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Mom – Update no.2

I know there are a bunch of you out there wondering how my mom is doing and what’s been happening over here. She’s been living with us for just over a month now and here’s the scoop.

38 days, sorting of 608 pills, 3 visits to the emergency room, a bone treatment and countless hours on the phone with insurance companies. Those are just a few of the highlights of the past month.

For the not so fun part of it….day after day we deal with medical insurance companies. I’m not sure how other people feel about this but I can officially say that if I never change health carriers for the rest of my life, that would be just fine. Not only do I detest taking care of this type of business for myself but now I detest having to do it for anyone else. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be rescuing my mother from the irritation being placed on hold AGAIN or transfered to another department AGAIN or being disconnected AGAIN can cause but, by rescuing her from having to be the one experiencing that intense frustration, I am the one who is now being placed on hold, transfered to another department or being disconnected.

There was a day a while back, it was the day I was in tears for most of the afternoon, that I was on the phone for over 5 hours with 17 different phone numbers in front of me from people I had been transferred and referred to. If that isn’t absolute insanity I’m not sure what is! All mind you while having two boys home for the day and being slightly under the weather. That was the day I wouldn’t have made it through if it weren’t for the angel named Lisa who delivered a basket of love to my front door.

In all honesty I am not someone who keeps up with current events and I’m quite certain I would fail miserably on that show “Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader,” mom I do apologize for my ignorance. I am someone however who is determined and someone who knows what to say and who to say it to when dealing with companies such as Aetna and Pacificare. I do ask for supervisors, I do write all of the terms down that they inflict on me only to be hurled back at them later when they begin to make me feel like I have no idea what I’m talking about. And, through all of this, here’s we are. It’s February 17th and my mother STILL does not have insurance cards. Her new policy was supposed to be in effect February 1st and we notified them of her move and her condition the first week of January and we are still no farther along than we were over a month ago. I take that back. I did find out today that she was enrolled in a plan only to find out it was the wrong plan. Not even a health care plan, just a prescription plan. How useful and no there is no hint of sarcasm in THAT comment what so ever.

I do apologize for the digression into the world of mine and our country’s health care system but it’s been one of the main sources of conversation among our household.

For the more positive part of this experience…..she’s doing really well. I wish I had a definitive account of how she’s reacting to her treatment but we have to go another couple/three weeks before they can do the testing necessary to gauge that information. She seems to be doing quite well though and I think that living in a house with two small boys is doing nothing short of miracles. She wakes up in the morning, usually by Mason opening her door to see if she’s awake, and has breakfast with the boys and helps to rally them with the morning routine of getting dressed and brushing teeth etc. She even went to the grocery store the other day and picked up dinner to help out.

We do have to figure out what’s next as far as her cancer treatment though because it appears as if the hormone, Arimidex, she’s on which is starving her body of estrogen and thus starving her body of cancer, is making her nauseous. They have her on an Antiemedic Cocktail which does wonders but I don’t think they want her on that permanently. We’ll wait for the next appointment to see what’s next in terms of medication and treatment.

Overall, she’s in good spirits. The transition from living alone in her own home and being solely responsible for herself and her daily activities to living in a room in my home has been difficult at times. I know that no matter how wonderful being her with the boys is, giving up a life that you’ve been living isn’t easy. Matt and I are doing are best but sometimes your best doesn’t matter because it’s the inner thoughts and feelings that have to be battled and overcome.

I’m sure that we will continue on this roller coaster having good days and bad days I’m just trying to approach each curve and dip with grace and gratitude for what we have and the life that we’re living.

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