Digging out

Maggie checking out her new driver

Maggie and I are both adjusting nicely to her being back in school.

She is seeing her friends, meeting her new bus driver, getting to know her new teacher and a new aide in the classroom and learning lots of things. In fact, she informed me last night that the Quail is the State Bird of California, a fact of which I was previously unaware.

I am getting back in to the schedule that I seem to need to function. It took me a lot of years to admit that because I like to think of myself as someone who goes with the flow;  but the truth is I like a schedule, especially when it comes to Maggie. It makes everything else easier. I spent the past few days digging out from underneath the piles of paper and work that has accumulated during the past few weeks when I didn't have any time to get things done. Bills have been paid, the dog has been to the vet, the men came to change the windows etc etc.  I did get all the legal work I have to do into one organized pile, but I left Maggie within reach and she decided they would be better on the floor. And she thought that was hilarious! She is very helpful.

This afternoon after Maggie arrived home, I helped the nurse get her situated and we did the procedures together. At the same time I was trying to locate the property tax bill and finish my malpractice insurance renewal. Done and almost done. I had to stop because I had to get to the bank before it closed. Perhaps order will be restored next week.

I ran out of the house on my thrice weekly run around the neighborhood, the bank, the cleaners, the pharmacy, the supermarket etc etc. The stuff has been sitting at the cleaners for weeks.  As I was leaving the house, the nurse handed me an empty bottle of one of Maggie's prescription meds.

I brought it with me because the pharmacy was one of my stops. Most of Maggie's meds are automatically renewed and with luck, the refill would be waiting for me when I got there. As I waited for the man in front of me to finish at the window, the clerk noticed me with the empty bottle and laughed. She said I hope you got a cart.I didn't really get the joke until it was my turn. Oh yes, that med was ready and so were several others. I definitely needed the cart.

We are stocked up now, but there will be more. There is always more. 

 I will be digging out for a while yet. In fact I can only hope it will be done before Christmas vacation 

Making the switch

I took the plunge yesterday and started making the switch in pharmacies. As of the firts of the year, our insurer Anthem Blue Cross and our pharmacy,Walgreens, will no longer do business together. I delayed switching over hoping these two companies would reach an agreement and my little life boat would not flip over. Seems that will not happen.

When they redid our neighborhood Safeway, they put in a pharmacy. We've never used,it, but figured that made the most sense. Maggie and I walked over to Safeway early Sunday morning. I picked that time on purpose, because I knew it would take a while and at that hour the store is not crowded and the pharmacy is practically deserted.  The pharmacy department is right behind the wine section of the store, so that's a win. There was one pharmacist working alone and he came over to the window to help me. I smiled and said," I'm either going to make your day or ruin your day right now."

He was well aware of the Anthem/Walgreens issue. I gave him a list of Maggie's medications and the pharmacy slips from almost all of the drugs. (I have one or two that weren't in the pile.) He busied himself going through the paperwork listing all 14 current medications. He asked my name, Steve's name, and then stopped, eyes wide and said, "Wait, are these all for one person?" I smiled and gestured toward Maggie. Yes, they are all for her.

I brought Maggie with me  on purpose thinking that might make it a little easier for them to grasp the situation if they had a visual of the patient. When I turned around to introduce her, though, Maggie was sitting in profile with her hood pulled over her face. She looked like a reclusive woman of mystery.

I said, "Oh, Sorry" and turned her around and fixed the hood.  She gave this guy the biggest grin you have ever seen and, though he was flummoxed by the task I had dumped on him first thing in the morning,  he smiled right back at her.

I am not looking forward to the transition, but I can see that it just might work out all right eventually. It's only a few blocks away and I'm in there all the time anyway to get groceries.

Maggie will just have to charm them one at a time.

Snake Charmer

October is turning into a long frustrating month. It is the one month we are on COBRA for health insurance. COBRA is the law allowing one to continue on a group health insurance plan for a period of (up to) 18 months after leaving your place of employment. Steve joined a new firm in September and there is a short waiting period before the health insurance for the new firm kicks in on November 1. The old plan expired September 30, so we are only talking about one month having to use COBRA.  I would not recommend that any family go without health insurance if it is avoidable, and with a child like Maggie, continuous coverage is absolutely essential. COBRA is not cheap, but it covers the one-month gap in coverage for us.  

Except there is a problem. Today is the 18^th of the month and it does not seem to be kicking in. We paid the premium immediately and heard nothing. I called several times last week and was advised that I could get an ID # on Friday the 15^th, but I wouldn’t have actual cards for another week. I waited as long as possible to renew Maggie’s 14 different medications, but I cannot wait any longer. I have seven of them waiting to be picked up at Walgreens. 

