Forget it

I'm not doing the testing. I'm calling first chance I had to let them know since I received the testing letter Friday night after hours, to please let me out of the $50 charge for lack of 48 hours' advance notice of cancellation.

It's not just about going without pain meds. It's not just about the pain. For those of you who have been reading for awhile, you remember after I fought my way back off the ventilator and spent all those weeks in the hospital relearning to walk and talk when I was 28. You remember the long nights alone in a room day after day filled with 6 1/2 hours of intensive remember the nurses hearing me cry as they walked by, coming in, pulling up chairs and sitting down; telling me while I call patients like myself who refuse meds "stubborn" they prefer to call them "dead" because of patients they have that try to refuse meds, playing the tough guy. Their pain levels spike, blood pressure goes through the roof, etc., and they end stroking out and/or dying.

I will not go the 48 hours without. I take my narcotics and other painkillers and anti-seizures etc every 4 hours. I'm not risking anything. I'll just have to not have the test.

No pain meds for 48 hours

I received my written instruction letter a few minutes ago for Tuesday morning's VNG testing.

No pain meds Sunday and Monday. No meds (script or OTC) whatsoever except for heart/diabetes/seizures.

If I wasn't so pissed (something AHCCCS said in another piece of mail I got--they won't help with my week in the hospital last month because they refuse to count any of my thousands of dollars of medical bills we paid in April and May--that they only count medical bills I HAVE to pay; oh sorry didn't realize I didn't HAVE to pay the 20% I am responsible for as a Medicare patient--20% of every surgery, procedure, test, visit, hospitalization, etc) I would laugh. Instead I feel like I'm going to throw up.

48 hours without pain meds? I can't go 4.