Bumpy road ahead

Jun 05, 2009

Well, here we are a few days later, after the euphoria of knowing a surgery date is at hand. I'm try to be patient and process all that has happened in the last three days.

I read someone's post, on Wednesday, who was talking about calling the insurance company and checking up on the authorization process.  I thought, of course!!  Mine should be done and almost on its way back to Dr. T.  So I called to see how they were doing.  I said "I'm just calling to get an update on the authorization for Dr. T. to do bariatric surgery."  This nice lady said, I'll look, and she looked, and looked, and finally said, "what authorization?  I don't see any request for authorizations for you!"    I thanked her, boy that was hard, and immediately placed a call to the surgeon's office.  I had talked with the person there, last week in-person, who handles the authorizations and she assured me it was going out that very day.  (last week)   I asked to speak to her this Wednesday, but she was "at lunch" and would call me when she got back in the office.  At 4 p.m. I thought lunch might be over and called again, after a wait on hold for a while she got on the phone, kinda of huffy and defensive, and said "all your paperwork went in."  No hello, nothing, just that statement.  I said when, she said "a few minutes ago."         Disappointment-----you bet.  But, my OH friends     jumped in to cheerlead, and we move on.

But, when it rains its pours.      I saw my rheumatologist on Thursday.  He was running so late, and was kind of frenzied when I finally saw him, after a 2 hour wait.  I told him about my surgeon's request, that he replace Cymbalta with something not time released, and he just didn't seem to understand.  I said it has to be crushed, and therefore time release will not work.  He offered me a sample of a new drug THAT IS TIME RELEASED.     Oh my goodness.  I kept trying to get across to him what we needed to get accomplished.  DH was there too and tried, in vain, to get across what needed to happen.  It was so strange.  Usually this gentle man is so attentive and so attention to the tiniest detail of your health.  I said I also needed to change my regular pain med, again time released, and he said just take the not time released version of it.  I said its not working either way.  He did not give me any other options.  I did get cortizone in back and hips, which will help with the pain that keeps me awake at night, but not with the drug that helps me sleep because it is TIME RELEASED.       We left after all the office staff had gone, the X-ray tech let us out the side door after X-rays of my back.  I am doubly disappointed.  This is a physician whom I sincerely respect and trust.  The trust is rattled, badly shaken, in light of how serious my situation is at the moment.   
This morning, Friday,  I went to the cardiologists office for the stress test he ordered.     I am proud to say I can walk that treadmill with the best of them, lol.  It's all that practice at the gym.  Unfortunately, that's where the fun stopped.  They found an abnormality, some PVC's showed up on the cardiogram.  Dog gone it.  More advanced tests have been ordered for next week.  I was so fortunate that I could get in next week.  The next test is a Thallium stress test, lasts 3 hours.  I sincerely hope we have answers that are positive here.

After I left the cardiologists office I went to the rheumatologist office and made my normal 3 month follow-up appt.  While there I made an appointment with my PCP, who is in the same office.  I hope she can help me with the medications.  I know he prescribed them, and that may be problematic.  But at the moment, most are "unprescribed" and on their way out.  If I cannot affect resolution with the medication issue, I'm not sure what my next step will be.  The issue revolves mostly around the Cymbalta, which is specific for fibromyalgia and depression.  It has a pain inhibitor in it, unlike other tricyclics.  I also have not taken anything that gave me as much relief and just pleasure in living that the Cymbalta provided. 

I realize that my God is a lot bigger than any of these issues.  I have reached that point, where I will just lay it down and let him take care of me.  He will.  He does.  Never fails.  Never disappoints.

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