Worries and Woes

Sorry I have not posted much lately. My job has changed and I have very little energy at the end of the day. I'm glad to have a job, but many times I wish it was not on my feet for 8 hours a day.

I have been so thrilled that Justin is doing better. Getting the radiation was the best thing we could have done for him and I have no regrets. Seeing him happy and mostly healthy has been such a blessing!

But just like most things, there is bad that goes with the good. We have had nothing but trouble getting Justin's meds. His hospital is in Iowa City, but since he lives in the county he does, his insurance makes him pick up his meds closer to home. For us that is Broadlawns. I know that the people who work there are just like everyone else--there are those that bend over backward to help, and those who are just putting in their time. But the SYSTEM there absolutely stinks. It is a joke trying to simply go and pick up your next month's medication.
When I need medicine, I just get on the phone, call Walgreens, and two hours later, I can pick them up. But for Justin, it is a different story. Broadlawns has a "closed pharmacy." The only meds going out of that place are prescriptions the Broadlawns doctors write. So when Justin gets a prescription for his meds from his oncologist (for a year's supply), he has to take that Rx in to have one of their docs rewrite it. They say it is at the doctor's discretion how many months to write it for, so they do one month at a time. So, every time he goes in there, he has to sign in at the registration, WAIT for his number, get a folder of information, and then WAIT in the clinic, then WAIT for the nurse to do blood pressure and temps, weight, etc...then WAIT for the doctor to come in, so we can explain he is only there for an Rx, then WAIT for the doctor to write it, then WAIT for the nurse to bring it, then go to the pharmacy downstairs, pick a number, WAIT to be called, give them the Rx, WAIT while they fill it, then WAIT in line to pick it up. Usually it takes four hours or more. Every month. I can't take that much time off work, so it is a huge hassle.
Now that Justin is going to Atlanta, he needs another month's supply, or at least get the OK for me to pick it up later this month and mail it to him. Great. So we have to go through this all again. It's Friday, he leaves Monday and I don't really want to go there. I. Really. Don't. Want. To. Do. This. Today.
I got to thinking about it and got really mad. Justin's radiology oncologist writes a prescription for two meds for a year, and some little resident has the power to say we can't do it that way?!!! So after working all day, I picked up Justin and we made a little trip down there. Being the first of the month, and with the "real scary" swine flu craziness, I knew it would be horrible. And I hadn't taken the time to eat supper, and my feet hurt, and I didn't want to do this.
Try as I might, I have never understood how this system works. But tonight it suddenly hit me. If Justin has to go monthly to pick up his meds, they can charge his insurance company FOR EVERY VISIT. Ahh, now it all makes sense. And it also makes me mad that they are using me and my kid in this game. So I went, ready to do battle. I told Justin on the way in, that I was mad, tired, hungry, frustrated and absolutely ready for war. I was going to sit down with the doctor and make him prove to me medically that Justin needs to come in monthly, I was also taking names. I had some paper to write our experience so that I could write a letter to the insurance company and the hospital higher-ups. BUT, I also wanted to be an example to my kid of how a person fights nicely, fairly and with honor, not rage. Hmm.
We walked in the door and the clinic lobby was empty. Empty. They signed him right in and got him back to the waiting area. We were called in less than 5 minutes....all the while thinking, "what's the catch?" The nurse quickly went through her stuff, and in less than 5 minutes the doctor came in. I very nicely explained why we were there. He looked so tired. I felt sorry for him--he probably feels like I do. He really only asked one question-"are they doing blood work to make sure your liver is handling this much anti seizure medication?" "Yes, sir." He said, "I would feel good doing a 6 month supply, would that be OK?" "Yes, sir."
Five minutes later, we we had the Rx for 6 months in our hands and got to the empty (!) pharmacy. I explained about Justin's trip and we would like to know the soonest date we can pick his meds up. Like most insurances, they only let him get one month at a time. But the pharmacist said, "I can get you next month's now." And she did, in less than 10 minutes.
We were out of there in less than an hour! Amazing. Thank You, Lord.


Do you remember when the dentist in Iowa City did my root canal and broke my ceramic crown and couldn't fix it? When I got home from this whole thing tonight I was feeling pretty good. But in the mail was my final bill from my regular dentist (who fixed it for only $1,200!) and the insurance companies. I owe $473 for the privilege of having someone break my tooth. Ugh. This junk never stops. So Monday I will be trying to juggle work and calling all over to see if there is anything else I can do to get this bill lowered or paid, say, by the dentist who broke it? It might as well be a million bucks. I'm having trouble keeping my head above water as it is, and have made virtually no progress from having seven weeks off. Nothing is caught up. I was hoping my tax refund would help, but my federal refund was exactly-to the dollar-what I owed the state. Grrr. I think they have a system, too.

So the good thing is, I have not used credit cards or borrowed from anyone for over a year. I am not adding to what little debt I have. The bad news is, I am really tired of never quite keeping up with the regular bills. It is a treadmill that has no shut-off switch. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, no way to catch up unless I take on a second job, which I have NO energy to do. Please pray for me, I need some encouragement!