On Friday I stayed on the phone for 45 minutes and finally got the ID# but the insurance still wouldn’t work because “the computers are down: (Really?) The pharmacy tech at Walgreens was on the phone with them for 45 minutes in the morning and told me to come back in the afternoon. I came back around four and she was on the phone with them again. They told her it would be another 24 – 48 hours. I am not even sure if the weekend counts. I could not get the medications.  My choices were to either pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket or wait for the insurance – hopefully today.  I already paid $1000 for the premium; I do not think I should have to pay another $1000 for the meds that are covered. We are waiting. I generally renew the prescriptions before they are completely gone, so I have until today. I did not make it with one of the drugs; we were completely out by Friday. Walgreens’ was nice enough to front me enough pills to get her to Monday evening.

If this is not settled today…....heads will roll. (Shout out to my 4^th grade teacher Sr. Carolyn who taught me that line, even as she scared me half to death.)

I need this coverage for one month and it will take all of that time to get it up and running. What, pray tell, is the point? If it is supposed to fill the gap, perhaps it should be available when the gap is present. This insurance, like most, works best only if you do not actually need it.  

I was wondering how it is that this insurance is called “COBRA.”  I know it is an acronym for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, but what in the world do all those names have to do with health insurance?  Given the amount of time and effort it is taking to make it work, I am guessing the name was a warning. It is a cobra, and it may eventually do what you want, but you have to be a talented snake charmer to make it work.  

I'm tuning up now.

what we have here is a failure to communicate

Maggie and I made a trek to Walgreens today. This is nothing new. I am at Walgreens at least twice a week, sometimes more. . I generally go without Maggie because the aisles are narrow and the pharmacy department is in the back making it tough to navigate her wheelchair in there. It is accessible, just tight. Today, I had to bring Maggie. The pharmacy was crowded which made navigation even tougher. We slogged our way through and waited in line to pick up the meds.


I always go to the same Walgreens. Maggie’s meds are numerous and complicated and staying in one place makes things a little less confusing. At least 20 different people work in the pharmacy department. Not all at once, of course, but I am certain that between pharmacists and assistants I have seen that many different faces. They are very helpful. In fact, if I had to grade them, 15 of them get an A. Two get an A++There are a couple of b minuses and one gets an F.

Guess who waited on us today? That’s right, F for Friday.

Ms. “F” retrieved two of the meds but the one I came in for was not there. I asked about it and she said.” No. You didn’t order it.” Actually, I brought in the prescription myself last week. (Check computer again) “You picked it up on the 14th”. Well I picked up what you had but it wasn’t filled and they were supposed to order more. (checks computer again) “Oh then it’s too soon.” Too soon for what? “Renewal” I am not renewing anything, I did not get the full amount. This is a permanent prescription and there was only enough in stock for three doses.

Just as she does EVERY TIME she waits on me, she directs me to the drop off window to present my questions. I look eight feet to the right to the drop off window, which had a line about eight people long. I said I am not going to stand in that line. I just stood in this line to get here. You must understand that the drop off and pick up windows are openings to the same room. From the outside its two lines and two windows, but the two clerks are standing almost together. Moreover, shock of shocks, they are using the same computer system.

Every other clerk in that store deals with whatever questions arise with their customer. Ms. F just refuses – or at least she does with me.

I drew in my breath and said. No. I will not go over there. I am not here to drop anything off; I am here to pick it up. You are the pickup woman. You need to find out why it is not here. If you need to ask her do so, SHE’s RIGHT THERE. She simply turned and asked the woman who said “Oh, I got a communication error”. Clerk looks at me and repeats this in a very serious tone,” she got a communication error”

As though that explained anything at all.

She was perfectly satisfied with this explanation but I was confused. I asked what that meant and she said she did not know. (I think that’s why she was satisfied.) She told me to have a seat so they could work on it. The seats are right between the two windows. She was determined to get rid of me.

It worked. I gave up and went home. Maggie was at the end of her rope and we had to leave. I have to go back in the morning and hope against hope that she has the day off and I get Ms. A++

Communication errors…They seem to be going around.

Foggy Day

I awoke this morning feeling as if the fog had lifted; 36 hours after I took a new drug I finally felt normal.

I went to the doctor last week for a stubborn rash on my leg. It is only a patch of eczema, nothing really, but it has been there for well over a year. It is annoying and, though I have some prescription ointment I cannot get rid of it.

I went to a new dermatologist because the other one is not on my insurance. This guy was nice and prescribed a stronger ointment and some oral antihistamine. This would prevent the scratching in my sleep that is preventing the rash from healing all the way. He said the pills “might make me a little sleepy” so I should take them at night. I asked if they would knock me out, because I really cannot take anything that strong. I have to be able to “snap-to” in a minute if there is an emergency. He assured me it is not a sleeping pill, just an antihistamine, like Benadryl but a bit stronger.

