, yesterday. There are luckily a few things I can do to help with the medical costs, but that's not gonna cover my car insurance, cell phone, credit card, etc when what little I have in the bank runs out while I'm still too sick to work.
idk man, feels an awful lot like I'm circling the drain.

@Totalanimefan: Yeah.. tbh I've wondered if there was any kind of legal action I could take, considering I was told by my store manager that I would have a transfer and even got it in writing. But that's more money, time, and stress than I could afford. All the waiting wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that I'm almost out of money; I still got bills to pay and a couple of months' worth is all I have left at this point, so it's cutting it really close. I'll probably have no choice but to work while I'm sick anyway.

@Totalanimefan: Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes. Same with "at-will" employment. They can do whatever they want to you. Luckily I don't have to worry much about food; my friend that I live with makes enough to cover groceries, utilities, and mortgage. It's just my own personal expenses (car, phone, medical, etc) I'm concerned about. She recently got a pretty large check from a family member, which will be very helpful whenever it clears, so the timing on that is great but of course we still have bills and taxes to pay so we can't rely on that for long. I just wish I'd known about this whole Medicaid/Merci Clinic process a lot sooner. I put off going to a doctor for so long because I thought I can't afford it, and nobody else had any clue what to do about my situation... Should have gone when we first got here, but I didn't think the doctor would have any answers for me since my old doctor didn't when I asked them. Guess my old doctor just sucked, go figure. Too late to worry about that now, though, I guess.


@icedchai: Jeez, sorry you went through all that! Glad to hear you're doing better, though. And interesting that you mention it being lonely, because that's a big thing I've been feeling through all this. Not something anyone ever really talks about, but a huge part of the experience for me. I feel isolated even though I have friends to talk to because nobody has any answers and none of them can really relate. A big part of why my problems have persisted through pretty much my whole life now is just that no one around me either knows enough or cares enough to offer much (if any) support. It's really hard for me to think it gets better when I always seem to encounter the same problems and setbacks every time I see a little progress. But who knows. I'm in a different environment now, and even though financially I'm not any better off and I have even less of a support network now, I'm in a better home environment than I was before we moved. So assuming things don't get worse before next year when I'm supposed to finally get all these tests done and get my new medicine, I can only assume my situation will start to repair itself after that. If I can just get my health in check, the rest should fall into place.

@icedchai: You get it. I hate that for you, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel a little better knowing somebody knows exactly what I'm talking about--and that things have improved for you. I hope things continue looking up!
I was really hoping this year would be the year everything got fixed and in order since we finally moved out, but I guess that wasn't a realistic expectation, given how much we had on our shoulders from the start. But progress is progress. My few friends have issues of their own, as well, so I know the feeling of not being able to do much, but I help in whatever small way I can and try to find solutions, and I appreciate when they do the same for me.
I just wish the people who did have more time/money/resources at their disposal would do something, especially when it's literally their job. idk how I always end up dealing with people who can't be assed to follow up on things or communicate with me, whether it's doctors or employers or even the lender when we were buying the house, but at least we've gotten this far, despite getting screwed over at seemingly every turn. My experience with other people thus far has been so frustrating it's almost comical, which unfortunately leaves me not knowing what to do with myself and my friends who haven't been in the same situation being equally clueless. I feel like I caught a lucky break with this new doctor pointing me to a clinic I didn't know about, even if I ended up having to wait even longer for it. At least now I have a path to follow, however slowly.