u/Dandi21091987

Because that price is just a "screening" price. Since my doctor has specific concerns, it's not considered just a screening.

In other words, since I might ACTUALLY have something to find in there/killing me, I'll need to pay full price + the mammogram place now also wants an ultrasound. I don't have insurance (if that wasn't obvious) and the total price for both is $800.

We have the BRCA2 gene in my family. My aunt was dead before 40 and it took my mom in 2023, at 47 years young.

Let's hope my doc is just being overly cautious and I'm fine cause that price is wayyyyyy not doable right now 🫠

Tell me again why universal healthcare is bad? 🙃

ETA: The mammogram place said they'd prefer both because they want to be thorough and be sure they're not missing anything, which I totally appreciate. This post is only about how insanely priced for-profit health care is

Also, I called my doc's office to ask if there was anything she could do on her end and the girl that answered said, "nooooo, you're supposed to answer those questions that everything is fine!" First of all, nobody told me that. And, secondly, girl whaaaaat?? 😭

Final Edit: I feel like I should add that I'm only 28. I started getting screenings at 22 (but I still had insurance at that time). Either way though, they have payment plan options that are actually extremely flexible. So I'm just going to go on a plan because better safe than sorry. Appt is June 2nd

Thanks so much for being highly infuriated with me though people!

Actual final edit: Yes, I now realize it's considered diagnostic rather than a regular screening. I think my doc was trying to help me on the money angle with sending in an order for a screening. But, like I said before, I appreciate that the place has their own intake questions, and so, determined I need a deeper look. This post is really just about how expensive healthcare is here!

Can someone explain to me why other therapists seem so offended that I wear gloves during massage??? My clients usually can't even tell I have them on and, the ones who could, didn't mind them at all as they have never taken away from my abilities. When other therapists learn that I use them (especially older ones), they seem so annoyed/offended by it. What's up with that?

ETA: I've already said my clients themselves DO NOT care that I wear gloves. Not a single one has ever had any problem with it.

It's only other therapists. And, for the record, I've had two therapists who had a problem with it because they thought it would change the feel of the massage too much but, after having each on the table at different times way after the fact, both conceded it changed absolutely nothing.

ETA2: so, I decided during school that I would prefer to wear gloves mostly because of feet. I knew they'd be part of the massage therapist package and the idea of touching them directly completely grossed me out. My teacher told me gloves would be fine, but he suggested I just use them for the entire session so I don't offend someone by stopping to put them on before I touch their feet 😭😂

I've had some truly unhygienic people get on the table and it's been such a godsend (for both the client and me) to be able to proceed as normal because I'm able to fully sell that they aren't grossing me out at all because I'm wearing the gloves. Of course, on those people, I don't use forearms/elbows. I drop the table, if need be, for deeper pressure.

But, I've also only been a therapist for like nine months. My elbows haven't gained the knot sensitivity yet. So I usually prefer clearing them with my thumbs anyhow.

I asked this page for opinions because I didn't want to further stir the pot by asking anyone in person why they're giving me grief over it when they're already in a funk about the gloves anyhow. So, since it seemed so common an issue, I figured reddit therapists might also be offended and tell me where it's coming from. Now that I know it's not some taboo that my teacher was just letting me get away with, but more of a therapist preference, I can't say I care about being "offensive" anymore 🫠

Thanks for the insight!

Final Edit: So many clients/friends have said work must be so great because massage therapist seem like they'd be the most chill, laid back people. But MAN, some of these comments definitely show that our nice touch is not indicative of anything else nice 😭

Thank you for letting me know that this page is not always a safe space for a still new therapist 🌞

Not sure if anyone can offer any help but:

I live in TX. I DO NOT have insurance AT ALL. At least, not knowingly.

