Here is an example of my expenses regarding into what i use for my Hyperparathyroid issue alone. Cinacalcet is a very expensive drug and it comes with a very bad side-effect like nausea and appetiteloss. I can only able to tolerate in taking this drug a bit because of my normal hemoglobin levels and if it so happened that I was anemic like in my early years in dialysis I will not be able to eat anymore because of severe appetiteloss.
I actually scrimp on taking this drug, the Endocrinologist prescribed me to take this twice a day but due to its side-effect I just reduced it to one tablet but in dialysis day I would not take it for the reason that it will just be washed from my system anyway.
I would just take this drug everyday except dialysis day in the morning which was the time that I am having a big meal to reduce the side-effect of this drug.
The Cost of Cinacalcet
Each tablet of Cinacalcet costs around 170 PhP or about $3.54 in dollars worth or $34.54 dollars every around ten days minus the discount totaling of almost 32% which is really a big help for me. But if you can see and calculate how they take the discounts off has discrepancies.
So I am paying of approximately around 3,642 PHP or $75.87 in dollars worth for Cinacalcet alone if I would take it everyday but if I am not taking it at my dialysis days I am will scrimping eight tablets a month.
The Cost of Sevelamer Carbonate "Renvela"
Sevelamer Carbonate is a phosphate binder, it is what I intake when I eat foods to bind the phosphorus from foods so that it won't get absorbed in my body so that my phosphorus levels would not go high and cause my parathyroid to pump its hormones which I am trying to prevent so that I will be able to continue with my bone-healing improvements.
The cost of every tablet now is around 56 PHP from the former 80 PhP but since I have a person with disability privilege I can now avail it at around 40 PhP a piece with is a very big help for me because I have to use this tablet every time I would eat.
That is why I am almost eating one or twice a day now so that I will not be consuming this tablet and cause me more expenses. So my expenses for renvela for one month if I would take two tablets of it per day will cost me 2,400 PhP or $50 in dollars amount with the discount included.
The Extra Hospital Bill
The hospital of the dialysis center that I am going to charges 600 PhP per everytime I will get hooked-up for my session. It used to be a third of that cost until the hospital decided to double the charge from 250 PhP to 500 PhP just recently.
But because of the Pandemic they had added another extra 100 PhP for us to pay making a total of 600 PhP extra bill for me to pay. That means that I will have to pay about 4,800 PhP or about $100 in dollars worth.
Miscellaneous Expenses
I also have to consider the gas money we have to use in going to and from the dialysis center. The cost of the food that we have to pay for as well. I myself is buying about 100 PhP worth of Pear fruit everytime that we would go home from the dialysis center, it is what I eat to prevent me from getting constipated because it is my fiber source.
The food that I order from the convenience store would cost me 156 PhP with the discount included plus 100 PhP with the cost of the Pear fruit that I used to buy plus the gas money which costs us 150 PhP.
So the grand total for the expense per visit is 1,006 PhP or $20.95 in dollar's worth or $167 dollars per month in Dialysis visit alone.
My total expenditure for my Cinacalcet, Phosphate binder, hospital bills, gas money, and foods is around 14,057 PhP or close to more or less $292 in dollars worth.
Now my plans for my supposed surgeries gets a major setback but for as long as I can fulfill to pay for my essential medicines and hospital bills my other plans can just stay as plans until some more good things happens like a major appreciation in crypto prices will definitely be a bonus for me.
That is very expensive, we are lucky here in the UK, i pay £10 month for a prescription pre payment card and get all my medication each month for that. I get around 7 different items.:)
Yes @karenb54 that is why I am turning night into day and working almost nonstop to earn a bit of money that I can patch-up for these medicines and hospital bills, etc.