Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. Mattie was home from the hospital after a treatment. We were never home for long, as Mattie would develop a fever and we would have to turn right around a day or so later for the hospital. This photo captures a private moment at home. Mattie suffered from pain, depression, and anxiety. Which was extremely painful to witness as his mom. Most of the times, I was strong and put up a brave front for Mattie, but there were these quiet moments when the reality got to both of us.
Quote of the day: The law of evolution is that the strongest survives!' 'Yes, and the strongest, in the existence of any social species, are those who are most social. In human terms, most ethical...There is no strength to be gained from hurting one another. Only weakness. ~ Ursula K. Le Guin
I woke up this morning at 5:30am. Why? Because the HVAC expert was coming between 8 and 8:30am. I had to allot time to get myself ready, do morning chores, and shower, dress, and get my dad downstairs before this professional came over. There is no way I can juggle interfacing with anyone and managing my dad, unless he is downstairs and dressed. I have learned this the hard way! Since I am the only adult on duty in my house, I can't be distracted when trying to resolve a household issue.
After a week worth of phone calls, putting my complaint in an email, and then finally demanding to talk to a manager yesterday, I secured a visit from their team expert, who happens to not only understand HVAC issues but electrical problems. Jonathan was with me today from 8:30am to 12:30pm. He rewired the control panel in the attic, replaced a sensor which communicates to the thermostat, reconnected the Wi-Fi capability to the thermostat and the list goes on. He truly was a God sent. We even worked on programming the thermostat together and he did not leave until he was convinced that the problem was addressed. Best of all, he charged me nothing, as all this work was covered under the warranty I have with this company. All I know is today we had heat on the second floor. I am hoping this is a trend. I don't want to speak too soon, because around here, nothing goes according to plan. But can you imagine we survived all winter without heat on the second floor?
In the midst of juggling Jonathan, my mom's physical therapist came over. Since her reporting of issues isn't always accurate, I had to be present. I discussed with the therapist one of my mom's issues. She is a toe walker. That means someone who walks with their toes up in the air. Typically with age, the toes scrunch the floor, trying to grab on and help with balance. But in my mom's case the opposite is happening. This is impacting her balance, makes her a candidate for falls, and the problem is she has seen four doctors regarding this problem. No one has been helpful, but I am convinced it is a neurological issue and associated with her Parkinson's condition. But imagine walking and your toes are constantly rubbing against your shoes. This causes my mom to have extreme toe pain, and she lands up wearing sandals and socks all the time. Regardless of whether it is raining or freezing out.
I also followed up on my MRI and Prolia script. So far my insurer has denied both. But today I was able to schedule the MRI at an outpatient radiology center, which supposedly is covered by insurance. Because I have never had scans at this center before, they require me to provide them with all prior images for comparisons. I literally said to myself.... I DON'T THINK SO! So I reached out to my doctor's office and they are getting the hospital to forward all my films to this outpatient center. Thankfully, one task down.
Then I connected with my endocrinologist's office. If you are a loyal reader then you know I can't take this office! I think it is poorly run and my doctor's nurse needs sensitivity training. She has refused to answer my health insurer's questions regarding why I need Prolia. She insisted she knew the system and therefore was just going to reapply for authorization of the drug for me, rather than complying with the insurer's request. Of course she was wrong. The health insurer denied the request again and told her she HAD to complete the necessary paperwork! Which finally, over a month later, she did it. So let's see if I can access to a drug, a drug which I have been taking for two years now.
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