Q: My wife has been sick after her bariatric bypass surgery.
She is suffering from chronic pain under her right ribs nearly a year. She was hospitalized earlier this year for a week with absolutely NO results or explanations. She has recently undergone an upper endoscopy and still no answers or results. To add insult to injury, her boss is stopping her health benefits at the end of the year (as well as mine) from missing too much work this year. We sure could use some good advice.
A: I can understand your frustration. Diagnosis and treatment is critical. I would search for another medical specialist to investigate your wife's ailment as soon as practicable. It seems very strange given all of the uncomfortable testing, hospital stays that your wife has undergone that there still is no answer for her complaints. On the work and insurance issues, it is obvious that your wife's health is the connection. It may be unlawful to stop medical benefits for an employee who is ill. COBRA is the federal law that requires employers to offer to continue health insurance coverage for an employee who has terminated. Illinois law may also be an avenue for continued health insurance coverage. In addition to seeking another physician to discover the cause of your wife's illness, you may and should seek an attorney's help with sorting out the options under federal and state law as to the health insurance and employment issues that have arisen.
Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer
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