A few weeks ago I found a free clinic that only services patients without insurance. They called and informed me they cancelled my appointment as they were able to pull up an active BCBS policy. They provided what information they could and I contacted BCBSTX. BCBSTX could only find (and also sent a copy of) my canceled policy from 2022. I forwarded that information to the clinic, but they still showed an active policy.

I gave up and decided to move on. Found a low cost clinic, was seen and given a prescription yesterday. This morning, I arrived at the pharmacy and provided my goodRx code only to be told my insurance covered the entire cost. I informed them I do not have insurance at all and expressed the previously mentioned clinic also finding a policy. The pharmacist calls BCBS and they inform her that I do have an active policy with the information SHE was able to provide. She said the only information that matched with the clinic from what she found was a policy number (which, apparently, is different from a member ID number). She told me to call BCBS back myself to get it sorted out, but that she could not legally provide me the memberID number.

So, I called BCBS, AGAIN, and spoke to two people. The second one said the system told her that insurance policy numbers beginning with COP are BCBS of ALABAMA.

SO, she transfers me over to BCBSAL and, imagine my genuine surprise, they can't find an active policy. In fact, none of the information I was provided by the clinic, nor any of my personal information (social, dob, full name) pulled up anything with them.

I'm at my wit's end. I don't knowingly have insurance. And I can't afford regular priced doctors. So I need the pay scale/low cost places. I keep being turned away due to this insurance issue.

Any ideas at all on what could be going on? I'm happy to provide the information the clinic provided me, if that would help.

The pharmacist was also able to tell me that the policy took effect in January of 2025 and ends in December of 2026 (which I never ever heard of a two year policy). Please. Help.

My very last client had a pretty great emotional release today.

I felt so bad because I was being extremely judgemental when he first got on my table. But, by the end we had such an amazing session together.

I had actually just finished up and was preparing to leave the room when he asked if I could do two extra minutes on his neck and traps. Now, I know we're supposed to have our time boundaries, but he had indicated at the beginning that most of his pain was in his shoulders/traps/neck area. We only had a 50 minute session and he still wanted full body so I told him I'd do what I can as far giving extra time to his problem areas. However, since he still felt discomfort there and he was my last client, I decided to give those extra two minutes he requested.

I am so glad I did.

I started with some general strokes before doing some petrissage on his traps while he did deep breathing. I followed that up with stripping his SCMs, levators, scalenes before doing compression on each while he did his deep breathing. As his neck muscles loosened up, I could feel a couple of knots presenting themselves in his right SCM. I used compression (with my thumb) to clear them one at a time and, with each one, I could hear his breath sounding (to me) more and more intentional. As the last one was clearing, his deep breath sounded shaky and he says, "I think I'm having an emotional release." At first, I just smiled and asked, "you know what an emotional release is?" Genuinely dumbfounded because he is only the third client I've experienced this with (I've been a therapist for less than a year) and the last two were so completely confused at what was happening, I thought it must be an unknown among clients. I hadn't even heard of such a thing until I went to massage school. As he was answering why he knows about them, his voice started to crack and that was it. He could not stop crying. He kept saying he didn't realize how much he had been (emotionally) carrying and how much pain he was in. I sat with him a bit longer and just provided a comfortable presence. Since he was my last for the day, I told him to please take a minute, alone, and come out when he was ready.

About ten minutes later, he met me in the hallway and we ended up spending another 20 minutes talking there. He was trying so hard to stop crying, still. I told him with these kinds of situations, it is completely normal for the tears to be beyond you. And that it could be cathartic to just let it out. By the end of the conversation, he'd shown me his beautiful fur family waiting for him back home (a sweet, old horse and dog) and asked for a quick hug. We hugged for a second and he was just so thankful for the whole experience. He said he couldn't believe how relieved he felt. He also couldn't believe how little he could move his neck before!

All in all, sessions like these are what really make the job feel so fulfilling. I literally only had two clients today. A friendly older woman at 10AM and then this sweet young man at 430PM.

I'm so glad I didn't call the day early.