The Treatment Begins

This picture was taken at Kyle's 8th grade graduation, May 2007.

On June 12th, 2007, the 3 month supply (FREE) from the drug company arrived. We were to notify a home-health agency when we were ready to have a nurse come over and explain how to give the shots. A few days later, we were all sitting in our dining room, listening and watching the nurse explain the procedure. The shot is to be given subcutaneously (just under the skin) in the fatty part of the arm, the thigh, or the back. It's also a good idea to switch the places where the injection is given to avoid scar tissue buildup. The nurse explained that some kids give the shots to themselves, but others have their parents do it. Kyle opted for the parents doing it and I opted out quickly, leaving my husband to be the one left standing. I could do it if I HAD to, but the way I saw it, I didn't have to. After we felt comfortable with the procedure and had exhausted all our questions, the nurse left us with her phone number in case we had further questions arise.

That night, it was time. We prepared the area (by we, I don't mean me), we dialed the amount of growth hormone and my husband proceeded to give Kyle the shot. It's a tiny needle, so mainly it just felt like a little sting. The medicine burned a little while being injected, but not too bad. The first treatment was complete. I did not expect an overnight growth spurt. I had read that it can take up to one year before you start seeing results.

Kyle's prescription was for 2.035 MG per day, 6 days a week.

It was time, alright. Time to hurry up and wait...

Overwhelmed

While beginning my research into growth hormone treatment, I found that the treatment was extremly expensive. I had already been warned so I wasn't too shocked to find out it costs over $100,000 per year. I also learned that some insurance companies don't pay for growth hormone treatments. (Please note that upfront, I knew that my regular medical insurance did not cover growth hormone treatments. It was my prescription insurance that we would be submitting the claim to). In the middle of my crisis, I received a call from the drug company. The lady introduced herself and said she would be my advocate that would be working with the insurance company. She explained that she would take care of all the paperwork, including the appeal that usually followed the denial of coverage. She went on to explain that it was typical of the insurance company to deny the claim two or more times before accepting it. That helped. I didn't even know where to begin on how to deal with insurance companies. After the first denial of coverage from my insurance (based on the fact that Kyle did not fail the growth hormone stimulation test), I called my advocate and told her about the denial. She immediately began the appeal process. Which was quickly followed by a second denial. My advocate explained to me there was a 2nd level appeals process and due to privacy issues, I needed to ask my insurance company what that process was. I called my advocate and explained to her the process and she was preparing to proceed. In the meantime, while the paperwork was being filed and refiled, Kyle's window of growth opportunity was beginning to close. To help Kyle, the drug company offered us a 3 month supply of his growth hormone for FREE, while they dealt with the insurance. They also offered us some information on a program that would provide the drug at little or no cost to us if the insurance ultimately denied the claim. WOW!