un diagnosed

Hi danette,

It is so stressful and scary to feel sick and not be able to find out why. Many of us lose insurance along the way, myself included, but I found charity resources that I'll share with you.

The MSAA has a fund that will pay for diagnostic MRIs, you can find contact info here: http://www.mymsaa.org/msaa-help/mri/

When I lost insurance and needed a neurologist and primary care doc, I went to a privately-funded charity clinic in the next county. You'll need to do some research to find these; I found mine by talking to a staffer in my former neurologist's office.

Another resource is your county Health and Human Services Department, yours should have a community clinic. Not only might you get basic health care there, they also have listings of other charity orgs in your area with specialists like neurologists that work part-time for free.

Catholic hospitals have care for the poor programs; I went to one for free MRIs, blood work, even a free colonoscopy.

If you do get diagnosed and need an expensive drug, patient assistance programs will cover uninsured patients 100%.

It will take some research and effort on your part, but you should be able to locate some affordable health care with the info you gather. Best of luck to you!

Kim, moderator

Thank you for posting the links, Kim. I, too, am yet to be diagnosed even though I have most of the signs/symptoms that come with SPMS because I have no insurance, no money and cannot get help from the DHHR because my ex-husband refuses to pay child support through wage garnishment...I've never heard of such a thing, but that's what they tell me. I've had the same doctor for ten years and have told her again and again that I cannot pay for MRIs, even a month ago at my last visit, and still she scheduled me an appointment for a brain MRI last week! I will definitely check into assistance from MSAA.