Anyone live in Montana?

[palmtree]

I don't want anyone to compromise their privacy but I earnestly need to know. I'm about to sign a lease for an apartment in Montana because I can't stand anymore heat. Winter didn't even come this year where I live.

It's really exciting to be moving to a place with cool fresh air and snow on the ground. But my big concern is medical care. People write horror stories about their MS medical care in the US, especially after a move.

Where I live now the medical care is outstanding. My neuro is very compassionate and knowledgeable about MS. I never had to be in limbo land. The dx came right away.My pain management doctor has worked miracles, my allergist is beyond wonderful and my PCP is beyond anything I could ask for. The pharmacy delivers and the hospital where I get my Tysabri, automatically reserved my favorite room in the short stay part of the hospital.,I don't have to sit up in one of those recliners. I get a bed all day and can sleep afterward, sometimes till 11:00pm.

On top of it, the hospital waives my co payment and so do my doctors. And the hardest part is the controlled substances. My PCP prescribes sleep medicine and Xanax. The pain management doctor prescribes morphine. I can endure the withdrawals. What worries me is, I have MS. I can't sleep and I have pain.

I think Montana is more conservative about these things than liberal California. I don't like suffering unnecessarily just so I can say I'm not taking drugs.

What is your experience?

[ru4cats]

palmtree,

I am Montana born and bred. I've only NOT lived here for 10 years back in the 70's. If you can give me a heads up on where you are going to live, I believe I can help you with some information. The answers to so many of your questions will depend on where you are going. I see my neurologist in Missoula on Thursday. I could pick her brain also, if necessary.

I believe my email is in my profile, if you'd rather connect that way.

Kris
Seeley Lake, MT

[palmtree]

Well, the city I want to move to is Missoula, too. I imagine you are seeing doctor Sherry Reid. I chose her right from the beginning only to find I can't get an appointment with her until June.

They are offering her PA. That makes me very uncomfortable.

Also, do they have real pain management doctors who are anesthesiologist?

Thanks for helping. I will wait to see what she says.

[ru4cats]

I have printed off your questions and will ask Dr. Reid. You are lucky you can even get in! There were several years where she was not accepting any new patients. She became my neurologist by sheer luck, but she is the best as far as I'm concerned. Young, progressive, but very blunt! She'll call a spade a spade, but you'll never have to wonder if you're getting the truth. You are! She is employed at Community Hospital that has recently gone from non-profit to privately owned, so the community is taking it one day at a time. She and her partners use to have a private practice, but they had to dissolve it due to overhead and payments.

Missoula is probably one of the best places to live, along with Bozeman. Missoula is a haven for liberals, but Montanan's are generally conservative. However, it is a Libertarian conservative, not evangelical. Montanan's are people who like to "live and let live." In Missoula you can do as much or as little as you want. There is the UofM, community theatre, organic restaurants, the Good Food store, etc. Spokane is only 3 hours away by Interstate if you need a big city fix. My niece lives there, and I go over at least once a year.

I believe Missoula has the best medical care in Montana. St. Pat's is world famous for its heart center. Community used to be the hospital that received discounted Tysabri because it was a regional hospital for compassionate care. However, I don't know if that is still operating.

Missoula does have four seasons, but winter can get pretty drab. They usually don't have a lot of snow, which with my walking/balance issues is just fine with me. Seeley always has a ton of snow, but the ice is deadly. We did have to put in air-conditioning in our home a couple years ago, but we usually only use it for six weeks at the most.

I receive my infusions at Partners Solutions, a home health care group. My 1st three were $11,000 each at St. Pat's, and now they are at least $18,000 each. At Partners I pay less than $6000. However, I don't receive the benefits you do, so one of the hospitals might work better for you.

Hope this provides some additional information. Pick my brain for anything else, and I'll ask Dr. Reid your questions. If for some reason you don't receive an answer to a post, my email is in my profile. I'll post Dr. Reid's answers on Friday.

Kris

[palmtree]

Gosh, you don't know how much I appreciate all this detailed information! The websites don't tell the whole story.

