WOO HOO for booties!! We have 4 new pairs of booties!!!  Thank you Dana and Aunt Linda and Uncle Dick.  Ok, that link doesn’t really go to them but to their DIL blog. :)  If we are inundated with booties I think we may donate some to the hospital. There is a “Treatment Room” on the 2^nd floor where they take kids to do uncomfortable procedures. That way your roommate doesn’t have to listen to the kid scream. We took Jill there to have her new NG tube dropped and for her Neupogen shots. They have a “prize box” that the kids get to choose something from after the procedure. I can’t tell you how great it was for Jillian. She immediately stopped crying and started intently searching through the box. We were chatting about her choices instead of continuing to cry. Most of the toys in there are McDonald’s happy meal toys. Perhaps I’ll pick up some little toys for the box next time I’m at the store. I’d love to put some cool booties in there. Booties or socks are required to play in the playroom. The hospital will give the kids some socks if they don’t have any but honestly, they are weird socks. J

I had a horrible time with the insurance today. I was near tears after spending 2 hours on the phone. It all started when I tried to call Dr. Rowe to set an appointment. I wanted the appointment for next Thursday. We are going to be admitted that morning anyway so I figured I’d get Jill all tucked in and then I’d head across the street to my appointment. So I call Dr. Rowe’s office and I am told I can not make an appointment until I get a referral from her Primary Care Provider. I tried to explain that her PCP knew nothing of this, in fact she has NO PCP because the girl has never been to a doctor!! They said I need to find a PCP, visit the PCP and then get a referral from the PCP.

So I call my insurance company and ask them who in the world is Jillian’s PCP anyway. They give the name of an imaginary doctor and the number of an Internal Medicine office. I call and quickly realize there is a problem.  NO doc by that name at that place and they can’t help me at all.

I call the insurance company back and change my PCP. She gives me another false doc and number. I called someone named Amanda’s cell phone.

I call the oncology clinic at PCH just to verify that they can’t give me a referral. Nope.

I call the local pediatrician and see if THEY take my insurance and plan to do this backwards and call the insurance company after I’ve already established there really are flesh and blood doctors at the office. The receptionist is totally boggled by my situation. “So has she been seen here?” “No.” “So what pediatrician was she seeing?” “None.” “How old is she?” “Four.” “Four months?” “Four years.” “And she has never been to a pediatrician?” “No. She has been healthy.” “Oh. Not even for well child checks?” “No.”  “Well, if she has never been to a pediatrician how did you get her diagnosed?”  “We went to the ER at PCH.”  “So the only doctors she has ever seen are at PCH?”  “Yes.” :::strange silence:::  “Ok….well…I guess we will set it as a new patient visit. Do you have anything with the diagnosis written on it?” “I’m sure I do. I have a three ring binder full of papers.” “Ok, just bring that binder on Monday. I’ll have the doctor go over it…” “I’m not giving you my binder. I will give you copies of whatever it is that you need. What exactly are you looking for?” “Well, I’m not sure. Maybe you can just bring whatever paperwork you think might work. So you just bring it over on Monday and I’ll have the doctor look at it and then….[this is where she went on a 15 second tangent].” So I say “Ok, so you want me to bring my paperwork in on Monday…” She cuts me off “Yes, just bring it on Monday and then…” [another 15 second tangent in which she repeats almost verbatim her first tangent.] I try again “Ok, so you want me to bring the paperwork on Monday…[cuts me off again…same tangent] I’m annoyed. I start once again “So you want me to bring the paperwork on Monday…” Yep, she cuts me off AGAIN!!! So I scream into the phone “WILL YOU PLEASE LET ME FINISH??? YOU KEEP CUTTING ME OFF!!!” I finally am able to ask her if she really intends me to drop off my paperwork and then wait for the doctors to read it and then wait for her to call me back to finally make an appointment to get a stupid paper for a referral. Ok, I was nice and civil about it but the system is so screwed up!! She says that yes, that is her intention.

I call the insurance company to change my PCP once again and find out that Dr. so-n-so at that peds office is not accepting new patients!!!  AHHHHHHH!!!!!  I hang up, walk into my bedroom, find the list of providers and call a NEW pediatricians office!! I should have gotten that book out to begin with!!

I called the peds office and the receptionist was SO nice and helpful and nice and helpful and did I say nice? I commended her and she said that they get a lot of business from the other peds office when people leave due to poor customer service. I can see why.

This is how the story ends…Jillian has an appointment on Tuesday afternoon to see a doctor she has never seen before nor will likely ever see again so that we can get a piece of paper that says we can visit the surgeon. How dumb is that??? I am hoping I can still get into see Dr. Rowe on Thursday. I’ll be calling her office as I pull out of the parking lot of the peds office. I really don’t want to have to drive down to PCH for a special trip.

Look at what cool parents we are!!

I bought two identical dollies today. I picked the ones that had the biggest nostrils. Then Jeff drilled out the nostrils and Jillian dropped an NG tube!!

How cute is that??? And I bought an extra one to gift to the 2^nd floor playroom. They have a little table with dollies and syringes and bandaids. I remember one of the first times we went to the playroom Jillian wanted to go over and play with the dollies. We had fun pretending to give the babies shots. I gave them shots and pretended they were crying while Jillian smiled. It was great to help her work through all the procedures that she had to endure. We played them out with the dollies.

Here are some pictures of weed pulling the other day.

In other news our kitty, Patches, is missing. Jeff and the girls just left to hang out signs.

Comments

Mar. 31, 2007 – Untitled Comment

Posted by 6littlelambs (69.214.119.173)

Katie you are indeed the coolest most creative parent I know!!!
Love,
Renee
www.6littlelambs.blogspot.com/

Apr. 1, 2007 – Good work Mom!!!

Posted by ChristsInstrument (70.66.141.145)

Great job in everything you’re doing!
Sheila

Apr. 1, 2007 – Now I remember….

Posted by deedeeuk (85.210.173.141)

…..why it is that I’m soooo thankful for the NHS here in England!! NO INSURANCE COMPANIES!!!! Those dolls are soo cute too! You are fab parents!!

Apr. 2, 2007 – Untitled Comment

Posted by quiverfullacres (68.155.171.179)

necessity is the mother of invention afterall….the doll is something special. I am sure they will enjoy it. Bummers about the receptionist at the peds office. Prayers and hugs to your family.

Apr. 2, 2007 – Untitled Comment

Posted by SusannahCox (71.62.178.87)

She looks so good. You are doing so well with her! And the dolly is very cute. :)

Apr. 4, 2007 – Hi!

Posted by dawilli (63.171.43.242)

Oh, what a great idea! I love the dolly with the tube! How precious.
Keep up the great work,
you inspire me,
ali
(I’ve been working on my yes-mommying!)

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