I didn’t even fill the prescription for a week. I was still using the other ointment and this annoyance has just become part of the backdrop of my life. I went to Walgreens and picked up five of Maggie’s prescriptions along the two of mine. The woman in Walgreens said seven prescriptions at once might be a record. [Hold applause]. The drugs Maggie is on come in good-sized boxes, so I left there with two shopping bags filled with controlled substances.
I have never heard of the drug he prescribed and did not bother to look it up. Funny, if someone prescribes something for Maggie I am all over the internet finding every side effect and nuance of the drug. With me, meh, whatever! Stupid.

The bottle said to take 1-3 pills after dinner/bedtime. I figured I would start with two. BAM! I was out like a light. There is no doubt that I did not scratch my leg during the night. In fact, I did not move a muscle. Good thing there wasn't any emergency. The alarm woke me at 6:30, which is odd. I always wake before the alarm because my internal clock is so reliable. I tried to shake off the sleepiness. I gulped down strong coffee and got Maggie ready to meet the bus. After she left, I had to get to a breakfast meeting which lasted until about 9:30. I knew something still was not right when I could not remember how to get to my client’s house after our breakfast. I came home and climbed back into bed and slept until noon. Maggie would be home soon and I was still groggy. Fortunately, the nurse was coming for the afternoon so I did not have to be in charge.

The plan I had for dinner was jettisoned because it required ingredients from the store and I did not have the energy to go out again. I made do with what was available. I folded laundry and fought the urge to go back to bed. I fell asleep in the chair about 8PM while Steve was out walking the dog. When he returned I said this is ridiculous and went to look up the drug.
It’s doxepin, a psychotropic drug with antihistamine effects. The typical dose is much higher than anything I took, but it just completely knocked me out. Something like 20% of people experience the sleepiness that I did.

Steve thought this dermatologist was very perceptive to put me on a psychotropic (mood altering) drug after looking at my leg for five minutes. Thanks, honey.

I am going to ditch those things and stick with the itchy leg and b_tchy mood.

That’s how I roll.

Drug Wars

The first full week of 2009 is almost over. It’s been a wild one in Maggie’s world. We started with no night nurse on Sunday night and I have been discombobulated all week long from staying up all night. I am fine and rested, but today is the first all week that I do not feel like I am operating in an altered universe.

However, the universe is a bit altered. Maggie is still not well. There was the overdose to consider and the underlying issue itself.

Which witch is which?

I hope that there are no lasting effects from the overdose, and that yesterday’s blood work will establish that. Nevertheless, Maggie continues to fight this stubborn bug. It seems resistant to every antibiotic, which is, of course, not good news. She is not “that sick” but she is not herself either. The doctor gave me the name of the bacteria. I should know better than to Google medical and scientific terms. Yikes! Scary stuff. But even though I’m a fairly sophisticated medical consumer, I don’t understand half of what I’m reading there and cannot make the very important distinctions between Maggie’s situation and the gruesome things that get published.
Therefore, I clicked off that and played free cell on the computer for a while. That always relaxes my brain. There is something about the order and planning of the game. It has the same effect as crossword puzzles. But I can win at free cell. I always do a crossword puzzle half way and stop because I have other things to do (oh … and it gets too hard)

I have been to Walgreens about six times this week. There are refills of some prescriptions and two new antibiotics to retrieve. One was ready one was not so I will go back again today. I believe there are currently 15 or 16 prescriptions for Maggie. She uses all but three every day. The antibiotics are (relatively) temporary and the other three as “as needed”. Any way you slice it; there are a lot of drugs going into her body.

Believe me when I tell you: You do not want to get behind me in line at Walgreens.

I have run into a friend there a couple of times and she marvels at the service I get. She says they all run around because “Mary Margaret’s mother is here.” To be honest, I don’t even notice. She told me she is surprised they don’t just let me behind the counter to help myself, and I responded that my life would be SO MUCH EASIER if they would. I could just sweep the drugs off the shelves and into my giant shopping bag.

I have to say, though, I do get excellent service from this store. They are compassionate, caring, and very efficient with my unusual insurance situation. I have developed a nice friendship with one of the women and always look forward to seeing her. On the other hand another woman there will do anything possible to avoid having to wait on me. She sees me in line and waves me over to the “drop off” window. If there is any type of delay or issue with the RX, which happens often, she does not want to deal with it. While there may be a problem with one med, I am generally picking up several. I did it once, the “drop off” people explain the issue, and then I have to get back in the "pick up" line, at the end, to get the rest. Now I just smile, shake my head and stay put because I am not falling for that again. Even that is entertaining at this point. Aside from her, everyone that works there is great.

I am very aware that I could not care for Maggie at home without the support of everyone, including the helpful folks at Walgreens.

Even the one who doesn’t want to wait on me. She makes my (almost daily) trips to the pharmacy fun.