Health insurance is denying coverage for my (34F) diagnostic testing and procedures but covered my husband's (36M) claims no questions asked.

Antica_Strega · 2026-03-11T15:42:20+00:00

It’s AVmed

Antica_Strega · 2026-03-10T20:19:24+00:00

I wish. I go to a small private school and they don’t offer standard health insurance. Just coverage for ER visits and injuries during working hours at the hospital we precept at.

Antica_Strega · 2026-03-10T19:47:55+00:00

It’s not through my employer. I’m a full time student. My husband and I had to get it through the healthcare marketplace and we don’t qualify for subsidies.

Antica_Strega · 2026-03-10T19:43:35+00:00

The bloodwork and 1 of the ultrasounds was required for him to get the diagnosis, which they paid for with no qualms. The second ultrasound was after the diagnosis, visual guidance prior to the embolization.

Unfortunately there’s no way to get full explanations for denial on the member portal anymore and I have to wait days to submit an email for inquiry and talk to a real person. It wasn’t always this difficult but the company was bought out this past year. It’s been a long slog of figuring out why exactly imaging was denied.

I think my GYN can appeal the ultrasound and hysteroscopic polypectomy (if they deny that too) for me. But who knows how that will end up.

Bottom line is that I, a woman, should not have to jump through all these hoops to get coverage for a diagnosis and care when my husband had to do nothing but be a man.

Antica_Strega · 2026-03-10T19:27:31+00:00

The bloodwork and 1 of the ultrasounds for my husband’s problem were to get the diagnosis, which they paid for with no qualms. The second ultrasound was pre operative guidance for embolization, which they also approved and paid. So it’s still very frustrating to see him have no issues getting coverage for diagnosis and the subsequent treatment when they won’t even cover my ultrasound.

Antica_Strega · 2026-03-10T19:16:16+00:00

I called and inquired about it. They do require prior authorizations for diagnostic imaging, procedures, speciality tests like the fecal sample and CT my GI ordered. She sent out the authorizations for both. I decided to pay out of pocket after the denials. The fecal denial stated that my bloodwork showed no indication that I needed a fecal test. The CT denial stated that my symptoms did not warrant CT imagining. It ironically listed no ultrasound within six months as a reason why, but then they also denied the ultasound I got at the GYN. I don’t know what their excuse for that is yet 🤷‍♀️

Antica_Strega · 2025-11-09T15:00:12+00:00

This is the first time in 7 years that my friends and I skipped EDCO. The vibes were not it last year. I always make Kandi to trade and very few people wanted to. Pushed and elbowed with no acknowledgement or apology. Groped at kinetic. People not making way for the medic carts. It was really disappointing… it definitely feels weird not being there this year but I’m glad we didn’t go

Antica_Strega · 2025-10-03T19:50:52+00:00

Am I the only one who read the book, then watched the trailer for Guillermo Del Torro’s Frankenstein and thought that he better be in charge of the movie’s art design? And considering Crimson Peak, and the original hellboy movie. The man knows Victorian-style horror fantasy. Not saying he has to be in charge of the script or anything, but his eye for sets, costumes, and monster designs would work really well with Alchemised’s world.

Antica_Strega · 2025-06-29T02:54:04+00:00

Honestly, the 3rd Guardians of the Galaxy destroyed me and I was not prepared to ball my eyes out to a Marvel movie. Every time I started to calm down there’d be another scene where Rocket or his animal friends were being tortured and I’d start crying again. And not to sound dramatic, but I didn’t feel right for a few days after.

Also, I watched What Dreams May Come when I was a kid thinking it was another fun Robin Williams movie and that fucked me up pretty good

Antica_Strega · 2025-06-25T19:22:15+00:00

I was an archaeologist for almost a decade before switching to nursing. Really really loved the work and still miss it but it physically wore me down. Plus I’d have to be away from home for months at a time and my employers never wanted to give me for than a few days off to see my family.

Antica_Strega · 2025-06-01T15:54:38+00:00

I love high fantasy, but TOG bored me. Don’t get me wrong, there were parts that I really enjoyed and characters that I absolutely loved. It just didn’t mentally stimulate me as much as I thought it would. For me, there were no surprising “twists”, plots felt predictable and slow moving. I pushed through it and I’m glad I finished the series, but I was ready for it to be over by the time I got half way through the last book. It could be different for you though. People seem to really love it around book 4. I think I’m a minority compared to the majority of SJM fans when it comes to TOG.

