Waiting for the phone to ring…

Yesterday, paperwork was submitted to a pharmacy to fill a prescription. Since the medicine needs to be infused through an intravenous line, it needs to be filled via a specialty pharmacy. This is always a long process, which frequently goes awry.

Today, I was waiting and waiting for the pharmacy to call to confirm my insurance information. Normally, the phone is silent. Days and even weeks go by without a single call. Today, however, the phone was ringing non-stop.

I kept looking and looking at the caller identification. My mom called, a few telemarketers called, three medical facilities called. I hoped each time my phone rang, it would be the pharmacy. However, as the clock passed 5 p.m., I knew all hope of the pharmacy calling was lost.

So, I wait, hope and pray tomorrow the pharmacy will call.

When God foils my week of plans

Last week was supposed to have been very busy. I was trying to juggle multiple different ventures.

First, I discovered on Sunday, it was home parenteral nutrition awareness week. This includes IV nutrition I used called TPN. I felt compelled to film a video about how I set-up my TPN.

On Monday, I make a late night video in my bathroom of how I set up my TPN nutrition. I miraculously make it through the video, and things go rather well when shooting. I stay up late editing the video.

On Tuesday, I fly around trying to get things done. I hit some walls which yield little fruit, but overall, I get a number of things accomplished.

The following day, I am supposed to have several medical appointments. I am to see my pulmonologist in the morning, my primary doctor in the afternoon and also have lab work drawn. I am stressed how everything is going to come together, but I assure myself God will make everything work.

Late on Tuesday, I receive a phone call. It is my pulmonologist’s office. The appointment has been cancelled. I am devastated. I have been having issues with swelling in my trachea since March. This is the fourth time the visit has been cancelled. I am nearly in tears. My trachea hurts so much. But I guess I will have to continue to wait—and pray my trachea does not swell completely shut.

Suddenly my busy Wednesday is no longer so busy. The stress of that day has been taken away.

Additionally, I am contacted by my respiratory therapist. She was planning on visiting me on Thursday. But now, she has decided to cancel and re-schedule for the following week. My busy week suddenly becomes mellow.

I thank God for the decrease of stress in my life, but I also pray for my trachea. With the holidays fast approaching, my trachea may not be examined until after the first of the year.

Did I get scammed by the ‘Fraud’ Department?

I am sitting in my bed, reading the Bible. The phone rings. It is an automated call. The voice asks for me using my full name. I am to push any button to continue. I am again told my full name and the last four digits of my credit card number. The computer tells me there’s fraud on my account. It then tells me it will connect me to the fraud department.

This is all very familiar to me. I have gone through this process several times. My bank or credit card contacts me. It is always an automated voice call. At the end of the message, it connects me to the fraud department.

When the woman at the fraud department answers, she immediately wants to know my credit card number. I am a little taken aback. How do I know this woman is really with my credit card company? I am tempted to hang up the call and call my credit card company using the number on the back of my card. Instead, I tell the woman I do not have my credit card number. She then asks for my telephone number and last four digits of my credit card number. I figure this is a safe to give since the company (or scammer) had already given me this information in the automated call.

The woman looks up my account. She tells me there is a $1 charge from a business I have never heard of. I tell her I have not used my card lately. It must be fraud. The woman then goes through a fraud report asking me if I am traveling, if I have the card in my possession, etc. The employee goes on a very long monologue which sounds as though she is reading from a sheet about the steps which will be taken to monitor my account and to investigate the fraud.



The representative says she will send out a new card to me, but she needs to verify my identity. She asks for my birth year, last four of my social security number and address. She also asks for the date the last time the card was used and where it was used.

I am VERY hesitant to give out this information. But again, it is only part of my information. If you have my phone number, you can easily find my address online. Can anyone do much with just four digits of my social security number or my birth year? I decide since the woman has an American accent, and has gone to great lengths to assist me in filing a fraud report, this is probably the fraud department at the credit card company. I give her the information. She tells me my new card will be sent out express mail, etc., etc.

When the phone call ends, I am overcome with panic. Maybe this woman was a scammer. I look up my account information to login in to my credit card account online. When I enter the site, I cannot find my credit card! I know the last four digits, but the card listed on the site has a different last four digits. I browse through the credit card information. I am able to discern from when the last credit card payment was that this was my old account. The number has already been changed. I feel a little bit better. I do not think a scammer would hack into my credit card account and change my account number.

When I logout of the account, I receive an email from my credit card company thanking me for contacting the fraud department. It gives details about the claim, all of which match what I discussed with the representative on the phone.

After the whole ordeal, I was a little shaken up. I decide if this ever happens again, I will hang up the phone and call my credit card company using the number on the back of my card. I do not want to be scammed by the ‘fraud’ department.

250,000 Views! Thank you!

Two and a half years ago, my mom told me I should start a YouTube channel. She described the videos she was watching and said I could make videos just as well as the people online.

