Sudden Back Pain Started Single Mother Angie on a Path to GoodRx Savings

Angie hails from the Kansas City, MO area, and is the single mother of a 15-year-old son. She’s always on the go, splitting her busy schedule between work, helping her son with his Boy Scouts activities, and keeping up with her 2 Australian Shepherds. That’s why she was eager to find a solution for her backaches when she first started experiencing them last year.

Angie’s symptoms included extreme back pain, sciatic nerve pain, numbness of the leg and foot, and an inability to move her toes. Her doctor initially diagnosed the issue as a muscle sprain, but the symptoms continued for several months before the pain became unbearable. After an X-ray and an MRI, Angie was referred to a neurosurgeon who diagnosed the problem as a synovial cyst on her lower back.

Synovial cysts are benign but can cause discomfort and impact one’s quality of life. Long term, they can lead a shortening of the spine called stenosis. If untreated, this can cause permanent nerve damage, or in the worst cases, death. That’s why seeking treatment and gaining access to quality care is so important, and why the GoodRx team is grateful to have helped Angie. 

Angie was prescribed medication to help her cope with her symptoms. Though she is insured, she is on a high deductible health plan, so she still pays a lot for her medications. Since Angie had previously used GoodRx, she looked up the price for her new medication. With GoodRx, her new medication would cost $16, about 85% of what her copay would have been. Her other medication was only $20 with GoodRx vs. $90 otherwise. Angie was relieved to not only have pinpointed the underlying issue with her back but also to save money on her medications once again.

Fortunately, Angie had surgery in August to remove the cyst and her procedure went swimmingly. She let us know that her pain had disappeared right away, and she is doing well post-operation. 

Angie continues to recommend GoodRx to friends—and strangers! She recently stopped a mother in the store whose daughter’s meds were going to cost $300 and suggested she look at GoodRx. In her words, “I don’t know if it helped her with her costs, but it’s always worth looking!” 

The GoodRx team is happy to hear we were able to contribute to Angie’s recovery, so she can spend more time listening to audiobooks and hanging out with her son and pets! Here’s to more fun and fewer worries, Angie!