The ablation is supposed to happen every six months. Which is how this all started and was going to continue. I was told that it had to happen with one side of my back first then two weeks later, the other side would be done. That was the only way that the insurance company would pay for it. And it could only be done every six months. That would equal the two times per year that was the maximum. Which was good, considering it worked the first time and I wouldn’t need it more than that.

Fast forward to last July, it was time again, but I had torn my ACL completely and required surgery so it would be a little while before I could have the ablation done. If you don’t know about the ablation, you have to lay on your stomach and not move. They are quick to tell you, if you move at all, the doctor could paralyze you. It is rare, but a chance. So, I wasn’t going to take the chance on potentially making myself worse off. So when November came around and I knew that I could successfully lay on my stomach and my knee handle it, I made the appointment. Unbeknownst to me, the insurance companies had decided to change the way that they pay for the ablations.

I was told that unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to have it done. They would only pay for the procedure twice a year and I had technically had it done twice. This was even though, we had done it in January of that year the way that they had wanted it done, so I was due to have it again. But now, thanks to them, I would have to wait until January of the next year to get it done again. So, my only choice was to suffer and pray it didn’t get worse until then. Which would not be the case. It would get significantly worse, but at least it held off until after our annual church Christmas play. Which, yes, even healing from an ACL reconstruction surgery, I participated in. But I wasn’t aware of the excruciating pain that would come.

So the moral of my sad little tale here is, always check with your insurance before you have something done. They control everything and what relief you may or may not get. And for my case, they would cause me unnecessary suffering.