When the world has turned on its side ... when up is down, yes is no, right is wrong, black is white, hot is cold ... how does one keep from letting loose with one long, loud primal scream?
Last week, I took my son in to the doctor's office. He has been having chronic knee pain. Diagnosis: Osgood Schlatter's disease. It's very common in teen-age boys, especially following a period of rapid growth. Sonny boy has grown a good 6-8 inches in the last two years ... yup, that's pretty rapid. Comfort measures are the first line since it is a temporary condition that rarely gets severe ... heating pad, knee braces, aspirin.
Then I ask if the doctor would possibly consider prescribing his medications for his bipolar disorder. Losing TennCare means also that he can no longer take advantage of the services at the clinic where he was seeing the psychiatrist. Private shrinks charge anywhere from $200 to $275 for an initial visit and $90 to $125 for each follow up, every other month. This is not covered like regular medical visits for a $20 co-pay. There is a $500 deductible, then it pays 80% of whatever
is reasonable office fee. Lab tests are subject to the regular outpatient hospital deductible. Those are $350 each and must be done quarterly. The co-pay on his medications is $56 a month on top of all that. I had to just about terrorize Blue Cross Blue Shield to get this much information ... they didn't want to even speak to me about his benefits because I am not on the policy, it is his father's. I set the bitch-switch to full throttle though, climbed through the ranks of clueless supervisors and got to someone that would cough up the info. Throwing around the insurance comissioner's name helped a little bit too.
So, if the internist could prescribe and monitor, he could be seen for the $20 co-pay. That office has its own lab, so no deductible for lab tests. The med co-pay I could handle in this situation. So, Doc ... how's about it?
Well sure ... he can do that, no problem, but my son would still need to see a psychiatrist at least twice a year.
Uh Doc ... I just explained that we cannot afford to see a psychiatrist because of the way BCBS discriminates against those with mental illness. So we are right back where we started, eh? But we have another appointment next month, so the Doc has time to review his records from his last shrink. Maybe we can find an alternative solution by then.
On the way out, I stop at the appointment desk to get an appointment for myself. I see a different doctor in this same group. It's a family affair ... my parents come here too. I will need refills for my Depo in March. The clerk pokes around on her computer for a few minutes ... how about April 21?
*blink blink*
Ummm ... I need an appointment in March. Preferably before March 15. It's not terribly unreasonable to expect to be able to get a follow up visit within 6 weeks, is it? That's the first appointment available. I ask if I could see the nurse practitioner instead. The clerk has to check. My records say that the Doc wants to see me herself. Well then ... I need an appointment before March 15 ... that is when I need to have my medication refill. April 21 is the soonest available.
*silent scream*
OK, I ask to have a nurse call
tomorrow. I will have the day off
tomorrow. She can call anytime
tomorrow. I will be home most of the day
tomorrow. But I need to get going. I have to go to work now. Please have the nurse call
tomorrow.
So when does the nurse call? That afternoon, right after I got back from lunch.
*blink blink*
The next day, I call and ask the nurse to call
today. I am home
today. All day, I am home. Please call.
Today. And guess what? She didn't call! Aauuuuggghhhh!!!
Onward ...
I had been trying to call to get an appointment for my son's disability determination since the end of November. The line is either busy, or rings until it disconnects. Your taxes at work, boys and girls. No email address is available. And I don't want to send off the paper application until I have a specific person to send it to. Finally, I find a toll-free number. I call and speak to a very nice lady. She tells me that the local numbers are impossible to get through. I hold back several snarky comments ... she is, after all, the first reasonable person I have dealt with in ages. That, in and of itself, is enough to make me wonder if I have stepped into the twlight zone. A government worker, on the phone, being nice, polite, helpful and even cracking a joke or two. Pick me up off the floor cause I have surely fainted dead away!
Then I call DCS again to see if I can get any more information from them on how I can get my son together with his father. The person I spoke to before was not in. So I explain the situation all over again ... I should write up a little script for this, I swear. We make zero progress for a good 20 minutes. There is a court order specifying that visitation will be supervised by DCS.
But DCS does not supervise visitation, we never did. So how do we get this changed so that my son and his father can see each other?
That's the judge's orders, we cannot change them. So can we get the judge to change them?
Not without a court petition or a custody re-determination. But there is no need for any of that. We just need the order to be amended in this one little spot ... to be supervised by a mutually agreeable social worker or similar professional? We even have one all ready to go, but his employer needs assurance that all is within the court order.
The court order says supervision by DCS. And DCS doesn't supervise visitation, never has, never will. Why did the judge write the order that way then?
Don't know. How can we change it?
We can't.
Umm ...ma'am? Lissa? What is that thumping noise? Is everything OK?
*wham* That. Is my head. Banging. On the desk. *wham*
OK, let us cut right to the meat of this whole mess. What do we need to do so my son can see his father? AND his father stay within the court order? AND the social worker's boss will be OK with it, legally? We ARE going to do this, but we need to make sure that no one is going to get in trouble with the court or DCS, because, nothing personal now, dealing with the courts and DCS sucks big green hairy ones.
I guess I should refer this to the legal department. I will call you back later.
What a splendid idea! Now we are making some kind of progress.
That was last Thursday. I haven't heard boo yet. This one is at the top of my list for this Thursday. Definitely at the top of one of my lists ...
This one spun off into an insane vortex when I was called hostile, two-faced, a liar, whore, bitch, mentally unstable, and vicious for my efforts by various and sundry parties directly and indirectly involved.
*blink blink*
OK, maybe I am not quite as enthusiastic about this anymore. Go figure ...
And this weird, upside-down, inside-out world has invaded my work place ...
Our little company was bought out by a mega-corporation last month. So, there are major changes afoot. But they can't tell us what kind of changes and how or if it will affect us little peons ... yeah us, the ones that are actually making the money for this company. For now, there is a big slow-down in work. Our hours are being cut back to 32 hours a week. Bonuses? Ha! Yeah right ... it's been a long time since I've seen one of them, it will be a long time before I see another. But hang in there! It will get better! And any display of negative attitude will be a write-up offense!
So come on and get happy! Put on your smilin' face! We'll blow sunshine up your asses until this is a hap-hap-happy place!
I don't even want to get into the weird customers ... that is a novel in and of itself. Many of us are just sticking around to see what happens next ...
And now it is time for my nightly conundrum. I head up to bed ... sleepy, eyes heavy, barely able to drag my butt up the stairs. I lay down, I pick up my book, kitty settles in for some skritching and belly rubs. Within 10 minutes, my eyes are slamming shut. I roll over, put my book down and turn out the light. And then I am wide awake .... for at least another hour.
*blink blink*
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