Hello, everyone! I hope you will all indulge me for a moment as I do a personal post. As some of you may be aware, I have had life-long health challenges, one of which has been pretty severe and significant daily head and bodily pain. I last saw the doctor who monitors that part of my health on the third Friday of last month, and I am scheduled to meet with her again this next Friday. When I tried last month to get a prior authorization processed through my insurance, I was subjected to three weeks of having to live without that medication. There was an issue getting my doctor to complete the process necessary to get that approval. While all of that was very difficult to deal with, one thing it did accomplish was to help me figure out what I could cut out of my daily medication. After three weeks of trying to figure out how soon I would be able to get that medication, I got word from my insurance earlier today that the prior authorization has been denied. The good news is that, if I can get past the symptoms I've been dealing with from not having access to the medication, I could be considerably better off not having to take it. Now that we have word from my insurance that they will not be covering the medication, I assume that they will suggest alternatives that would cover my pain well enough without having to be on a medication that would create additional health challenges. In the coming week, I will need to talk to my doctor, most likely even before the visit Friday, and figure out what the plan will be going forward. If it would be all right for me to ask for it, prayers in my behalf would be appreciated that my doctor and I will be able to figure out the best plan going forward.
I am very much appreciative of the support I get from those who have read my posts here in the past. I am also humbled by the fact that the latest reports about the readership of this blog show that I have gained readers from various countries all around the world. It touches me that the things I have felt a need to "sound off" about, especially those related to the faith I have loved and to which I have been devoted for my entire life, are of interest to so many. In fact, it is because of the faith I have that I have been able to deal with the life-long health issues I have had. The Lord has blessed me abundantly, and my blogging to share information about the faith that has sustained me through so much is a very small way to thank the Man who has experienced vicariously all that I have gone through, am going through, or will ever have to deal with. I hope that this offering on my part, meager though it may be, is an acceptable portion of the infinite gratitude I feel, not just for His having suffered the severest degree of the tribulations I have experienced in the almost 31 years I have lived, but also for blessing me with such an enthusiasm for learning about and passing along the developments related to His Church and kingdom in these latter-days. I know that one day I will stand accountable before Him for the way I have borne such tribulations and have moved along His work, and I hope that in that day, He will find those offerings acceptable. If it can be so, it will all have been worth it.
Thank you again for indulging me in sharing these thoughts with you all, and for your ongoing interest and support. That does it for this post. Any comments are, as always, welcome and appreciated. Thank you for the privilege of your time. Until my next post, I wish each one of you all the best and pray that the Lord will bless each one of you in all that you do.
Friday, November 10, 2017
Prayers Would Be Appreciated
I have had a lifelong love for Church history, which has extended to ongoing reports of the ministry of our apostles and prophets, General Conference, and all temple developments. This blog enables me to share that love with all who read my thoughts on these developments, which are sometimes reported multiple times per day as needed.
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In addition to my life-long love for the subjects which I cover in the posts of this blog, I have long held the belief that we can disagree without becoming disagreeable. Differences of opinion are natural, while being disagreeable in expressing those differences is not. And in that sense, I have no desire to close the door on anyone who earnestly desires to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on subjects covered in the posts on this blog.
At the same time, however, I recognize that we live in a time when incivility, discourtesy, unkindness, and even cyber-bullying has regrettably become part of online interactions. With that in mind, while anyone who wishes can comment on anything if they choose to do so, I hereby reserve the right to immediately delete any comments which are critical, unkind, lack civility, or promote prodcuts, services, and values contrary to either the Church, or to the rules of online etiquette.
I'd also like to remind all who comment here that I try to respond personally to each individual comment as I feel is appropriate. Such replies are not meant to end the conversation, but to acknowledge earnest feedback as it is submitted.
And in order to better preserve the spirit and pure intentions for which this blog was established, I also hereby request that anyone not commenting with a regular user name (particularly those whose comments appear under the "Unknown" or "Anonymous" monikers, give the rest of us a name to work with in addressing any replies. If such individuals do not wish to disclose their actual given names, a pseudonym or nickname would suffice.
Any comments made by individuals who opt to not give a name by which they can ber identified may, depending on the substance and tone of such comments, be subject to deletion as well. I would respectfully ask that all of us do all we can to keep the dialogue positive, polite, and without malice or ill-will. May the Lord bless us all in our discussion of these important matters.
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So sorry James to hear you are going through so much. I fail to understand how Insurance companies deny or approve certain medications for patients. I believe with all my heart that Heavenly Father is watching over you and blessings are coming due to your faithfulness and determination to move forward no matter what. Prayers.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sister Shaw! I appreciate your comment. As I may have mentioned above, with the last three weeks, one thing that occurred with my not having this medication was that I was able to take a step back from other medications, and determine the absolute minimum I could get by with taking. While I don't understand either why my insurance would deny this medication request after granting it for so long previously, I do know that everything that has happened to me at any point in my life has occurred for or a reason, and that the Lord's hand has been evident in what has happened and the way it has occurred. So while we will have to determine what the plan is going forward, the biggest thing for me will be getting through the weekend with the medication I do have, then determining with my doctor what would be covered going forward. It will be tricky for sure, but if I can just get through this weekend, I will likely have the answers and the plan I need going forward. Thanks so much for taking time to comment. I appreciate you and hope you are doing well.
DeleteGet feeling better. I deal with doctors for my clients all the time. Doctors and pharmacies are just as frustrated about prior auths. It gives more work and tine to send additional letters and info to the insurance companies to try to get them to cover meds.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware you were in that line of work, Chris. Thank you for your statement of sympathy. At this point, I think we have determined that the medication is doing more harm, which outweighed any benefits we might have seen from being allowed to continue with it. Since the prior authorization denial notice came near closing time Friday, my biggest worry was getting through the weekend. I am scheduled to see my doctor in question on Friday this week, but I fully anticipate hearing from her prior to that time to figure out where we go from here. I won't be broken-hearted at all if we determine something else will work better. Thanks for taking time to comment. I appreciate hearing your frustration with situations similar to mine. It is always good to hear from someone who understands.
DeleteI am a social worker in the mental health field. I do a lot of case management and skills training.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome to hear, Chris! As a result of ongoing continued stress in my life (not the least of which has been caused by this whole fiasco, I have been undergoing some counseling, as recommended by the same doctor that has overseen the whole current situation. I anticipate hearing from the doctor at some point today to find out what the plan is going forward. Thanks for your additional comments, Chris!
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