Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 I have not been his patient, but I know him and like him. Several of our members see him and like him. The only reason I do not see him is that I need hydrocortisone which he will not prescribe. He is hypothyroid himself along with wife, daughters and dawg. He does tend to prescribe rather aggressively, so I would ask to start low and ease into your correct dosage. >> > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows maybe> I will get somewhere soon. > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, but> she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I had> insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you elaborate> a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? It has been so> long since I have been to a new doctor that that I am kind of nervous! LOL> Anything is better than what I am living with now and at the same time I am> excited. Shoot, I was crying on the phone when they said they could get me> in tomorrow morning! That is how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and a> half to see a doc that will help me. That would be the best drive ever! And> when I move, it will still be the same distance, but on the other side so it> is all good! > Thanks a bunch. > Sarra > >  > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible" - Washington> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Hydrocortisone...is that a steroid? Would it be the same as getting a steroid shot? Just asking as I really don't know. Also, if your/my thyroid was up to par, then the adrenal stuff that is talked about would be functioning ok or is that all together a separate issue? I have no idea since my current doc doesn't test for anything like that. My tsh and we are good she thinks. Uh, no I tell her but, again, I aint no doc so she doesn't listen to me just the results. I ask on the steroid shot because I get one every 3 months for my asthma and I also have some steroids that go into my nebulizer. If it's steroids I need....shoot, I am covered...unless its all different. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated. Sarra  Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible" - Washington -- Re: Dr Launius I have not been his patient, but I know him and like him. Several of our members see him and like him. The only reason I do not see him is that I need hydrocortisone which he will not prescribe. He is hypothyroid himself along with wife, daughters and dawg. He does tend to prescribe rather aggressively, so I would ask to start low and ease into your correct dosage. >> > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows maybe> I will get somewhere soon. > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, but> she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I had> insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you elaborate> a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? It has been so> long since I have been to a new doctor that that I am kind of nervous! LOL> Anything is better than what I am living with now and at the same time I am> excited. Shoot, I was crying on the phone when they said they could get me> in tomorrow morning! That is how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and a> half to see a doc that will help me. That would be the best drive ever! And> when I move, it will still be the same distance, but on the other side so it> is all good! > Thanks a bunch. > Sarra > >  > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible" - Washington> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Hydrocortisone is a steroid that some of us take daily due to adrenal fatigue. If all of your symptoms are not resolved when your thyroid and iron levels are optimized, then you may wish to have your cortisol levels tested. > > > > > > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows> maybe > > I will get somewhere soon. > > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, but > > she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I> had > > insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you> elaborate > > a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? It has been so > > long since I have been to a new doctor that that I am kind of nervous! LOL > > Anything is better than what I am living with now and at the same time I> am > > excited. Shoot, I was crying on the phone when they said they could get me > > in tomorrow morning! That is how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and> a > > half to see a doc that will help me. That would be the best drive ever!> And > > when I move, it will still be the same distance, but on the other side so> it > > is all good! > > Thanks a bunch. > > Sarra > > > >  > > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > > "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible"> - Washington > >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks Hon. I did do the eye test with the light for the adrenals and failed miserably but I don't think I can do anything til I get my thyroid in order. Just getting that in order will make me a happy camper. Does anyone know if this doctor will test for everything when he orders blood tests? Sarra  Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible" - Washington -- Re: Dr Launius Hydrocortisone is a steroid that some of us take daily due to adrenal fatigue. If all of your symptoms are not resolved when your thyroid and iron levels are optimized, then you may wish to have your cortisol levels tested. > > > > > > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows> maybe > > I will get somewhere soon. > > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, but > > she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I> had > > insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you> elaborate > > a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? It has been so > > long since I have been to a new doctor that that I am kind of nervous! LOL > > Anything is better than what I am living with now and at the same time I> am > > excited. Shoot, I was crying on the phone when they said they could get me > > in tomorrow morning! That is how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and> a > > half to see a doc that will help me. That would be the best drive ever!