I really want to make this move. Missoula is just gorgeous. I love snow but it's better not to have too much of it. To only need the AC 6 weeks out of the year seems like a dream. Cloudy days can get depressing sometimes but I hadn't seen a cloud in years until I went up there.

I'm really stressing out about it, though. The expense of making the move, the new things I will need to buy like all weather tires and a parka and so on. If I had a bottomless bank account it would be easier.

I think I can get assistance with the cost of my infusions at St. Pats. It is owned by Providence which is the same hospital chain where I'm getting my Tysabri now. My neurologist is going to send the records to Dr. Johnson's office because his PA is available. Maybe I should try to get an appointment with Dr. Reid, now, even if it is June.

I haven't moved since 1999 and that one was really rough. Now, with my mind barely working, trying to plan and organize this seems impossible. There are so many details with the medical. I'll probably pack everything up, get all my reservations lined up and forget my car.

If you find out more I will be checking the site to see what you say.

[ru4cats]

Some answers to your questions

O.K., I checked with Dr. Reid, and I have some information for you.

1. All season tires are just fine. I've never had snow tires in 32 years in Seeley Lake, and you definitely wouldn't need them in Missoula. It sounds like you've been to Missoula, so you should know it has an excellent bus system that just went to a "free ride" system. It really covers Missoula and can get you to where you want to go. I guess it just depends on your disabilities and ability to ride the bus. There is a bus stop 200 ft. from the front door of St. Pats.
2. Don't buy a parka unless you plan on walking a great deal in bone-chilling cold, and there aren't that many cold days in Missoula. I get by by layering a hoodie underneath a polar fleece jacket, and I've been fine in Seeley. I know you are sensitive to heat, as am I, but you should know that the cold also will have an effect on you. I "hunker in place" on really cold days.
3. Dr. Reid is bailing on Community and moving back to St. Pats in April where all the neuro's will now be located. Evidently, the switch to profit hasn't gone well.
4. An excellent allergy doctor is Dr. Thornblade. I took shots for 20 years, but finally gave them up last year. My old doctor sold the business to him. After all those years, I just didn't need the type of care Dr. Thornblade wanted to provide. However, he sounds like he would be perfect for you. His office is kitty corner from St. Pats and 100 ft from the bus stop. Dr. Reid also recommended him.
5. Dr. Reid felt you would probably have to take your infusions in the infusion room on the 4th floor with everyone else. She never heard of anyone receiving the room you currently have. If this is important to you, you might want to check into this further. Partners Solutions does have a type of bed that is available if someone needs it. I just take my infusions in the reclining chair.
6. Dr. Reid said that St. Pat's is no longer prescribing narcotics, but she highly recommended Kemple or Donaher at Advanced Pain and Spine. They are anesthesiologists and could provide what you need. They are located in the complex of buildings at Community but are not affiliated with the hospital.
7. She didn't know about the waiving of co-payments by anyone.
8. I don't have a PCP, so I can't recommend anyone. However, I'm sure there are lots of good ones in Missoula.

I think you'd get a kick out of Dr. Reid. She and I work on the same brainwave, so we have lots of good laughs. However, I know she is hard to get into.
I think these are all the answers I have for you. I have subscribed to the thread, so I'll be notified if you post. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. Of course, all the phone numbers are on the web, so I didn't list those. Good luck with your decision.

Kris

[palmtree]

Wow! This is so wonderful that you are giving me insider advice. Dr. Thornblade is the allergist I have an appointment with (I think).

It sounds like there has been a lot of upheaval with the hospitals converting back and forth between private and non profit. I was wondering, what is the difference between Community and St. Patricks? Is Community more of a general care hospital while St. Pats has more specialized medicine?

I spoke with someone in the infusion area at St. Pats and they told me it might be possible to arrange a bed but they can't promise it. Everyone is so nice. I love it.

Right now I'm confronting what to take from this 15 years of clutter in my apartment. It's scary starting over. But something tells me it is time to make this change. This is an adventure. Time will tell if it was the right decision.

[ru4cats]

There was really no difference between St. pats and Community. One is on one end of town, and the other is on the opposite side. I think with community going profit, more people will go to St. pats. Since it is Catholic affiliated, St pats has some areas it won't cover. For many years they divided some of the specialties, i.e. community was for deliveries and St Pats developed their heart center. However, with the change , St Pats is back in the baby business, lol! I've been to both but see myself using St Pat's more now.

