My first healthcare "need"...

Okay - now we'll see how this "experiment" of mine will work in the real world. 

I've been having some very weird symptoms lately - mainly since I took almost all sugar and most "cheap" carbs out of my diet. My blood sugar has gone down, so I've tried to reintroduce things like whole grains and so on back into my diet. When I did so recently, I ended up with a cracking headache that kept me up all night, and then a distinctly "hungover" feeling (sorry my Christian followers, I was a sinner before I came to the Lord) all the next day. I also had what felt like Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms that lasted three days one time (no RA factor in my blood - had that tested!). 

Okay - long story short, Dr. Griffin told me about a food sensitivity test called the ALCAT that can look at over 200 foods, additives, herbs and environmental factors. I looked at the price and nearly fainted... $1100 for a blood test? Well, then I realized - this is a legitimate healthcare "need" as defined by Samaritan!

So - I called Samaritan and told them my symptoms (and thankfully they will publish those, not necessarily that it's a food allergy problem - because what if it isn't and I need more tests later??). I got my need packet in the mail last week and took it to Dr. Griffin today. He drew the blood, and will be sending it to ALCAT's lab in Deerfield, FL overnight FedEX. He knows I'm with Samaritan, so he will bill me! Not sure what the total is, because I will be getting his discounted price, which he will pass on to me! 

This is what a trust-filled relationship between doctor and patient should look like! I trust him with my health, and he trusts that I will pay. And I trust that my fellow members in Samaritan will send their shares to me once my need is published. And I trust in the Lord that he will ultimately provide the healing that will come from having the wisdom of understanding my body's reaction to food... stay tuned!

Not waiting for disaster

I'm not sure if other people with crazily high insurance deductibles do this, but when I was "insured" I would wait till I had a litany of problems to discuss with a doctor, then try to get help for all of them in the 15 minute appointment allotted to me (after waiting for up to an hour to see the doc).

Now, I call Dr. Griffin's office in the morning and say "I'm going to be down that way this afternoon. Can the doctor see me sometime after 2pm?" The answer is "sure - come at 3 - he'll be free then." Arrive at 2:52, chat with his assistant, get in his office at 3, explain three problems, get blood drawn, out by 3:30... done, and done. 

Dr. Griffin also has a patient portal on his site, so that when blood test results come back, I can see them online, securely and safely (HIPAA compliant, yadda, yadda). I can save them to my computer, print them, etc. 
Oh yes, and I found out my A1C blood sugar level fell almost one point in the last three months - low carb/no sugar diet - and I've lost 10 pounds. Life is good when you want to be healthy and have a supportive doc to help you get there!