> And > > when I move, it will still be the same distance, but on the other side so> it > > is all good! > > Thanks a bunch. > > Sarra > > > >  > > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > > "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible"> - Washington > >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 You will just have to talk to him about what he orders. > > > > > > > > > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows > > maybe > > > I will get somewhere soon. > > > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket,> but > > > she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I > > had > > > insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you > > elaborate > > > a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? It has been> so > > > long since I have been to a new doctor that that I am kind of nervous!> LOL > > > Anything is better than what I am living with now and at the same time I > > am > > > excited. Shoot, I was crying on the phone when they said they could get> me > > > in tomorrow morning! That is how desperate I am! I will drive the hour> and > > a > > > half to see a doc that will help me. That would be the best drive ever! > > And > > > when I move, it will still be the same distance, but on the other side> so > > it > > > is all good! > > > Thanks a bunch. > > > Sarra > > > > > >  > > > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > > > "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible" > > - Washington > > > > >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows maybe I will get somewhere soon. I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, but she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I had insurance? They will give you a receipt. Ask for one so that you can file with your insurance. It will have the codes on it. I went to my insurance company website and downloaded a form 1500. I filled it out to the best of my ability. It took several weeks, maybe 6, and then I had a response from my insurance company. Since we had not met our deductible this year, they applied it to our deductible. (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you elaborate a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? I took my daughter to see him. He does prescribe very aggressively, which is ultimately why we decided not to stay with him. I would have liked to stay, as he is very, very close to my home, but I was not comfortable with the way he was prescribing. Other than that, he was wonderful, spending quite a bit of time with us, and ordering a ton of labs. Susie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 My family (myself and two sons) use Dr. Launius as a PCP and he previously treated my sons. They were on Armour and doing well when the shortage and teenage rebellion hit at the same time.  We really like him. He will Rx an amount that is likely closer to what you might want as a target versus where you might start. That does give you some flexibility in working up to a good dosage. My sons were both on way too low of dosages when they first went to Dr. L, so they increased by a 1/4 grain (15 mg) every couple weeks and once they hit around 1.5, they did increases of a half grain and worked up to the target dosage that had been prescribed. As far as the insurance, they will give you a form that has the diagnostic codes (ICD codes) as well as any procedure/treatment codes (CPT codes). These two things are what your insurance uses to evaluate the claim. If you have a regular HMO then you may not have any out-of-network benefits. I have a PPO and my out-of-network costs are covered at around 70%. Although, the insurance likes to kick things back. I had a friend that worked for one of the health insurance companies and she said they routinely reject up to 50% of claims since many people will not resubmit when it is denied. B.   I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows maybe I will get somewhere soon. I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, but she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself if I had insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can you elaborate a little more on this for me. What is the first visit like? It has been so long since I have been to a new doctor that that I am kind of nervous! LOL Anything is better than what I am living with now and at the same time I am excited. Shoot, I was crying on the phone when they said they could get me in tomorrow morning! That is how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and a half to see a doc that will help me. That would be the best drive ever! And when I move, it will still be the same distance, but on the other side so it is all good!    Thanks a bunch. Sarra    Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. " It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible " - Washington Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 6, 2012 Report Share Posted June 6, 2012 I have been to a doctor who gives the paperwork you need to attach to a claim form to file it with your insurance. You need to call your insurance company and ask for a claim form. Since many doctors today take insurance, and they file all the paperwork, I suppose there are a lot of people out there who've never had to file their own claims... I am old enough to remember when the patient did most of the paperwork, most of the time! Good luck with your visit! Marti > > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows > maybe I will get somewhere soon. > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, > but she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself > if I had insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can > you elaborate a little more on this for me. What is the first visit > like? It has been so long since I have been to a new doctor that that > I am kind of nervous! LOL Anything is better than what I am living > with now and at the same time I am excited. Shoot, I was crying on the > phone when they said they could get me in tomorrow morning! That is > how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and a half to see a doc that > will help me. That would be the best drive ever! And when I move, it > will still be the same distance, but on the other side so it is all good! > Thanks a bunch. > Sarra >  > > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > > / " It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the > Bible " /- Washington > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 Sarra, I took my 13-year old daughter to see Dr. Launius. I had all her previous labs with me, as well as my records of her basal body temps for the last month. I had a typewritten list of her symptoms, and a journal of what's been going on over the last few months. The doctor was one hour behind, but he spent one hour with us. He was the 3rd doctor we had seen. Our family doctor wouldn't treat, because my daughter's TSH