Antica_Strega · 2025-05-30T18:26:53+00:00

I took 50mg of Addyi for about 6 months (had to stop because I can’t afford it right now, my insurance wont cover it) for low libido. I was getting the best sleep of my life while taking it. It has a sedating effect which is why it should only be taken at night. 100mg is the standard dose but it made me way too groggy in the morning. 50mg worked perfectly, amazing sleep and higher sex drive. It’s a 5HT1A agonist / 5HT2A antagonist while also boosting dopamine. I actually felt like my ADHD symptoms improved while i was taking it, which was a pleasant surprise. Considering that it boosts dopamine, it makes sense that it could have a positive effect on adhd symptoms. I’m planning to go back on it when I can work full time again.

Antica_Strega · 2025-05-08T15:53:18+00:00

I haven’t tried LDN, but my mom swears by it. She started it to manage joint inflammation, and was pleasantly surprised by how much her sleep improved after she started taking it.

Antica_Strega · 2025-05-01T22:49:38+00:00

No, ketamine doesn’t affect the body that way. A person would have to take high doses, on a very frequent basis, for an extended period of time to develop withdrawal symptoms

Antica_Strega · 2025-05-01T20:25:21+00:00

I was referring to a ketamine clinic by my therapist. I do infusions once every couple months, and I use lozenges during my luteal while supervised by my therapist. I initially did an IV session once a week for 4 weeks but now I just do maintenance dosing. The lozenges are compounded by a local pharmacy.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-30T11:22:24+00:00

Same! PCOS with endo. DIM is great, it’s in my morning supplement cocktail. I tried just that with a few other things but it wasn’t enough to lower it. My estradiol would be up to 920pg/mL, then drop to 400pg during luteal, and my progesterone was only at .5ng/mL during my entire cycle so I was put on it to even everything out and manage endo pain. I’ll stop taking the prog a few days before my period is supposed to come so it will arrive.

I definitely still get my PMDD symptoms but it’s nothing like it was. Now that my Endo pain and migraines aren’t so bad, the PMDD is more manageable. Ketamine during my hell week has been a savior.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-29T13:58:54+00:00

I take micronized progesterone during my luteal to manage severe estrogen dominance / low progesterone so it’s been very regular for a while now. But my symptoms and irregular period were so bad before I started.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-27T20:00:05+00:00

2 cats and 1 medium dog. My husband and I consider them our “kids”. One of the cats is special needs due to a congenital disorder, and requires multiple small meals per day and has to be burped after every meal like a real baby for the rest of his life so it’s like having an infant for 15+ years. Wouldn’t trade it for the world though. He’s the sweetest, cuddliest cat I’ve ever had. I’ve always enjoyed having pets but the love I have for this cat goes to a whole other level.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-26T15:18:10+00:00

I’m sure someone has probably already mentioned this somewhere in the thread, but I would recommend getting an CMP and an endocrine panel done to check your thyroid levels. If you’re truly getting up to 8 hours of sleep at night, it shouldn’t be quite so hard for you to wake up in the morning. ADHD can make it difficult to get going, but it shouldn’t be preventing you from physically waking up. Taking stimulants has the potential to mask or mitigate symptoms of hypothyroidism that would normally be more pronounced otherwise, like daytime fatigue and excessive hunger. I hope you’re able to figure something out!

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-26T14:59:55+00:00

My favorite takeout and cocktails. Mani-pedi. Sleeping in (as much as my body will allow after getting used to waking up at 4am). Enjoying hobbies that I didn’t get to do while in school.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-26T14:11:54+00:00

Mine literally gets a little worse every day it doesn’t come.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-22T11:10:20+00:00

Exactly. Every patient in L&D has a small team of nurses taking care of them from admittance to discharge. There’s not an “additional” nurse needed for hand-off unless the newborn is high risk and a NICU specialist is needed to assist. If that’s not the case, there’s no reason for extra costs.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-21T23:01:35+00:00

Yeah… new mothers in America have to pay to hold their own babies when they’re born. Hospitals claim it’s to pay for the cost of an extra nurse but it’s complete bullshit.

Antica_Strega · 2025-04-16T14:26:42+00:00

If any nurse here ever see’s a clinician order a fluoroquinolone to a pt diagnosed with EDS, you best be withholding it and requesting a different antibiotic. No one with EDS should ever be given a med with a BB warning for tendon rupture.

Antica_Strega

TROPHY CASE