...I feel like my life has been spent on the phone & in paperwork & hoop-jumping for the last week since moving my treatment to Johns Hopkins... It's a blessing to be there!.. but oh the phone calls, paperwork, & hoop-jumping...
...First, all the phone calls & paperwork faxing just for the appointment request for Johns Hopkins, period... Pre-op testing (updated bloodwork, EKG, & Xray) was fortunately done right before the evening we found out the information that made us choose to move hospitals.. Fortunately, this seemed to really help move things along w/ getting into Johns Hopkins-- we already had pathology reports & tests to send. And they've been able to use them.. But Dr Tanner also wanted to do a Pet scan to check for metastastasizing prior to the surgery- important in determining treatment after.. The hospital also required my actual pathology slides beforehand.. Since we are almost 2 hours away, they gave me paperwork & what seemed to be all a person could need to get these things accomplished, & first thing the next morning after my visit last week (has it only been 6 days ago??), I got right to work on the phone calls to get it done.... Um yeahhhhhhh, not so easy there, sister....
...After finding the closest location that performs Pet scans, I called with the information. The result? "A doctor's order is not enough, no matter how detailed. We have forms the doctor's office has to fill out. A patient can't request it themselves." Greeeeat. They also are only performed at that location on Tuesday's & Saturdays. So I called the doctor's assistant, who had said she was the person to call with ANY questions or problems, & left her a message w/ the problem & the contact information for who she needed to speak to.
...Ok, easy enough.. So after locating where the location & department is where pathology slides are tested & held for my primary care physician (it turns out to be a hospital 30 minutes away from my PCP office), I called with that information. The result? "A patient can't request pathology slides themselves, your doctor's office will have to call." Greeeeat. So I called yet again the doctor's assistant, & left a message about that. Ok. Well, we have time before the surgery right?...
...When I sat back & counted how many business days left until the surgery, I started to panic.. There were only 7.. And this has to be enough time to allow for mail time for the slides, & paperwork time for the Pet scan, & still enough time to then send the Pet results to the oncology office too,.. not to mention the time that it would take for the phone calls required in between, & who knew when the oncology office would be able to get to that?.... At Matt's suggestion, I called Dr. Tanner's assistant again, to see if there was anything I could do in the meantime.. I felt helpless.. And all the what-ifs started to creep in.... She hadn't called back by the end of the day..
...Did I mention that the former hospital started calling trying to pre-register me for my surgery?.. Oops! I still needed to actually cancel the other surgery & let that oncology office & Dr R know!... Well, at least that was something I could go ahead & do so I could feel like I was helping SOMEthing move along...
...So, the next day, Thursday July 14, the assistant called back & let me know that if they had my pathology reports, she could call the facility where the pathology slides were located & request them.. (Well then, why didn't they do that in the first place?.. But oh well now..).. As for the Pet scan issue, a nurse would have to handle that, so she would pass the information on... Ok, 6 business days until surgery now, to have whatever needs to be done for that done, the scan scheduled, & then read, & then sent to Dr Tanner... Ok, still possible right?..
...Later Thursday afternoon, a nurse called-- she had taken care of the paperwork for the scan! And I should be good to go to call the location back & make my appointment.. Fantastic! All of my worry for nothing!.. Right?.. Wrong.. I called the Pet scan location & was told that they had to call my insurance company to see if prior authorization was needed & they would get back to me.. (Sigh).. A few hours later & Dr Tanner's nurse called back & said that the Pet scan location had called her & said the insurance company did require a prior authorization before they would give me an appointment.. That takes about 2 business days.. That means, Monday at the earliest.. Again, they only do scans on Tuesdays & Saturdays.. The following Saturday would be too late for the scan to be read & the results to get back to Dr Tanner before the surgery... That leaves Tuesday as the one & only possible day for the scan.. What if it takes longer than 2 business days for the prior authorization?.. What if Tuesday is already booked solid?.. Prayers, prayers, & more prayers..
...In the meantime, Lindsay from Dr R's office called & left a message to confirm she got my message to cancel the surgery & to relay that Dr R hoped to talk to us personally-- he wanted to know if there was something they did wrong, something they could have done differently to keep me as a patient.. I was touched.. Then Dr R called personally & left a very touching message-- he wanted to know if we needed anything from them, if there was anything they could do to assist in my transition, & to wish us the best & God's blessing in our journey with this.. What surgeon calls & does that.. I was seriously so touched.. It was never a problem with their office at all.. It was a problem with the hospital's record & reputation on the blood issue.. I made sure to call back & relay that & thank them for their kindness..
...Finally this morning, another nurse called & everything had been completed & sent over to the Pet scan location.. Right on time!.. Pretty unusual in the medical field, what a relief!.. I called again & sure enough everything was good to go.. In the nick of time, I have an appointment for my Pet scan tomorrow afternoon-- my very last opportunity to have one in enough time for the results to be read & sent to Dr. Tanner... Once again, Jehovah, right on time... Why did I ever sweat?... Because my stupid mind exhausts me.. It likes to do that..
...I've had a MRI & a Cat scan before, never a Pet scan.... Well, obviously... Since they're for cancer... I can't eat past 7:30 tomorrow morning... and since my appointment is at 12:45 & will take 2-3 hours, I won't be able to eat again until early evening.. Well that should be fun.. H'angry anyone?.. I don't care, I'm just so grateful that it was able to be squeezed in!...
...So, I can rest easy tonight.. I'm sure I won't anyway, because of the nature of my exhausting mind... But at least one more thing checked off the list.. Why is the list still so long?... Ok, stop it Elizabeth, stop it.. One thing at a time, one moment at a time.. Remember Matthew 6:34- "Never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles."
...One day at a time, one moment at a time.. Just breathe.
You are just so amazing. How is it hat YOU are the going through this and yet I feel encouraged by YOU!m?
ReplyDelete💜 Love you. 😘
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