Still having trouble sleeping. It is absolutely no fun.
Author: kathleen
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I don’t get to keep my insurance – comparing the new plan vs. the one I lost
We were notified in September that there was no longer an Active Care 3.
I currently pay $496 a month, my employer pays $300.
I will pay $329 this year, but it's gone up every year. I think I had the better deal. I will definately be more out of pocket.
My deductible was $300, now it is $1000
My out of pocket max was $1000, now it is $4000
Co insurance is still 80%/20%
Preventative Care is still 100%
Radiology is the same.
Inpatient Hospital is the same
Emerency room is the same
Output surgery is the same
Prescription drug deductible was $75 and now $200
Prescription drugs are higher retail, same mail order -
Jan 19, 2014
4 1/2 hours of sleep according to Fitbit. Worrying and husband was out late.
Keeping to fairly normal hours
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Sleep Time is actually increasing
In small increments. Glad I got the Fitbit. I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it's the best measure I have. I'm tracking it as much as I can until I can get to the Insomia team.
Yes, there is an Insomia Team. Don't know much yet — I have an appointment with the intake doctor.
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Been to the Sleep Doctor
The machine is working. The restless leg medication is working (when I let).
We are switching masks. We are going to treat me for insomnia. Waiting for those appointments.
Sleep was better, weight is better.
Working on it all. Talking to a friend has also helped. She put things in prespective.
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Recovery
I have a sleep doctor appointment
Sent from my Windows Phone
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Recovery – Day 1 – I hope
Took awhile but I finally got to sleep. We'll know better when I see a sleep doctor.
Woke up at 5:30 and started dumping. It's a bariatric thing. Not sure when it will settle down. Plan is to go to the gym and work out.
Went through school email and forward some things to my department chair that effect students.
Recovery: I'm hoping. I spent the afternoon at my couselor's and primary care physician trying to come up with a plan. I'm very sick — and I'm realizing the not sleeping thing is as bad as the diabetes.
Today's plan is see the sleep doctor.
Good news: second set of blood pressure medication arrived.
During winter break I'd taken a rest from Express Scrips, prescription drugs and the whole mess after my endo and I had figured out our plan.
I have lovely system to manage my medication. I have individual pill containers from container store, nicely labeled, that screw together and stack. I have a two week supply and each week I fill up a week and when I see that I am going to run out of a medication I refill it.
I find using Medco/Express scripts system means I end up with too much medication — especially since we've had to redue dosages as I lose weight. Especially blood pressure medicaiton.
I skipped a week, the wrong week and ran out of blood pressure medication. I ordered the one I was closest one AND needed doctor approval. Got that right away, it arrived Saturday and then the landlord replaced the door on my mailbox office and no one could get to the mailbox <sigh> The mailbox owner got into the box on Sunday — which is fine since I had medication until Sunday. Won't be doing that again (skipping a week of managing meds).
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Summary of the @ExpressScripts Debacle
So on October 31, I blogged that I knew about the formulary change. I know that I called them on or right after that day and asked them what was up.
I also know they didn't know what they were going to do.
Blogged about it again on November 2, November 7 and November 15.
I also blogged about the Humulog experiement on December 24
I reached out to Express Scripts before they reached out to me. They had me stressed out for months over this thing, caused an extra doctor visit, and wear and tear on my psyche. AND now you are calling me and bothering me?
Seriously people.
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@ExpressScripts called me again
And it was one of those you love.
First, they called at the end of my 2nd period class. Since we had gone over material and they were supposed to be working on an assignment, I took the call — also I didn't want to play phone tag.
A pharmacy tech told me a pharmacist want to talk to me. I told her that I had already contacted Express Scripts before I contacted them, I already had a plan, that I was hoping that Express Scripts would leave me alone, and went through the fact that they had already annoyed me to the point I had filed a complaint with the state board of insurance and that I'm about to file a second. I also told them if I heard from them again about this matter I was going to find a lawyer and file harassement charges.
I was on hold for over 90 seconds waiting for the pharmicist and she interrupted me when I tried to tell her what was going on. I told her that I was a teacher, I was going to talk, she was going to take notes and I was going to make sure she understood what I said.
I said that I was a very educated diabetic, that I knew before Express Scripts contacted me and had reached out to them. I told them that I was using a Medtronics pump and was using my durable medical equipment to purchase scripts. I went through the procedure my doctor and I used to determine that I was not having an allergic reaction to humalog and that I would get a new script when the current insulin was used up.
I also told her I was putting on my blog and that her company needed to review my phone so they could learn how not to treat patients.
As in all my phone calls I protested the fact that the forumlary was changed in the middle of the plan and that was the basis of my complaint with the state board of insurance.
By the way, the students high-fived me at the end and agreed that I was nice since I hadn't cussed yet. They were pretty appalled at their end of the conversation.
Do you think that might be one of the reasons I'm not sleeping, it was in November.
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Access Issues
Nothing really big.
Yesterday at the robot competition one of the volunteers got on me because Dulce was walking on the basketball court.
She was okay with it when I replied that the university knew about Dulce (they did) and that she was a service dog. I also spent the day trying to keep her off the court as much as possible.
But right after that a competitor barked at her. Now I'm usually pretty gentle with people about that, but I got in his face and told him in no certain terms that not only was the behavior unacceptable but it was a behavior that would get him bit. The whole thing was getting on my nerves.
PEOPLE, teach your children.
But keeping Dulce off the court surface meant that I had carry her when we had to be on it, and she does weigh 15 pounds. That also meant that a few people had the ability to reach over and pet her and did — ANOTHER good way to get bit. Dulce is a really good dog, but because she is a service dog she is very protective and I don't like putting her in a position where she feels the need to protect me. She also weighs 15 pounds.
By the way, she is still tired, but I think she enjoyed the afternoon off.
Other notes: it's the first time I've been in public with students and they saw in a quick hurry what a PITA it can be. I think they got it in about 5 minutes, as we were followed with comments of "puppy" and cute.
After we were done competing, we were in the audience in the bleaches and one of my kids, an athlete looked down at her, looked at me, and said,"wow, Miss, she's really ripped". I just rolled my eyes, looked at him, and said, "you expected less, she's more of an athlete than you — she runs dog agility plus all her relatives are show dogs". We then spend some time talkimg about conformation and what judges are looking for. Of course, I didn't use the "c" word. I did use the "B" word, as everything thinks it funny she won "Winner's Bitch"