I Am Still Here…Really!
It’s been kind of sparse around here, I know. I was sick most of the month of December where I learned that antibiotics can make you well and more ill at the same time. I got better. Christmas came. Christmas went. Six hour drive to family for New Years. Six hour drive back.
Dale’s leg hurts. Then swells.
Go for transplant check up. (90 mile drive to DTI) Sonogram on leg. Go to hospital. Swelling due to very large blood clot. Admit Dale. Drive 90 miles home to pack. Drive 90 miles back. Stay for the weekend.
Frequent blood draws to check levels. I’m talking like three in the A.M. blood draws…
They accidentally had him on a diabetic diet. He is NOT diabetic. Food was low sodium (as in no salt) and diabetic so very little sugar. I question the whole hospital diet thing however. It was pretty carb heavy. It was not heavy on flavor. Grumpy husband food.
Then there is the chair bed. Or bed chair. Actually both are incorrect. It is neither a good chair nor a good bed. Just saying. It was not comfortable 4 years ago and while technology marches forward at a very rapid rate, hospital furniture design does not improve with time.
Came home from the hospital. Went to get prescriptions filled. One prescription – ONE WEEK supply – generic mind you, 200 dollars.
Call “insurance pharmacy that shall not be named”. Yes this is the price. No it doesn’t matter what pharmacy – UNLESS you use THEIR pharmacy through mail order. Yes the insurance company and the pharmacy are together. Just like this (insert imagination picture of fingers crossed over each other) Okay. It will be about 59 dollars for one month. (Keep in mind that they are also the ones who dictate the price of retail….not that I am ungrateful for the major price difference of about 700 dollars which is a lot of hamburger) Got the doc to change the prescription over of to the “insurance pharmacy that shall not be named”.
Checking the website, looking at the dates and adding up the time it normally takes to process, then the number of days it normally takes to deliver and I am disturbed because this looks very close and I would like to NOT pay another 200 dollars for another week for this prescription. Call “insurance pharmacy that shall not be named”. The lady was very nice. She put an URGENT code on it. Said if I didn’t hear from them in about 24 hours to check back.
24 hours later. Check the website. Still processing. Call “insurance pharmacy that shall not be named”. They need some more clinical information from the doc. It is now after five. Try calling the doc but of course the office is closed. Call “insurance pharmacy that shall not be named” back. Talk to a new person. Put through to a pharmacist. Explain the situation. Get through everything (what it is taken in conjunction with, why it is being taken, how long, how often testing will be done) and he is going to go ahead and put it through. He asks my title. My title as in my title at the DOCTOR’S OFFICE…. oops. I explain that I did not mean to impersonate anyone – this is just not my first rodeo, I take notes, ask questions, and I have GOOGLE for heavens sake. We are four years out from transplant and this is the first hospitalization. We are ninjas!
I think someone is getting yelled at.
Still going to expedite it with me promising I will call the doc in the morning and ask him to please call them so they have the documentation.
Total time spent on this prescription so far…about five hours.
This might even be amusing if it was on television. I think I need massive amounts of red wine and 24 hours of Big Bang Theory playing on the telly.
Next episode? The hospital bill. That one should be a scream.
Sure wish I could wrap you up in a big hug right now and then ply you with red wine and dark chocolate and all the BBT you could wish until Dale is completely recovered and all the bills are paid. Dealing with hospitals & doctors is bad enough; dealing with insurance companies makes me froth. Praying that all the bills are properly coded and yours go through without a hitch; praying that the worst of all of this is behind you. So glad you are both at home now.
thanks Anno – I will say that all of the people I have dealt with have been very nice and tried to be helpful. It would be so much worse if they were not and I know that happens. It just seems that the system is completely broken. I am grateful that we are home and I am grateful that I have a job and insurance and that I know how to access the internet and keep pushing this to make sure that it gets done but when you pay out more insurance premiums in a month than you bring home in your paycheck you would think that the path would be a little smoother. I am horrified to think of all the people who would just assume that their doctors and insurance company would take care of this kind of thing and everything would fall into place right up until their medicine did not appear when they need it…
Thanks for the thoughts, hugs, wine and bbt. I am thinking that this could lead to an entire new career. Personal patient advocate? Patient/Insurance company liaison?
Dee, I just had gall bladder surgery last month, and it’s like I could relate to naerly everything you wrote with a few more negatives added to it…..Believe me , you won’t be excited when your hospital bill comes in, it only gets worse…Anyway, Prayers going up for my buddy Dale….Hope he gets to doing better…….Hugs to you !
thanks Timmie – I am not looking forward to that bill. We didn’t know you were in the hospital until it was all said and done – glad you are okay!
Oh Dee..sometimes it just pours down on you..red wine is a good umbrella however..I hope your husband is feeling better..hope you are ok..and thanks for your lovely comment..you are always there..Jae