We’ve got PT/OT/ST!

From August 2:

OK, I only have the papers for PT, which came in the mail today, and recommend PT twice a week for 30 minutes each time. The ped. has to approve it and then we can make an appointment. Since we did the PT intake on Tuesday, and the OT/ST on Thursday, I figure we’ll have the other two reports on Tuesday of next week.

I think I may have spoken too soon when I said I prefer monrnings, because it didn’t really dawn on me that it probably meant keeping him out of school five days a week for up to an hour a day (to account for travel time too). OTOH, I don’t want to do it in the evenings because I don’t really have the time between picking them up from school, homework, making dinner, etc… and I’d have to take the other two kids with me. At least if it’s in the morning I only have Eshiva with me and Michael can go too, or one of us can take him alone and the other can stay home with Esh. I guess we’ll see how it plays out.

We still haven’t heard about the aid for school but we have not gotten na rejection letter either, and school starts in just a couple of weeks. I am hoping it’s a good sign.

And today:

The OT papers came today, I wont even get into it lol This one was 10 pages of what he can’t do, from properly holding a pencil (and adjusting his shoulder/trunk to compensate for it) to not liking to go backwards or upside down to a bunch of other stuff (like eating, paying attention, sitting, etc..) and suggested 45 min twice a week for 6 months, then re-eval.

Still waiting on the speech papers, and I am at the end of my rope about how to handle these appointments. I think this is why I was so happy to not have ins. before. I remember this, all the appointments, all the schlepping around, and my mom only had one other child to deal with. I don’t know how this is going to work between wanting morning appts (so Michael is in the loop) and not wanting him to miss school…. I’ll really worry about it when it happens, I’ll talk to the ESE lady (she’s fantastic) before hand and figure it out. I know it will work, I am just feeling very overwhelmed. This hasn’t even started and we’re at 1.5 hours total so far, which isn’t a lot, but plus travel time, plus ST if they decide to do it (he does get 4x 30 min at school, so they might not, and I like the school speech lady).

Still no word on the aid, but no denial either. It’s a little late in the game for a denial letter, so let’s keep hoping!

sedation dentistry and young children

Betcha can’t guess who this one is about wink.gif

We took the kids to a new dentist this morning. I wasn’t expecting it to be good, but I surely wasn’t expecting it to be as bad as it was!

I tried to take Malachai back first, and he just didn’t stop screaming. Not frustrated not-getting-what-I-want screaming, but melt down, freaking out, struggling to get away screaming, kicking, etc..

I finally gave up and left. The staff was told ahead of time to expect a problem, and not a single person offered to help, either by way of calming him down, explaining what was going on, or offering me a private room in which to calm him. One desk person actually shut the door to muffle him from the waiting area. At that I said fuck this and walked him out.

I phoned our nurse at CMS and when she phoned back I explained what happened and asked for a different dentist office. I was referred to Nova and was told they often do pediatric sedation dentistry. I assumed this meant knocked the fuck out, but Michael said he thought it meant they gave you a valium before the appointment. Um, that isn’t what I was expecting and frankly, I’d rather he get a drip that he wakes right up from once it’s stopped. Anyone know? I left a message with Nova, and the machine I got (I was transferred as soon as I said CMS) said to expect a reply in 24 – 48 business hours. Not sure if that means 1 – 2 days or a freaking week.

So yah, who knows about sedation dentistry and what questions do I ask when they call back? I can’t take him to the dentist we saw last year because her office does not take CMS. Dorian is switching over there though, he is going in two weeks. Thank god, I didn’t like the one we went to today as soon as I walked in the waiting room. Mom vibe wins again!

Good news is, Dor & Eshiva both have no cavities, their teeth have been cleaned and all Dor needs is his adult teeth sealed (which is why we’re headed back to Dr. Al, who rocks my dental world).

