Hey all! My name is Nichole, and my body hates me. I’ll be 47 years old in less than a month, but I feel and walk like someone in their 90s while having the face of a 35-year-old. Those in my family have been blessed with genes that have us appearing far younger than our actual age, but I’ve also been cursed with a disease called Lipedema. Over the years, the Lipedema choked off the lymph nodes in my legs, leading to a secondary disease called Lymphedema. Add to that, I also suffer from arthritis in my knees, a ligament issue with my left knee which causes my kneecap to go off-center frequently, chronic migraines, Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and severe obstructive sleep apnea. With all of this going on, I have been struggling with finding treatments that work – either they don’t exist, they are too expensive and/or not covered by insurance, or are otherwise unavailable for me. So I’m just trying to get by with the basics.
One of the things that helped me a lot in the past was a power lift recliner. I was able to purchase one outright in 2016 from a furniture store after I was approved for Social Security Disability and had gotten the back pay. That chair had actually become my bed because it allowed me to sleep semi-upright, therefore not triggering my sleep apnea, and the lift mechanism helped with my knee issues. Unfortunately, the lift mechanism and footrest stopped working after just a couple of years, forcing me to use an ottoman to elevate my feet. The back of the chair still reclined, so I continued to use the chair as my bed, and because it was a higher-sitting chair and somewhat firm, I was still able to stand up somewhat easily, so I kept using the chair.
I had always intended on getting a new chair – I had been told that my Medicare would cover the cost – I just never got around to it. When we were evicted from our home just after Christmas 2023, the chair had to be left behind. We were living in a motel room for nearly a year and I had no choice but to sleep in a bed. At first, it was awful! I would wake up every couple of hours with a splitting headache because of how often I would stop breathing, my legs ached if I slept on my sides because they’re so heavy, and my left kneecap was constantly being pushed out of position. After I was prescribed Monjauro for my Type 2 Diabetes (among other things) my sleep apnea improved – just one of many pluses to come from that medication. But suddenly Medicare decided they would no longer cover the cost of the Monjauro, so I’ve been without it now for months… and the aftermath of not taking it has been horrendous!
Now, my Diabetes is out of control, my blood pressure is erratic, my sleep apnea is worse than ever, and my legs have swollen so much that I’m back to using a cane most days.
We got an apartment just before Thanksgiving 2024 and a very nice lady gave us her old couch – it’s a big, dark red sectional with a chaise on one end. I found that if I sleep on the chaise end, I don’t wake up with headaches. But… the couch is so low to the ground and so squishy that it literally takes me 10 minutes or more just to stand up. Not good when you wake up and have to pee… Also, it doesn’t allow for me to elevate my legs enough to help with the swelling. I can stand up easily from my bed, but then I’ll have the headaches – which often lead to migraines.
Tired of feeling like I can’t win, I decided to get another power lift recliner. Now, I don’t know if I was misinformed before, or if this administration’s Medicare cuts are to blame, but I found out that Medicare will not cover a chair even if prescribed by my doctor. They will only cover the lift mechanism of the chair, and I will have to pay for the rest out of pocket. Also, the chair must be purchased from specific places, such as medical supply stores. So while I could get one from Amazon for a few hundred bucks, Medicare won’t cover it at all. And if my last chair is any indication, I’m going to need Medicare’s blessing or else I’ll just be buying new chairs every couple of years. Also, I found during my “shopping” that the chairs at medical supply stores will much better fit my needs. The ones from furniture stores, big box stores, and Amazon will lift and recline, sure. But the ones from medical supply stores will elevate my legs higher so that my knees are above my heart – which is vital if I want to reduce my swelling. The unfortunate thing about medical supply store chairs is the cost. The one I was looking at was upwards of $2000 or more – and Medicare will only cover about $300 of that for the lift mechanism.
So I need help. We are barely scraping by financially the way it is, and even when my kiddo starts working, it’ll take a year or more to save up the money for a chair. A chair that wouldn’t just be a chair for me – it would be my bed.
Please help if you can. If you can’t, please share. Thank you!