was 1.94. The next test was 1.57, and Hashi antibodies showed up, but were within " normal " range. Then, the last TSH test was 2.96. She had all the symptoms I had (I have Hashi's and am hypo), plus a few of her own. Dr. Launius listened to everything we had to say. He said that he believed anyone with a TSH over 1.5 was hypo. He believed 80% of my daughter's problem was thyroid, and 20% was low vitamin D. He ran a blood test to check her vitamin D level (we had one done, but it was two months since then, and we had been supplementing) to see if it had raised from 17 (range 30-100). We were thrilled to see that it climbed to 39! The doctor prscribed Armour, and said that we would begin with 2 grains until we find her " sweet spot " . I was so happy! I was teary-eyed. He could see how relieved I was and he gave me a hug! The total bill for our appointment, and blood draw for vitamin D levels was $205. The codes for inusrance claims were on the receipt. I haven't submitted my claim, yet. When it was time to receive results for the blood work, it was done via email. There was an actual copy of the lab work. I had commented about my daughter's progress after one day, and had an immediate response from (the nurse, and his wife, I believe). Dr. Launius is hypothyroid, himself. The only thing he doesn't do is multi-dose, and I don't believe he is aware of allowing Armour to dissolve under the tongue. He doesn't do anything with adrenals, although, I provided a copy of our 24-hour saliva tests for their records. We've only seen him that one time, so far. This was approximately one month ago. I hope this helps in your quest for wellness! > > > > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows > > maybe I will get somewhere soon. > > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, > > but she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself > > if I had insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can > > you elaborate a little more on this for me. What is the first visit > > like? It has been so long since I have been to a new doctor that that > > I am kind of nervous! LOL Anything is better than what I am living > > with now and at the same time I am excited. Shoot, I was crying on the > > phone when they said they could get me in tomorrow morning! That is > > how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and a half to see a doc that > > will help me. That would be the best drive ever! And when I move, it > > will still be the same distance, but on the other side so it is all good! > > Thanks a bunch. > > Sarra > >  > > > > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > > > > / " It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the > > Bible " /- Washington > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 7, 2012 Report Share Posted June 7, 2012 Well, I was not able to go and see this Dr today. I made this appointment BEFORE I talked to my husband and since we are moving within 30 days he would like to keep the monies in the bank that we have for now just incase there are things we do not foresee at closing. Bummer. So, I am on the lookout for a doc that will take insurance instead. I was so excited but, it will all work out in the end I am sure. Thanks everyone. I so appreciate you commenting on the doc. Sarra  Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible" - Washington -- Re: Dr Launius Sarra, I took my 13-year old daughter to see Dr. Launius. I had all her previous labs with me, as well as my records of her basal body temps for the last month. I had a typewritten list of her symptoms, and a journal of what's been going on over the last few months. The doctor was one hour behind, but he spent one hour with us. He was the 3rd doctor we had seen. Our family doctor wouldn't treat, because my daughter's TSH was 1.94. The next test was 1.57, and Hashi antibodies showed up, but were within "normal" range. Then, the last TSH test was 2.96. She had all the symptoms I had (I have Hashi's and am hypo), plus a few of her own. Dr. Launius listened to everything we had to say. He said that he believed anyone with a TSH over 1.5 was hypo. He believed 80% of my daughter's problem was thyroid, and 20% was low vitamin D. He ran a blood test to check her vitamin D level (we had one done, but it was two months since then, and we had been supplementing) to see if it had raised from 17 (range 30-100). We were thrilled to see that it climbed to 39! The doctor prscribed Armour, and said that we would begin with 2 grains until we find her "sweet spot". I was so happy! I was teary-eyed. He could see how relieved I was and he gave me a hug! The total bill for our appointment, and blood draw for vitamin D levels was $205. The codes for inusrance claims were on the receipt. I haven't submitted my claim, yet. When it was time to receive results for the blood work, it was done via email. There was an actual copy of the lab work. I had commented about my daughter's progress after one day, and had an immediate response from (the nurse, and his wife, I believe). Dr. Launius is hypothyroid, himself. The only thing he doesn't do is multi-dose, and I don't believe he is aware of allowing Armour to dissolve under the tongue. He doesn't do anything with adrenals, although, I provided a copy of our 24-hour saliva tests for their records. We've only seen him that one time, so far. This was approximately one month ago. I hope this helps in your quest for wellness! > > > > I have made an appointment to go see this doctor tomorrow. Lord knows > > maybe I will get somewhere soon. > > I know that they do not take insurance and that we pay out of pocket, > > but she was saying something about me making an insurance claim myself > > if I had insurance? (which I do) If anyone has gone to this doctor can > > you elaborate a little more on this for me. What is the first visit > > like? It has been so long since I have been to a new doctor that that > > I am kind of nervous! LOL Anything is better than what I am living > > with now and at the same time I am excited. Shoot, I was crying on the > > phone when they said they could get me in tomorrow morning! That is > > how desperate I am! I will drive the hour and a half to see a doc that > > will help me. That would be the best drive ever! And when I move, it > > will still be the same distance, but on the other side so it is all good! > > Thanks a bunch. > > Sarra > >  > > > > Jesus was beaten-so that you could be unbeatable. > > > > /"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the > > Bible" /- Washington > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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