Medical, not cosmetic in Vulnerability

Oh getting old is fun, not.

I did a bit of researching around and settled on a medical centre not too far away I guess. I caught a ferry there after work and gym. It was free as it was an initial consult, but that’s about where it’ll stop. I’ll take small mercies after the info I found out today!

Turns out the doctor has never seen a patient like me before. HA! Go me. I went in there thinking I just had a cosmetic issue with my varicose veings, but nope, he told me it is indeed a medical issue. He told me that my veins would become very painful within a few years. I was down to my underwear with him applying the gel and being facinated by what he saw on the screen, showing me as he went along. I, of course, had no idea what I was looking at. Just round black dots appearing every so often along the veins and veering off into different directions.
He did both of my legs. I didn’t even think my left one was an issue. My right one certainly is - I can see the issue. He was telling me most patients he sees just one one main artery stretching from the groin to the toes. I mean, obviously I do also (or else I wouldn’t fuction) but mine veers off all over the place. He also said he needs to create a much larger needle-thingy/whatever it’s called (I don’t get all these doctor terms) because mine are so much larger than the average patient he sees. Go me!

Long story short, I have been quoted $6500 all up, that covers lazer on both legs, which are $2500 each (around about what I was expecting, but I was hoping it would be only one haha), and $250 for each injection, of which I’ll need six). So two different varicose treatments, but he said it’ll be relatively pain-free, I’ll have to wear compression stockings 24/7 for at least a week (including showering). Adding on the cost of the stockings, plus the three ultrasounds I need to get, this will be an expensive exercise, but hey I only live once and I am thankful that I’ve kept a medical-savings since I was a teenager - for things like this.

I mean, he could be spilling shit to me for all I know - overquoting etc etc. But I knew the cost was gonna be in the thousands just from researching, and technology seems to have come a long way, especially since the days of surgical stripping, which used to be the only way to get rid of these things, and was incredibly painful. I remember when my mother had hers done.
When I was done at my consult, I messaged both my mum and Brande’, about how costly it was going to be and that I was going home to cry haha.

I haven’t had much luck trying to get an appointment for my ultrasounds I need either. I need three of them - a right leg, a left leg and a pelvic. The doctor was concerned about the pelvis for some reason and I don’t really understand it. It says “pelvic compression?” under the clinical notes.
Anyway, the bulk-billing radiologist I was referred to rang me back and said they don’t have any staff who are trained to do the ultrasounds I need done LOL. I was like, “Umm, why?” and she said no-one had done the training. I guess mine will be extensive mapping ultrasounds, and I need three of the bloody things. She said the closest place they had someone trained is in Ipswich. That’s about over an hour away on the train. Doable. She said that I could book with a different company but they may not bulk-bill. So I’m trying that. I contacted the place where I had my hernia ultrasound last year, and I remember they were pretty good. Let’s see if they have someone who is trained. If I’m dropping $6500, what’s another couple of hundred. And I sure as hell want the doctor to know what he’s doing.

He said my procedures will take around an hour and a half, and I’ll have to do different legs on different days. But it’s such a process. Awaiting a callback for an ultrasound appointment (or three) and once I have those and he receives those, THEN I have to go back to the ledical centre and sign consent forms and book in for surgury. But hey, I’ve learned today that this is now a medical issue, so I’m glad I’m getting onto it before it becomes too painful.

I’ve already looked into my health insurance and Medicare. I’ve been told Medicare will cover a little bit of it but not much, even though it’s fucking MEDIcal. Fun times! But the Medicare website says they cover quite a bit of it, but I think that’s if it’s done in a hospital, where it’s painful surgical stripping. I dunno. I just need to get this fixed and live off noodles for the next six months.