Not much to post tonight, much of the same so tonight's post will be short. Jerry struggled with nausea for the most part of the day, he did throw up a little which he usually does not. It's heart breaking for me, it's such a struggle for him because he doesn't have the muscle control to bring it up. There seems to be a pattern where the nausea comes on in the morning when you start moving his body for range of motion, it sticks around for most of the day and by 8:00 pm it's gone and he feels good. So what happens in the evening that reduces the nausea? We need to try and figure it out. We felt like the nausea was from pain medication however he had no pain meds all day and was still sick. Maybe it's one of his evening meds that calms his stomach, maybe we need to try some of the evening meds in the morning instead of evening to see if there's a change? Sheesh, nothing is simple in this mess.
I spent a good amount of time on the phone with insurance today and found out our insurance will only pay $2,000 total for the calendar year for equipment. Yeah, I know, shocking. I was greatly disappointed to hear this news. We thought they would be covering Jer's power chair, manual chair, hospital bed, Hoyer lift, commode chair etc. Jer will have approx $55,000 in equipment needs, how can Blue Cross justify only covering $2,000, unbelievable is all I can say about that. Jerry qualified for medical we are hoping to get some support to cover costs through them. Tomorrows task will be to contact medical and find out what they will cover as the secondary insurance.
On a more positive note I contacted SCI-Fit and we have an appointment on Monday, their only requirement is that we have a doctors release to begin intensive rehab and do weight bearing exercise. I contacted Jerry's doctor and he had no problem faxing me a release. Hallelujah, we are all set to check out SCI-Fit on Monday. Jerry needs this badly, to stay focused on rehab, to work actively on trying to regain some movement, this is so exciting. I just gotta give Dr. Quinn a shout out, he's awesome. I called him about 2:15 and didn't expect to talk with him in person to request the release. I figured it would be at least a day before I heard anything back however he called me less then 2 hours later. We talked about Jerry's constipation issues and before we were even off the phone he had already faxed in a prescription to the pharmacy. He said he would fax the release right away for rehab. I could hear the disappointment in doctors voice when he asked if home health care had started yet and I told him I hadn't even been contacted by them yet. He said he would be calling them just as soon as we got off the phone. It's so wonderful to have a doctor be so responsive, we love his style.
Well I guess this post wasn't so short after all, I'm off to bed.
Good night,
Katie
3 comments:
thanks for all you do
Hey guys,
What great doctors you have. It's nice to know that someone in the medical field is hands on. Kudos to Dr. Quinn and Dr. Soloman!
You heard the old saying, "This too shall pass?" Here is a prayer that the nausea will pass, permanently. That the insurance company messed up and will cover all $55,000.
That the equipment Jerry needs will be delivered and that rest will come to the weary.
Looking forward to dinner tonight.
See ya soon,
Gretch
Katie, thanks so much for the updates. I see so many people in town who tell me somewhere in their daily routine, connecting to this site has become paramount. It is one of the many tools God is using to reach so many people to pull us together for His glory.
Wow, doctors making house calls, calling back withing 2 hours, advocating for their patients - yippeee! Thanks docs! You are a bright light.
There are multitudinous details to have to follow up on. It is an overwhelming task. You can only do as much as you can do in the day light hours and yet there seems to be an urgency to have it all put in its place. And that's secondary to Jerry's comfort and energy levels. Blessings to you dear, devoted MacCallisters.
Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Often times we aren't sure what to say or how we can help. Praying is huge, we understand, and we want to help more. Father, I offer prayers of comfort and release from worry and overwhelming feelings that engulf the Macs at their lowest points. Thank you for the friends who come to visit, thank you for guiding us to be visible and physical messengers of your love, strength ans comfort for them. And Father, may we be mindful of their needs and deliver to them nourishment in every form. Thank you for the sunshine, as much as we need the rain, we welcome both and greatly appreciate the brightness and renewed vigor to the trees we live under. We continue to pray that your plan be unveiled. Amen
Mary's got a germ so she won't be by until next week and I'm headed to Irvine to see Chris this weekend. Hey, Mary wants to know who did in the last of the eclair? Seven layers of ganache, custard, strawberries, whipped cream and pastry - oh and the chocolate coated top is the best one yet - according to Mary.
Much love,
The Proffitts
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