So far today…

I woke up, did some quick work, got dressed. Michael phoned a new vets office about Sasha, she has an appointment this afternoon. One of his clients said this office treats demodectic mange with a series of injections (vs the oral med, which we are using but isn’t working), so we’re gonna see if we can’t get her majesty fixed up.

I phoned, and missed the number to press, so then Michael phoned our pediatrician so we could take Dorian in. He has plantar worts on his foot. We successfully treated a single one last year with apple cider vinegar, but this was a little daunting. So the doc froze three of them, and the other three we’ll plaster with some OTC stuff (three were medium sized, the other three he said should clear up quickly with the OTC stuff). Dorian was fantastic for it. We got some lunch, threw out his nasty shoes, picked up some sandals, hit target for new shoes and the OTC stuff and some misc. other stuff, and dropped him off at school.

While at the doctors office I phoned, and rephoned, and rephoned again Florida Kid Care. I finally got through to someone and not hung up on. After explaining what was going on, she tried to tell me the application is only good for 120 days and I have to send in another and a bunch of other shit. I did raise my voice, and she fucking scoffed at me. I handed the phone to Michael because the dumb bitch on the other end was *not* listening to what I had to say or not understanding or something. Out of my beloved mouth came “but 120 days is four months, the date you just gave me was two months ago.” That seemed to be the turning point of this conversation, along with explaining that we faxed the Medicaid denial letters two – three weeks ago becase FKC said it would speed things along. Apparently One of my children was approved two weeks ago, and the other is active as of today. Now I am waiting on the insurance cards. Why the fuck do they waste so much postage and money sending things that don’t need to be sent (you know, like papers saying we have to apply again and another application)? It is so wasteful. Oh, and why I couldn’t get online? The system was down. No shit! That does not explain why I kept getting hung up on by the automated phone system. Bah. So I am waiting on the US mail system now I guess. I am stupidly excited to be able to take my kids to the dentist.

That’s about it. We got home and I was gonna work on a melon that has been ready to go for at least a week now, but the tube I was using was a one piece, so my new grip can’t be put on it. Michael told me I sounded disgusted and he was sorry we didn’t look at it before ordering the grip. The problem wasn’t that. The problem was I had an hour that he could sit me with, we could do this, and something else came up. It’s just frustrating, and I feel like it’s never gonna happen. None of my stuff sold either, so my DSLR probably isn’t gonna happen either. I am not getting it till I get rid of this other stuff, and oh well if it doesn’t happen. I don’t want to deal with ebay. Know anyone who wants a camera, vsmile, serger or embroidery machine? Send em my way!

digital sex at the doctors

What? Yah. I have a sonogram done today. They did it with the phallic wand doodad. Technical term. No joke.

Today I saw my uterus, my ovaries (avec oeufs), and my lovely little IUD right where it’s supposed to be. I saw no fibroids or anything out of place (ok, the tech saw and told me so).

There are precisely zero babies with antennae growing. My uterus is an inhospitable place. Yay!

For anyone who cares (and because I heart my IUD) I have a ParaGuard IUD. It’s the copper, non hormonal one. It’s good for ten years and I plan to having it replaced once it expires. I heart it. A lot.

More insurance bullshit

I forgot to post/record it for myself. Michael phoned FKC for me yesterday because I got a a third notice that Dorian was approved, but Malachai and Eshiva are being referred out to DCF for medicaid. WTF! So he calls and gets a bit of an answer. Apparently the income limit for hcildren under 6 is different from children over six. So Dorian qualified for KC and it will be effective next month. The two little ones might qualify for medicaid and supposedly we’ll be getting more paperwork to fill out.

In the mean time, my kid needs to see a dentist, but no one can do anything for me, either by way of telling me I can turn a bill into the insurance when we get it for reimbursement or if we’ll have it anytime soon. If they could tell me it would be effective May first (like with D) I’d just let it wait, as it’s not an “emergency” right now.

I just don’t understand why they can’t stick all three kids on the same plan. We obviously qualified for it. They are making my life difficult.