I've been lacking motivation in all areas of life lately. I've got dozens of prizewinning entries for you to read. Problem is, before you can read them I've got to find the time and energy to get them out of my head.
In the meantime, a few updates of those things I've left hanging...
Ethan's Story - I've been trying to work on "Part 13" for quite a while now. Basically, ever since I wrote Part 12 back in August.
(I know what some of you are thinking. "It's because it's number 13!" But let me clear something up - 13 is one of my lucky numbers. DUH. It's prime! It's very special!)
I had help with the first 12 parts - our medical records. I have copies from my first prenatal visit through his release from the NICU. I'm thinking of ordering the records from all of his specialists too, just for my own reference. Having them will help me piece together the memories that are fading four years later.
No matter what, I will continue his story. It'll take a while, but I still have a lot to say.
The Stander Saga - We finally got the elusive stander a couple of weeks ago. I called to check with the salesman one more time, to see if the paperwork was still dragging, and he said, "Oh. It's here, waiting to be delivered." Apparantly, someone in the office called Cigna to do the secret-handshake (pre-authorization) process. She was told, "That doesn't have to be pre-authorized. Just order it."
When he told me this, I laughed out loud and said, "I hope she got a name when she talked to Cigna!" Luckily, she did. I won't believe it until I see the statement marked "paid" with my own eyes.
We still have to set it up and get a physical therapist's instruction on how to use it. I'm antsy to start. It took three months and ten phone calls leading in different directions to get the damn thing. I fully intend to use it until it falls apart.
Ethan's School - I guess you could say he's homeschooled. I haven't called the teacher in a few weeks. I haven't been hounding people. I just stopped the whole process. We don't want him to go there. Plain and simple.
We're trying to figure out where to go next. Should we pay for therapy out of pocket? Should we send him to private school, and if so, where? Should we find a better public school system? Does one exist?
Right now, we're comfortable with our decision. Flu season is here, but he's been healthy at home. The holidays are coming, and he'd be out for weeks anyway. We'll figure things out soon enough.
CG's Speech - CG passed his hearing test, which was no surprise. We had a preliminary meeting with L, the speech therapist, last week and scheduled his full evaluation in a couple of weeks.
While L was here, she mentioned how he keeps his tongue forward during most of his babble. This was something I had noticed myself, and it was nice to have some professional validation. She gave us a few tips to start using and said it could be an immature reflex or an issue of low tone in that area.
He has to be at least 5 months behind developmentally to qualify for services. He's about 19 months and uses no words, so on paper, I'd think he qualifies. But while his communication level is behind, his understanding of language seems normal, so nothing's definite. We'll know more after the evaluation.
The Actuarial Exam - I got official word that I failed the Test. I already knew this, but I needed confirmation to move on. I got the "Fail" notification this weekend, and today I got my grade. On a scale of 0 to 10, with 6-10 being passing scores, I got a 1. That's right. A ONE.
I'm not ashamed. I'm actually a little proud - at least a I didn't get a zero. That means I got some problems right! And I'm sure I'm in good company, considering only about 40% of all candidates passed. But I know I failed the test because I failed to prepare. I could have been one of the 40% if I had studied more. And I will be. Next time.
Yes, I really am going to take it again. They've scheduled four tests for 2006 instead of the two they've done in the past. The first exam is in late February. I'm trying to decide if I can reasonably be prepared by then, or if I should wait until the second exam in May. Ethan's having another surgery in the spring to remove the steel plates from his hips, so that may affect my timing. I'll keep you posted.
The Insurance Decision - We got rid of Cigna. As of January 1st, we're going back to Blue Cross. I'll still have Cigna for prescriptions, there's no getting around that. But for everything else, I'm getting out of their head game.
Like I said before, I won't pretend that the new plan is going to be Happy Fields of Flowers or anything. Insurance sucks everywhere. But this past year, I've had enough. I need to try something else.
The deciding factor for me is that under our current plan, we pay 10 to 30% of all medical bills. Under the new plan, everything is covered after our copays. With another surgery coming up and new seizure therapies, getting rid of those extra bills is very tempting.
So. There you go. That about sums up the last few weeks of my life. Fascinating stuff, isn't it?
3 comments:
It's always interesting and fascinating!!!!
I think it's always interesting too! I like being able to follow what's happening in the boys' lives even though I don't see them much anymore. You're a great writer and always hold my interest :)
Thinking of you guys...
Nelly (not sure if there's a rule about not using real names or something- I figured you'd know who I was)
I think it's great your going back to blue cross. I currently have blue cross of california and it is working out great for me.
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