One Of Those Weeks

This past week has been filled with various stressors, one after the other. First, on Monday while meeting                                                        with my hand orthopedist Dr. Foster, we determined that I needed carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand. Though the carpal tunnel is mild, with the inflammation from my RA it could worsen, so we are getting it taken care of. After the appointment my mom and and I did some shopping at Target since she had that day off for Columbus Day. While leaving Target, the joystick on power chair broke, and it wasn't really that safe to drive it. It had become loose after I had bumped it in the narrow non-handicap accessible doorway at the Metro Access office the prior week, in which my pump had also been broken because of that. I had called Travis Medical and had to take the chair down there later that afternoon so they could take a look at it. They said that they needed to order the part from Pennsylvania, and that if I wanted my insurance to cover it, it would take 2-3 weeks. They offered to tape it until the part came in so I could still drive it, but since I have to adjust the joystick in order for it to fit into the car that wasn't  viable option. The part is $200, so I will pay for it out of pocket so we can get it fixed sooner, and then file an insurance claim.

These weren't the only stressors that occurred. Yesterday I went to work on my schoolwork on my computer, and I couldn't open a document I saved. My grandfather was helping me over the phone, and when I e-mailed the document to him so he could try to open it on his computer, his anti-virus alert showed up, and we learned I had a trojan virus on my computer. Now my computer doesn't have anti-viral software on it because Mac computers are not prone to getting viruses, but this was one that can attack Macs. My grandfather tried to get rid of the virus with the help of various online tech support sites, with no success. So this morning he took it to a place that we use that fixes Mac computers, and they were able to fix it, which was/is a big relief.

As if these issues weren't enough, there was another stressor, and that was my insurance company. I have still been waiting on the outcome of the appeal that my doctor has sent to my insurance company regarding my IVIG treatment. I had called Aetna and they said that they had sent a fax and called his office about setting up the peer to peer review with my doctor and the doctor from Aetna. I called Dr. C's (my rheumatologist and doctor who is prescribing the IVIG) office and they had said that Aetna had been calling Dr. CB's (my Hem/Onc doctor and the one who is administering the IVIG) office, and asking for insurance person at Dr. C's office. This explained the delay, and Dr. C's office got everything straightened out on Wednesday. Since I hadn't heard anything I called Aetna today. Aetna said that because it was a medication that I needed to speak with CVS Caremark (there prescriptions department) but they were having difficulty finding the necessary info. I said I needed to know the status of the situation today because this has been ridiculous. Someone from Caremark said they would call me back in 15 minutes, and an hour and a half later there was still no call back. I called again, and they said that this was something handled by the pre-certification/appeals department at Aetna. After being transferred to that apartment a representative said that she had received a phone call from the pre-certification nurse saying that the time frame for the peer to peer had expired due to them trying to call the doctors office with no response. I said that that was unacceptable do to the fact that Aetna was calling the wrong doctor, and my physician had been waiting for their call, and that this was a mistake on their part not the physicians. They said that the doctors office was supposed to call them about the peer to peer and I said he did and that your medical director said he would call him back at certain time and never did because the medical director called the wrong number. The representative couldn't believe that and put a message to the pre-certification nurse about what happened so that the medical director could call the doctor at the correct number on Monday. I told them I want someone to call me back at 4:00 PM on Monday to let me know the status, because the mistakes that occurred were unacceptable. 

As one can imagine, dealing with all of this was definitely a challenge. I already have so many issues going on in my life right now and I don't need anymore, but who does. I realized that I could either sit there and have anxiety and be a nervous wreck about it, or I could try and find a solution to the problem and know that unexpected stressors like these are a part of life, and not under my control. My faith and trust in God also help me deal with things like this, by helping me to be at peace. When I am at peace I am able to think and handle situations in a healthy and positive way, and not make the situation worse. Part of being a young adult and growing up is knowing that there will always be unexpected challenges that arise. Its how we deal with these stressors and challenges that will determine the outcome. 


Joyful Love
         &
Blessings In The Lord
Alexandra K. Acosta