How does living with Migraine or another Headache Disorder impact your financial situation?
I tend to look at the tangible expenses of Migraine, but there are many other 'invisible' expenses that are associated with this invisible illness which I can easily overlook.
I am lucky that my Migraine specialist is only a two and a half hour drive away. This helps limit my additional expenses to a tank of gas, absurd city parking prices, and wear and tear on my car. I can bring my meals with me for the day which helps keep down some invisible expenses. I know many people who travel much further to see their specialists. They have the additional expenses of hotels, meals, possibly flights and maybe even renting a car.
Medications can be an insurance funhouse. Most of the medications I have taken were at the Tier III level for my insurance company. This basically means that insurance thinks there is cheaper preferred alternative medication which would help me the same as the medication my doctor prescribed for me. It seems like insurance knows better than my doctor, who is a specialist in the field, and who actually examined me as opposed to this formulary that the insurance company uses to determine the 'right' medication and has never seen me.
There are other hidden expenses we have too. The one I am struggling with the most right now is sunglasses. This might not sound like much, but I am light sensitive to the point where artificial and natural light will trigger a Migraine. I really need both indoor and outdoor sunglasses, but there is no way I can save up for two pairs right now.
I have seen a company that offers transitional lenses with the FL-41 tint, but transitions would add a substantial amount onto the already high price of these sunglasses plus I’m not sure that they would transition dark enough. I have mostly decided on the darker outdoor lenses, but have to wait until I have the funds. It might sound easy to say ‘just get them now because it will help your Migraines now and save you more in the long run’, but it’s not that easy when talking about all of the other Migraine and family expenses.
This gives some examples of the invisible expenses around Migraines which should be considered too. I’d love to hear about more invisible expenses as I’m sure there are many additional ones we are faced with regularly.
June 2013, Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, is dedicated to Unmasking the Mystery of Chronic Headache Disorders. The 2013 Migraine and Headache Awareness Month Blog Challenge is a project of FightingHeadacheDisorders.com.
#MHAM, #MHAM13, #MHMBC
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