Boom, for better or worse, I'm a teaching hospital fan...
I got an appointment! Yeah me!
The brilliant wonder-girl in the OT department got them to call me back. They started in with the "yadda yadda insurance needs to clear it yadda yadda" and I said "No. Make an appointment for us now. Tell me how much it costs and I will bring you the money and pay in cash on the day of the appointment so they scheduled us in!
I'm going to send flowers to the OT woman.
This stinking insurance racketeering in America has to stop.
Oh, wow, excellent. The squeaky wheel... gathers no moss, or something like that.
Boomer...if there really is a dearth of neuropsychs where you are, if it is feasible at all, travelling to another city might make sense, if it means you can get in earlier......to a private person for example..
The testing doesn't normally take that long, depending on how well Mo settles...maybe a day or two.
The time is taken up by scoring and interpreting the tests and writing the report.
It would depend on how easy it might be for you guys to drive or fly somewhere for a couple of days. I mean, I wouldn't spend a fortune on it or anything.
Anyhoo, just a thought, if any of the private people on the lists you are being given strike your fancy, and are not too far away, it might be worth checking with them.
Good for you. If you do decide to try Stanford, Angel Flight would be more than happy to help, I'm sure. They do a ton of work up and down the west coast, and they'll land you right at the Palo Alto airport, just 10 minutes from the hospital.
Had a good friend who did that. Sadly, he was killed last year on his motorcycle. That sucked.
That does suck, I'm sorry cj. Really.
When I said I was his prisoner, Noddy, I didn't mean that metaphorically. I have become his prisoner.
Hoping to break out of prisoner status, I had signed him up for a week long day camp, three hours a day, that he thought sounded like fun. I took him there this morning. He had a .... er.... break down? A panic attack? Something. It was truly frightening. It was not a "meltdown" or a "temper tantrum", it was .... hysteria? fear?
As hard as it is to be a prisoner I think it's much harder for him to try to be my warden.
One step forward, two steps back.
boomerang wrote:When I said I was his prisoner, Noddy, I didn't mean that metaphorically. I have become his prisoner.
I think I've missed something.
boomer wrote :
Quote:One step forward, two steps back.
sure hope it'll be two steps forward soon , but i think there may also unexpected setbacks .
having a professional who'll start listening to you , sounds like a step in the right direction - really more like success .
sending you and mo the best wishes !
hvg
Boomer--
Love can be a prison. Hang on.
True, Noddy.
You didn't miss anything DrewDad, I haven't talked about it at all until this thread that was born from frustration and sadness. Since getting kicked off the OT lineup I've been diligently trying to work within the system, banging my head against walls.
Luckily we have the resources to say "What does it cost? We'll pay it."
Many people can't do that.
I think about their kids -- who grow up not being able to handle things. Who can't hold down a job or end up on welfare or who end up in real prison because insurance didn't give a good goddamn about their mental health issues.
Then they get to face all the tut-tut-tutting and finger wagging that people relish doing in pointing out their "failure".
I can't believe we actually pay these insurance companies to treat us like garbage.
I know, I know, bootstraps blahblahblah.
Good lord.
I just had to fill out an 8 page pre-appointment questionaire. It took me two hours and it still seems inadequate.
Anyway....
I'm really just here to grumble about all the questions about "The Natural Parent" despite the prior question about adoption. I probably know more about Mo's natural parents than most adoptive moms but seriously how do they expect us to fill this crap out? I even called them and said "How do you want me to fill this out?"
Grrrrrrr.
I'm getting a little freaked out.
boomer :
we can feel your frustation coming over the internet - and we all do feel for you !
remember that you were ecstatic when you were able to get an appointment quickly ?
i'm sure you'll manage to get through all the forms .
don't be shy to enter "don't know" if necessary - you won't be the first one .
wishing you and mo all the beat !
hbg
ps. nothing wrong with going GRRRR ! XYZZZZZ ! when necessary !
Thanks, hamburger.
Life has a tendency to get so idiotically complicated. It's nice to have a sympathetic shoulder to lean on and a place where I can XYZZZZZ when necessary.
What you DO know is going to help them enormously, boomer.
The questionnaire is really a giant wish list - they're trying to eliminate/identify as much as possible up front.
If a two-hour questionnaire can shorten/fine-tune testing for Mo, it's a good thing. If you can supply 10% of the info, you've already shortened the intake process.
That you care enough to complete the form (and come here to grrr and xpspjhxkjn;t) is huge. There are parents who can't even be bothered to do that.
That questionaire will be one aspect that is included in a study of Mo. It helps to see where the parent and researcher differ and coincide in their opinions. We have to fill them out as teachers as well. Some quastionaires, like the BASC2 get filled out by parents, teachers and psychologists - separately.
And they ALWAYS feel inadequate.
Quote:And they ALWAYS feel inadequate.
anyone who doesn't ?
please raise your right hand !
what ? no one ? :wink:
hbg
(on second thought : there must be some a2k'ers who never feel inadequate - not naming any names , though :wink: )
Tomorrow is the big day.
I've been nervous for days so dear Mr. B took us all hiking on Mt. St. Helens today. A visit to a volcano seemed apt.
Mo is really curious about tomorrow's excursion and I haven't really been able to tell him what all will happen or exactly what it's all about but I can at least assure him that I'll be right there with him so we'll just have to find out together.
I haven't even talked to my family about all of this, not because they're not nice people or anything but I just couldn't afford to comfort them if they needed it. It's been very cathartic to discuss it here. Thanks for listening.
Mr. Boomer is wicked smaht!