I had been thinking for four years about starting a YouTube channel, but I did not have a camera. By a bizarre twist of events, I had recently ended up with a computer which had a web camera on it. I could now film videos.

I decided to take the plunge. What could be the worst thing which could happen? It flops and I go on with my life.

Surprisingly, my videos were successful. I was stunned. People wanted to watch my videos. I kept creating more and more videos, and eventually found a niche.

I was stunned when I logged in to YouTube and saw a notification which congratulated me on reaching 250,00 views. I was shocked. I had no idea my channel had that many views. What was a wonderful victory which I attribute to my mom pushing me and God allowing me to have the resources available to film videos.

 Thank you for all your love and support!

 

 

What a difference a week makes

Last week, things were falling apart. It was one obstacle after another: food poisoning, a frozen fridge, sewage backup in my bathroom and a broken down car. I was praying nothing else would happen, but of course, more things came up.

I had a medical appointment, and the doctor wanted to schedule a procedure. (I was not excited about that.) Then, I almost forgot to have my monthly labs drawn for IV nutrition, but praise be to God, I was reminded before driving 45 minutes home. However, the lab orders were partially rejected by my insurance company. I only was able to get some of the blood work drawn.

Next, my doctor messed up my prescriptions. One drug’s dosage was only one tenth of the amount I take. Another drug I was only given two tablets a day instead of three.
 

Then, I spent the week calling another doctor’s office asking for a prescription. After talking to the office seven times, finally at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, the prescription was processed at the pharmacy. And that was the turning point in my life.

Suddenly, things became better. This week, the procedure my doctor wanted me to have is on hold. I also found out the medical provider who is to do the minor surgery is one of my favorite people. He is highly skilled at his job. Also, a massive YouTube video ended up not being that much work. It came together much faster (and easier) than I anticipated. Additionally, I received a lot of very kind YouTube comments, which always make me smile.

It is hard to believe the difference between last week to this week. I hope this week I can get some rest.

I am praying not else happens…

The last few days have been chaotic. First, the refrigerator decided to freeze up. Everything had to be taken out of the refrigerator and placed in coolers. After the fridge thawed, the machine did not want to run properly. After a few restarts, the device finally started cooling off and has continued to run smoothly. Everything was returned back to the fridge.

Next, sewage backed up into my shower and overflowed my toilet. The smell was awful! Raw sewage was all over the floor and shower! I was dreading having to call a plumber and paying a lot of money to clear the line. But praise be to God, the blockage cleared when I tried to remove the cover over the shower drain. Then, there was an extensive clean-up. Everything seems to be working again.

Last night, my parents were using the car. When they wanted to return home, the car would not start. My dad tried using a car charger, but the car would not start. A tow truck was summed. After waiting 4 hours, the tow truck never came; the car was abandoned. After seeing my parents returned home safely, I went to bed and fell asleep around 2 a.m.

This morning, the tow truck was summoned again. Thankfully, this time it was there in less than 20 minutes. The car’s starter is not working. It had to be towed to the service station. The repair shop is really backed up with cars needing service. When we will get the car back is not known.

I am so exhausted. I am praying nothing else happens.

Weeping and Begging God. Then a MIRACLE!

Sometime in the last five years, I began following a young woman’s medical journey on Facebook. She is brave, but life has dealt her a less than ideal hand as far as her health is concerned. When an obstacle comes, she bravely puts on a stoic face and perseveres. She is such an inspiration.

Recently, an infection hit her body hard. It invaded her jaw, brain, hip, leg, etc. Her body was ravaged. The hospital where she was at was trying to help, but it was evident this young woman’s medical needs were far beyond what the hospital could offer. A request was made for her to go to one of the elite medical centers in the USA. A bed never became available.

Last week, the hospital gave up on my friend. They sent hospice in and said they were going to send her home. (She was being sent home to die.) I am not sure why, but I flew off into a hot rage! How dare this hospital treat this woman so poorly! They have dragged their feet over and over again, and the infection is spreading. Yes, it could end her life, but let’s see what the experts say at a world-renowned medical center.

I wept and sobbed. I cried out to God, “This is so not fair! Why is my friend stuck at that hospital? Why can’t she get better care?” I prayed and poured out my heart to God.

A few days later, I read an update. A miracle occurred. Her medical team decided she could continue to fight and should be transferred to the large hospital. My friend had been transferred and was seeing a plethora of specialists.

My sweet friend is by no means out of the woods. She had a VERY extensive surgery to get rid of the infection in her leg. She will have to have part of her jaw removed, have her jaw wired shut and wait for the infection to clear before going back in and fixing her jaw. She has a very long road to recovery…but there is a plan!

I have been praying for my friend day and night. I sincerely hope she is soon on the path to better health and this medical ordeal will quickly be nothing more than a distant memory.