Good luck with your decision. I'm available for any questions.

Kris

[palmtree]

Right now I'm at a crossroads. I want to live in Missoula so much but my ex husband and son don't think I should go because I'll be alone with an illness. I already had a brain aneurism and a stroke on top of MS.

But that beautiful river that runs through town is like a dream to me. We have no more water here. A friend says she thinks I should keep my apartment in California and go back and forth for awhile. The cost of moving furniture is so expensive that I'm thing of ordering some online and just bringing other stuff by suitcase.

It is difficult to give up the health care I have here. I called to make an appointment with Dr. Johnson's PA and she won't be available until the end of March. That's hard because my current neuro can't prescribe Tysabri or anything across state lines which means I'd miss a month of Tysabri. I told my PCP I was moving so he gave me a big hug to say goodbye.

When you move to a new place it takes time to develop relationships even though people seem very nice in Missoula. It's especially scary since I have MS because I can never think of what to say and my facial expressions are often misinterpreted.

Dr. Reid sounds really terrific the way she addressed all of my questions. I'm not going to worry about the pain management. I'm tired of narcotics. Been taking less and less. Soon I'll stop them. Thank you so much for your guidance. We might be sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Reid's office together and not know it.

[ru4cats]

palmtree,

Best of luck in whatever decision you make. Since you started this thread, I've thought a lot about the move you are contemplating, and I admire you for your courage. Moving to a strange town, with no friends, and a chronic disease; I realized I couldn't do it. Depending on how my life and MS progresses, I could move to Missoula or maybe Bozeman but nowhere out of state. When I arrived back in Montana back in August of 1982, I wanted to shut the gate behind me (7 US/International moves in 10 years was enough for me)! I told my 2nd husband I'd marry him only if he promised we'd never leave the state.

Whatever decision you make, I'm sure just going through the thought process of what's involved must have given you pause.

I'll be in Seeley for the forseeable future....

Kris

[palmtree]

It seems if I think of this as my retirement home it will make more sense. I stayed where I am because of my career and then so my husband and I could raise our son together.

Now our son finally got his own apartment and is working so I thought, 'what's the point of staying in a place where the weather harms my health?'

What makes this even more confusing is that our son is talking about moving back home again. The thought of having our little family reunited would also be a nice way to spend the years as my MS progresses

[palmtree]

I'm still scared. But I think I'm going to do it. Once the actual physical move is done I think I will like it.

Next week I'm flying up there again to meet with a PCP and an allergist. They are coming to connect the internet and telephone. I actually have a Missoula phone number now.

I'd like to join a church up there. Do you have any that you recommend? I do not like evangelical Christianity but a church where everyone gets together to worship and enjoy fellowship would be good.

I want to go badly enough that I'm thinking, if I can't get all the health care I need there, I could fly back to LA every three months to see my doctors. If they would just put me in the hospital, I'd have a place to stay.

I hope this doesn't put you on the spot or violate any of the websites guidelines, but it would be great if we could meet at Good Foods for a snack someday.

[ru4cats]

palmtree,

Like I said, you are a courageous woman! I don't believe I could make such a change, but if for some reason it doesn't work out, you can always move back.
I can't really give any recommendations on churches in Missoula since I live in Seeley Lake. However, depending on your mobility, you might like to try the campus ministry at the U of M. They serve a diverse group and are very open. However, there are lots of churches in the area, and maybe you can try a different one each week till you find one that matches your needs.
I'd love to meet you for an late breakfast/early lunch at the Good Food Store. My trips to town until April are limited due to road/daylight issues. Other than my March 6 infusion that finds the day already booked with scheduled stops , my next infusions are April 3 and May 1 at 12:00 at Partners Solutions. If we could meet around 10:30, that would give us time to eat and talk. If one of these doesn't work for you, we can plan something/somewhere else.
You can find my email address if you click on my name, profile, about me. The one disadvantage I find to this message board is it makes it difficult for members to contact each other.
Good luck with your move, and I look forward to meeting you in the near future!

Kris Johnson