I woke up this morning just feeling that life was a basket of roses. I was surrounded by sunshine and rainbows, right in my very house. Life is so good that I just want to run through a meadow and sing "the hills are alive!"
I mean, yesterday it was confirmed that my son has a lot to say. And he'll be getting help saying it. My battle is over. It was a long fight, I didn't back down, and I won the battle. Ah, the taste of victory is sweet indeed. See me grinning?
And? Nessie, the wee Scottish lassie I've been bottle feeding, spent the night with her mom and siblings. That's right, people. I got to sleep in my own bed for the first time in a week, and didn't have to set the alarm every hour. Oh Yeh!
I walked around all morning just grinning like the boy who ate too many beans. I talked to Micah's speech therapist at school and she said she'd get him a loaner immediately. It was a 6-week loan, and that's all they offered. I decided that I'd better start the paperwork to get our own so that it's in hand by the time we have to give the loaner back. So I called the therapist we saw yesterday to ask for a referral for the insurance company.
My rainbows suddenly shattered, the birds stopped singing, and the sun went behind a big, gray cloud. Apparently there are ways this happens that I didn't know about. Silly me. Here's the drill.
*Micah gets a loaner.
*The therapist we saw yesterday will consult with the therapist that gets him the loaner to see how he's doing.
*After 2 weeks the therapist we saw yesterday writes a report.
*She mails us the report, we show it to the therapist who gets him the loaner, and decide if we like what it says.
*We send it back to her so that she can revise it and actually request a device be procured for Micah.
*We get the revised report, send it to the insurance company and then wait until Micah learns to talk before they act on it.
I had a better plan. I asked her to write me a report now so that I could send it to the insurance. We all know (and she verified) that it'll take the full 6 weeks and then some for the insurance to process and produce one of these devices. The sooner we start the better, no?
She was flabbergasted. What was I asking? That I go against the system? That I not waste time? That I had the nerve to question the powers that be?
Why, yes. That's exactly what I'm doing. My battle armor has been donned once again. I may end up just wasting my own energy fighting the system and getting it in the same slow time I would if I'd have just waited patiently, but I'm hacked and will not let this slide without making someone's life miserable.
I mean, come on. You're giving the kid a voice, and then taking it away to wait on red tape and paperwork? Would you give a person a hearing aid and take it back? Or glasses? Or a wheelchair?! So why must Micah have his voice taken?
Mama Bear is going hunting. Cloud 9 was short lived.
24 comments:
You'd think by now they would know not to mess with Mama Bear.
Go get 'em.
Shame on them for giving and then taking away!
I hope that your fight is short and that they learn quickly you don't play with bears! :)
Good Mama Bear. Keep it up and it will get done. I am with you on the "short" cut!! I hope it works and everything works out. I am still so excited for Micha!!
I'm sorry you didn't get to celebrate longer before fighting your next battle. It gets so tiresome and frustrating sometimes. Hang in there! I'll be praying for you and Micah.
Ohhh! How frustrating! At least it was two steps forward before the one step back. How's it going on the bucking the system front? Any shot at all? Can you buy one and have insurance reimburse you? Or buy one and use it and then have insurance buy you a new one and return the "old" one? Anything creative?
Great news about the puppy!
Keep fighting! So glad Micah did well at the eval. The device sounds awesome.
The therapist may want to cut through some of that red tape if she values her life.
What I don't understand is.....why they don't tell us these type of things from the beginning. That way we know what to expext and what the normal procedure is. Not to say that we wouldn't still be trying to speed things along, but really. You would think they would have far less angry parents if we knew what to expect from them in the beginning. The other thing I don't get.....is if your insurance is going to be paying for it, why does she care when the referral goes in????? Sorry, I'm not helping. I'm sure you have thought all these things yourself.
I guess the right thing to say here would be God speed. He is obviously on you side, so I'm sure He will help you with your battle.
Grrr. But you got some sleep, right? Ebay, woman!
In Florida there was this place for old people and people and people with disabilities. I used to take my neighbor there periodically. They handed out equipment for hearing and vision impaired, etc., for free. Wondering if that's another option?
Get 'em, girl.
go get em, hon.
there is nothing more fierce than mama bear on the attack.
Frickin red tape. My money's on you.
OHMYGOSH!! That angers me like no other. I'm so sorry. Poor Micah and poor you!
Actually, the insurance company did give my friend's son hearing aids and then took them back because the initial tests were done on the wrong machines. That mama bear got those hearing aids back eventually and Micah's voice is coming, too. The therapist has no idea of the force that is you!
How incredibly frustrating!
I have Mama Bear no doubt Mama Bear will prevail and I think she should start by making this blog post known...
Just getting caught up on blogs this afternoon...I read your previous post and was thrilled to hear how well your appointment went. And then I read this one and it just made me sad.
I 100% completely know how you feel, if there was some device out there that would allow Caroline to finally be able to communicate with us, I would go to hell and back until I got it. No way, absolutely NO WAY can you let red tape hold this up. I am sure somewhere, somehow you can get this accomplished.
Keep fighting girl!!!!! Let me know if you need someone to take your back. I'm here!
unbelievable. Keep hanging onto that moment you had when you woke up-- it will come again after you show them you're not messing around anymore.
I always found that an ally within the system worked better than more battle armor. Many a "red tape" tangle "disappeared" when an authority figure said, "Go!" I'll keep praying, your keep looking for the key -- it may be a simple as finding an "extra" lying around in a closet somewhere at school. Andrew was denied access to surplus equipment because the "politics/pork" required that NEW be issued to each qualifying student. But ... along came a senior therapist with a KEY and the closet of unused stuff spilled out just what we needed until our "NEW" one could be processed/acquired.
It can often be more of a game than a battle. Take a deep breath and go looking for the keys. I'll stay right here on my knees. God's BIGGER than any tangle of red tape.
Welcome to my world. I'm so sorry that you are being forced to make a pit stop here. It sucks.
I'm standing right beside you in support of your fight.
And guess what we got? We lub, lub, lub, lub it.
You go girl! Give 'em all you got. It just may pay off.
I had fought battles with many a nurse and doctor when Happy was little and won my fair share. Good luck.
Three days later and I'm still annoyed about this. So...since you haven't given me the name/address of the person spreading the red-tape so that I can break their knees for you, I will instead get on mine and pray that you're able to break through the tape somehow.
Good for you asking and trying to push back! So often the rules really are ridiculous when it comes to red tape of buracracy! Good luck, Karen. I hope it goes easier than expected.
I love it when you go Mama Bear. So since I am so behind, what happened? Did she listen to you and cut through the red tape? How is the loaner?
ugh! I'm sorry to hear there is already a road block! Go get 'em!
Hunt away, Momma Bear! GRRRRRRR!!
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