Forgetting. Can I blame this on my ovarian cyst?

Over the weekend, a woman contacts me regarding getting a tracheostomy tube and using a ventilator. She has a lot of questions. As I read her email, I immediately think, “This would make a great YouTube video.” I respond to the woman’s request, giving her brief answers. I explain I will make a YouTube video which will give more details.

I look at the calendar. I could rush the video and release it on June 5. But I do not want to do this as I like to have time to write the script, film the video, edit it and then go back through the video and re-edit it at a later time. The process takes about two weeks. I tell the woman I will release the video on June 12.

I immediately begin writing the script. I write and re-write the words. I am fairly happy with the script. I just need to film it, do production work, edit it, etc. I plan to shoot the video this week.

When I film this week, I am extremely tired. I have on my computer desktop the video I had originally planned to tape this week. Without thinking, I open up that script and film that video. It is only after I am done filming do I realize I taped the wrong video!

I sigh, and am thankful I can still film the trach/vent video next week. It will be a rush to get it done, but at least I will not break my promise to the woman. I have been extremely preoccupied with my ovarian cyst. I think I will credit this slip of the mind to my ovarian cyst…because the only other option is admitting my mind does not remember like it used to (and that means I have to admit I am getting old!).

Why I panic when the gas tank is low.

 Whenever I get into the car with my dad, I often hear the low gasoline chime. The car is low on gas. But, the place where we get gas is about 45 minutes away. My dad refuses to get gas anywhere else. My dad tells me the gas indicator is just an approximation. There is always more gas in the tank.

As a child, the gasoline station we used was on the other side of town. There was a hill and several stop signs. During one adventure, the car said it was out of gas. But have no fear. My dad was going to skip getting gas at a number of other gas stations. He was going to his petroleum station. As we ascended the hill, the car lost speed. It coughed and chugged to get up the hill. I was paranoid the car was going to turn off, and we would roll backwards into the traffic behind us. Praise God, that did not happen.

Upon reaching the top of the hill, the car lurched forward, and we gained some speed. I was nearly in tears as my father refused to stop at a gasoline station. No, we had to continue on to the gasoline station he preferred. Before reaching the station, the car ran out of gas. Praise God, there was no one exiting the gasoline station. We coasted into the station. My dad steered the car into the closest pump. He applied the brake, and we stopped.

My dad in triumph said, “See. We made it!” He thought he was deserving of a gold medal. I, on the other hand, was sick to my stomach and was crying.

 Since that incident, I always make sure there is at least 1/4 of a tank of gas. I am paranoid to run out of gas.

For what it is worth, today, my dad again had an empty gas tank. The car said it had 46 miles until empty. My dad needed to drive 45 miles to get to his preferred gas station. I am very glad I am not in the car with him. I cannot tolerate the stress of an empty gas tank. I hope he makes it to the station. He has in the past run out of gas.

It’s exhausting to be in pain

When I was at a recent doctor’s appointment, the physician was shocked at the size of my ovarian cyst. She said, “That must cause a lot of pain. How do you sleep at night?” The question took me off guard. I had pain, but it did not interfere with my sleep. Yes, if I woke up, the cyst was uncomfortable, but after tossing and turning, I could usually find a position which was more comfortable and fall back to sleep.

Since this weekend, however, my pain has changed. My ovarian cyst is causing a tremendous amount of pain. I have a hard time falling asleep. I also have woken up in the middle of the night screaming in pain. Additionally, I usually wake up early in the morning from the pain.

I am trying to only take over-the-counter pain medicine, but it often does not touch the pain. I break down and pill split a precious pain pill. Sometimes the pain medicine lessens the pain; sometimes, the pain remains the same. I grit my teeth and try to continue on with my day.

I am absolutely exhausted. The constant pain is using up a lot of my energy. Plus, not getting much sleep is also taxing my body. I hope and pray I can have my ovarian cyst removed (and also have other endometrial complications resolved) with surgery. When will this happen? Probably not until the end of summer.

One obstacle after another. Crawling through the days

Last week was extremely stressful. My monthly reminder of womanhood came. Five loads of laundry later, the mess was cleaned up. Then I had to film YouTube videos. I continued to be sick with my monthly friend. I went to a doctor’s appointment and was sent to the hospital. Sleepless nights followed. I had two drug reactions. Before getting anything resolved, I was sent home. Then it was time to unpacked from the hospital and frantically get caught up with life.

My computer’s battery failed while in the hospital. My mom tried to get the computer fixed, but it would cost over $1,000 for repairs. Thankfully, my mom gave me her old computer,
and she bought a new device. Then I had to transfer all my files to her old computer. I had to film more YouTube.

When I thought things might be calming down, I found out my appointment with a doctor this week needed a referral. Without a referral, the clinic would not bill my insurance. I would then be on the hook for the charges. I had to cancel the appointment. So, I now need to get an appointment to see my primary care provider and get a referral to the doctor.

Lastly, I need to find a gynecologist who will be able to remove my ovarian cyst. Perhaps this is a futile search, but there is one more doctor’s office I can call to ask if they accept my insurance. My ovarian cyst is growing and is causing pain. I need it removed, but who will do the surgery remains a mystery.

A Billing Victory!

In December, my IV line called a PICC line was running slow. Blood clots had developed in the line, which was impeding the flow. I received a medicine from my infusion company to help break up the clots in my PICC line.

In January, I received a bill for $35. I was confused. The medicine is covered by my insurance. After talking to a woman in the billing department, I realized the $35 charge was not for the medicine but for the supplies associated with administering the medicine.

I have two main insurance plans—a primary and secondary. The primary covers most items; however, it does not cover any charges associated with the administration of medicine. Thankfully, my secondary insurance covers these charges.

The woman at the billing department saw the bill had not been sent to my insurance companies. She put a note on my account to have the bill sent to my insurance.

In February, I received another bill. I called. I was again told the bill was not submitted to my insurance. Another note was placed on the account.

In March, I received another bill. I called. This time I was told my primary insurance refused payment. I said, “Yes. They do not cover that charge. Please bill my secondary insurance.” A note was placed on my account.

In April, I received another bill. I called. I was told my primary insurance did not pay. I said it needed to be submitted to my secondary insurance.

Now, I was getting frantic. I only had eight days before the bill was in danger of being sent to collections. I contacted my nurse from the infusion company. She put in requests to the billing department for my bill to be sent to my secondary insurance. She did not receive a response back from anyone.

Today, the last day my bill before the bill was going to sent to collections, I called the infusion company. I had my credit card in hand. I was going to pay the bill rather than have $35 hurt my credit. If the bill was sent to collections, I would be forced to pay it anyway. I mind as well pay it before my credit is ruined.

When I called, I decided to not go through the automated bill pay. Instead, I opted to talk to someone. When the woman answered, I explained I wanted to check the balance on my bill. I gave her all my information. Behold, the bill had a ZERO balance! I could not believe it. I was nearly jumping around my room. Oh happy joy! Praise God! This bill is finally resolved!