Resurrection on Good Friday This Year

I have officially been awake for 25 hours and 32 minutes as of now. My son Dylan, who suffers from Crohn’s disease, went in for a resection yesterday morning — and I just came home for a nap. On a Friday morning. It feels strange. But it also feels wonderful, because the surgery went well and this is a new beginning for him.

It’s just going to take some recovery time.

Right now, my baby is lying uncomfortably in a bed at UAB hospital, hooked to an IV, with a tube down his throat and a tube in, well, you can imagine. He also has a morphine pump that he thinks isn’t giving him enough pain relief. He had some trouble sleeping and so the doctor prescribed some magical substances that kept him quiet for a little while.

But part of his brain is tripping from the anesthesia, and he has said a lot of strange things… like someone slipped him a hit of LSD. I know though that he will wake up, back to his usual self soon. I watched a lot of improvement sitting with him all night. I am going back as soon as I can recharge my batteries… in my cell phone and in my exhausted brain.

(FYI: Right after the surgery, I got a call from Blue Cross, who I am beginning to believe is the Anti-Christ, asking about more paperwork from me. Nothing I haven’t got, though. Still looking for that bonus to deny my son his procedure. Cheap bastards!)

Thank you to any and all who said a prayer. They worked! Stay tuned!

The Difference Five Years Can Make

I am not prepared to analyze the downhill slide our country has gone through since President Bush lied to our country and declared war on Iraq. So I am going to approach this subject from a personal level.

All I know for certain is that five years ago today, my cousin, Pvt. Kelley Prewitt was new to the Army. And his first thought upon hearing that we were at war was probably “Oh, shit.”

Five years ago he had joined, like so many do, to get his life together. Five years ago, his parents had a son. His sisters had their brother. His comrades had his dedication. And sweet home Alabama had his heart. Five years ago, at age 24, Kelley had a future.

Less than one  month into the war, his life was blown apart by an Iraqi ambush. It had been 11 months since he enlisted. His funeral will always stand out in my mind as a symbol of motherly love, loss, overwhelming grief and waste.

The numbers of those who have joined him sickens me. Almost 4,000 of them.

May they rest in peace.

My Health Insurance Is Making Me Sick

I guess Blue Cross Blue Shield must be one of the biggest insurers in the country (I’m too tired right now to look it up)* … either way, after sending countless documents back and forth, my husband and I successfully proved to them that we had indeed been insured for the last 18 months. Every time we have had to change insurance we have had to go through this. The real punch line is we were with Blue Cross the entire time!

I suspect it has something to do with my son’s Crohn’s disease and upcoming surgery. I imagine that they are frustrated that my husband and I have managed to keep ourselves insured… even when it meant my husband taking a job in Ohio for a year. I’m pretty sure that someone in a nicely decorated office would get a bonus if they could find a way out of paying for his procedure and hospital stay. Granted, as soon as we got the new policy, we had several expensive doctor visits and a consultation with the surgeon. I’m sure that put us on their radar.

If I sound paranoid, then you haven’t walked in my shoes. To those of you who have made the horrible journey through the maze of bureaucracy — just to get what you paid for, I salute you, my brothers and sisters. I salute everyone with the strength and persistence to demand the health care you deserve. 

This week, the nice people at Blue Cross refused to pay for my son’s Zyrtec (it stops the side effects from his Remicade) because it is over the counter now… and only a week after they filled a prescription for my Ibuprofen, which is, essentially, Advil.

They also decided that my doctor of 15+ years doesn’t know what he’s doing when writing a prescription for sleep medication. I had a few samples and found that Rozerem is the only one that keeps me asleep without a hangover. But the folks at Blue Cross know better and suggested an alternative drug, Ambiem CR. Ambiem is addictive, and has been known to have dangerous side effects. But it is cheaper. Rozerem has no generic equivalent, and though they are supposed to pay the difference in cost and my co-pay, they just won’t do it.  The pharmacist said my doctor could appeal that, and it could take 30 days.

Screw that, I’ll just drive in my sleep.

*I did run across http://www.sickofbluecross.com/ – have a look!