Phone Call #1: "Hi--I'm calling to add my baby on to my insurance (so they stop sending me all those bills, for crying out loud!). ... How long ago was she born? 38 days... What do you mean I only have 30 days to add her or else I end up paying for all of her healthcare for her entire first year of life $$$? You paid the $5000 worth of delivery bills--I think you should be able to figure out I had a baby!" (By this time the breathing has sped up and I'm starting to panic).In the end, they asked who Ryan worked for, and when I told the insurance person, she said she thought I was allowed 60 with that employer. But she wasn't sure. She needed to check. And that took a while. And I could hardly breathe as I imagined the hundreds of dollars we would loose if she wasn't right. But she was. And we can still afford Christmas.
Phone Call #2: "Hello, poison control? Yes, this is the same mom calling about the same child that drank a quarter of the ibuprofen bottle 2 weeks ago. (Okay, so I didn't say that. But I think the guilt was pretty thick in my voice nontheless). Anyway, we've branched out to cough medicine now. The kind with that smooth orange taste. Still about a quarter bottle. In a 35 lb toddler. What should I do? (Holding breath as she does calculations...) ...You say the safest bet is to go in to an ER to have him observed for 2 hours in case he has a seizure? I sure hope so, because I have absolutely nothing else going on today, and I'd love to bring my newborn and amazingly active 3-year old into a germ-laden and confining ER. And have to pay for it.
This one ended up with me deciding that since he just barely fell into the ER-observation/just-might-have-a-seizure level, and we live really close to a hospital, and that I would rather have sawed my arm off with a dull knife then spend two hours in the ER with my son (a bit of an exaggeration, but not much)--I would just use my keen nursing skills to observe him on my own. They said he might be groggy (no such luck), but even that didn't happen.
In both cases, I feel like the outcomes have been like little early Christmas presents to a very exhausted mother who is having a hard time keeping up with everything. I can do without the drama, but I appreciate feeling like God is watching over us.
6 comments:
Oh, Amy! You're the best! I hate phone calls like that, and I've had plenty of them over the year with insurance folks. Drives you crazy.
I'm glad young Andrew Quinn is o.k. after his Ibuprofin/cough medicine escapades. Tell him to go easy on his mom. Seriously. But at least he went for the orange flavored cough medicine (that always was my favorite).
The family pictures are so beautiful! You look fantastic! The whole crew does! Oh, that Chloe is gorgeous ... I wish I could come give her a big squeeze. Your card turned out wonderful! I need a big photoshop lesson from you. Can you come on out to Utah? Please? Get those cards in the mail (and I'll try to do the same). My goal next year is to design my own on photoshop. I have a million ideas running through my head but no computer skill set to accomplish them. Must fix that!
Hope you have a very happy holiday season.
Talk to you soon!
I think I was holding my breath through that whole post.
Andrew, Andrew, what are you going to do. Next thing you'll be having a heart attack on us with those antics. But the Lord knows you well and certainly sent him to the perfect Mom.
Good job putting those keen nursing skills to work! I am glad Andrew is ok! Two of my girls are particularly rambunctious like that and it makes you wonder what in the world they are going to do next. Hang in there tired Mama! You family is beautiful!
Do you think a lockable gun safe could double as a medicine cabinet? Every family has to have one child like that. In our family, it was Tonya. (Can you believe it?) I'm sure you probably sleep deprived while dealing with your two dramatic phone calls, right?
You are the best! I called on the 29th day and got the same speach. I was thinking - REALLY! Like I don't have enough on my mind. On the other, I wouldn't have gone to the ER either. I'm not even sure I would have called poison control. Have a Merry Christmas - I hope you are able to stay away from anymore frightening phone calls.
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