fibromyalgia and fatigue treatment centers - MERCURIA

January 9, 2006

Hi Mercuria

Can you give me the details of the center you used in LA?

Also the tests you took at the costs - I am in Singapore and am thinking of

flying there to get tests done - I will not have any insurance coverage so

costs without coverage if you have them

Much appreciated

Ho

Re: fibromyalgia and fatigue treatment centers

Thanks, Sara.

I can see the possible benefit of the extensive blood testing to eliminate

or identify all possible problems. But I've heard some say insurance has not

re-imbursed when they (the ffc) said it would. I've heard of several

patients saying they bought hundreds of dollars of supplements only to find

out they did not help or could not tolerate them. I've heard several say

that improvement was not nearly as fast as the 3-4 months ffc says it should

be. The most disturbing was from someone who goes to the Bellevue (seattle

area) clinic. She said that the doc there did not know how to interpret

some of the blood tests!

On the other side, my chiropractor does have another patient who goes there

who found out she had- I think- malaria, and is having alot of improvement

in the pain area. I've gotta log off, so I'll end this by saying I have not

written them off just yet, need a lot of convincing (and $!) before I will

seriously consider it.

>

> I'm a patient at the FFC in LA, and have been very, very happy so far

> with my treatment. The tests are expensive, yes; but they also yield

> much of the information required to address that long list of " new

> issues " you listed:

> As for " unpleasant: " One morning of fasting, one detour from the

> doctor's office to the lab, 15 vials of blood, 10 minutes. Not

> something I'd want to do every day for fun, but it hardly ruined my

> afternoon.

>

> > That's what FFC is actually trying to do: pare things down to the

> most targeted list of tests that will deliver the most information,

> and offer a targeted range of treatments that seem to give good

> benefit to the widest range of people.

>

> My doc in LA is an endocrinologist by training. He seems to have a

> decent grasp of the biochemistry, and the stuff he's given me to try

> has, with just one exception, been right on target. I haven't dealt

> with the Seattle office (though I may be switching there in the coming

> months, since I live a whole lot closer to Seattle than LA), and am

> curious to know what you've heard about them. The doc may

be

> coming from a different background, and thus treat differently.

>

> >> I'm going to be talking soon a doctor that is a medical doc that

> >> treats fibro with standard and alternative methods, which interests

> >> me

as

> >> I've

> >> found naturopathic alone does not work for me. He seems to know

> >> about many of the things I've mentioned above, but I'm not ready to

> >> jump in just yet. I need some direction, please!

>

> I saw a doc like this -- Tim Guilford -- in the Bay Area. He gave me a

> few things that were quite helpful (NAC, a B6-mag combo, and an herbal

> hormone balancer that did wonders for a long time). But I didn't get

> the huge energy, sleep, FM, and overall healing breakthroughs I'm

> getting with FFC.

>

> Sara

>

January 9, 2006

On Jan 8, 2006, at 9:10 PM, justin wrote:

> Can you give me the details of the center you used in LA?

> Also the tests you took at the costs - I am in Singapore and am

> thinking of

> flying there to get tests done - I will not have any insurance

> coverage so

> costs without coverage if you have them

Go to www.fibroandfatigue.com. On the main page, you'll see a link on

the left margin for the list of their offices. You can take it from

there.

Plan to bring about $2500 US for the whole adventure, including fees

and tests. The $1200 fee includes your initial consult plus three

follow-ups within the next year. You can do the follow-ups as half-

hour phone appointments.

Best of luck,

Sara

January 9, 2006

Hi Sara,

When I investigated the FFC 3 months ago, I was told in addition to the

consultation fee I could expect to pay about $5,000. U.S. in lab fees. I

understand you went within the past year and had the full battery of tests so I

wonder why the big price difference.

Barbara

Re: fibromyalgia and fatigue treatment centers -

MERCURIA

On Jan 8, 2006, at 9:10 PM, justin wrote:

> Can you give me the details of the center you used in LA?

> Also the tests you took at the costs - I am in Singapore and am

> thinking of

> flying there to get tests done - I will not have any insurance

> coverage so

> costs without coverage if you have them

Go to www.fibroandfatigue.com. On the main page, you'll see a link on

the left margin for the list of their offices. You can take it from

there.

Plan to bring about $2500 US for the whole adventure, including fees

and tests. The $1200 fee includes your initial consult plus three

follow-ups within the next year. You can do the follow-ups as half-

hour phone appointments.

Best of luck,

Sara

January 9, 2006

On Jan 9, 2006, at 11:18 AM, Barbara wrote:

> When I investigated the FFC 3 months ago, I was told in addition to

> the consultation fee I could expect to pay about $5,000. U.S. in

> lab fees. I understand you went within the past year and had the

> full battery of tests so I wonder why the big price difference.

I think the confusion may lie in the phrase, " the full battery of

tests. "

This seems to assume that there is one long list of tests that

everybody gets. That may have been some people's experience in

Seattle (sounds like it), but it wasn't mine in LA.

Dr. Tenenbaum talked to me for an hour. (I walked in with a five-page

personal history of my issues with the disease -- childhood toxin

exposures, onset, ups and downs, triggering events, and so on, which

greatly speeded his history-taking. I wrote this up some years ago,

and have kept it updated: it's been useful in dealing with several

new doctors, and ensures that important information doesn't get

forgotten during the interview. After nearly 30 years, there's soooo

much to remember...)

At the end of the hour, he chose a range of tests for me to take,

which were very specifically based on his reading of the issues we'd

discussed. (The total bill for these came to about $1200.) He also

give me a few supplements (also targeted to very specific issues),

and my first B12 cocktail shot (just to see if it helped me any).

Two weeks later, after all the tests were back, we did a phone

appointment. At that point, he had the information he needed to

prescribed the heavier-duty stuff. He faxed the prescriptions to a

compounding pharmacy nearby; and arranged to send my my first package

of B12 syringes, since they did indeed work.

This is just like any other doctor would do. It was definitely NOT

one-size-fits-all.

But I'm getting the distinct impression here that the LA office works

considerably differently that Seattle does.

Sara

January 9, 2006

Hi Sara,

Thanks for the details you provided.

Personally, my discussions were with the head office in Dallas and the Detroit

facility. So it sounds like the cost can vary significantly depending on what

lab tests they order. I too have kept a chronology of illness. I also know we

have underlying infections, thyroid, adrenal and hormonal issues so suspect

testing for all of these could really add up.

Nice to know you had a good and beneficial experience at the LA office.

Listening to others, it seems to vary depending on where they go.

Thanks Sara,

Barbara

From: Mercuria

Sent: Monday, January 09, 2006 3:44 PM

Subject: Re: fibromyalgia and fatigue treatment centers -