I'm just in a venting mood right now! We have started using our FSA (Flexible Spending Account) card on our medical expenses. All the money that is put in the account is pre-tax, so we originally thought it would be a good thing. Well, now that we started using it, we have been getting these letters in the mail from the FSA people saying that they need to see copies of receipts for each of these things to verify what we used the money for, and apparently credit card receipts don't work: they aren't detailed enough. So I had to print off the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from the insurance for each of these transactions (each one is like 3 pages long) and fill out the form for each one.
When I called the FSA person, I told her that we were told in their information that receipts would only be requested occassionally. But she tells me that that is true IF we don't use the preferred providers, which we were never given. So she tells me that it's on their website...and she guides me through the 8 steps of clicking to get to that list. !!! Well, I see this list is only major, nation-wide stores and pharmacies. So I asked her if that meant that for every time we went to the doctor's office we'd have to fill out this paperwork? And she said yes. She continued on saying that there is one other option: we could pay for the visit out of pocket and then get a detailed receipt and submit a claim form after the fact for reimbursement. I said, "Well, honestly, that doesn't help me much because either way I have to fill out paperwork to use the money that is in this FSA account." She said, "Yes, that's correct." Grrrrrr!!!
So, after looking through all of it, printing out the forms that I needed, printing out the EOB's, and filling out the forms, I wasted 2 1/2 hours of my day, and still didn't get them all done for a couple of reasons. One, I have to have Terry's signature on all forms for submission. And two, 3 of the claims haven't finished being processed by the insurance yet, so I don't have EOB's for them. Hopefully, they will finish soon, as we only have 30 days from the date of service to submit claims back to them.
It's all just so frustrating and really raised my blood pressure this morning. But I'm trying to remind myself that we're lucky that we even have insurance, cuz so many people don't. I should be able to handle some paperwork for the sake of having insurance. I just don't think it's worth the time simply for pre-tax money. We're not talking that much money saved in the long run if you figure in the value of my time.
Lord, please give me patience!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
The weekend
Well, we ended up spending the weekend in Salem. I didn't think at first we would go anywhere with the roads like they were. But really everything ended up being completely dry! :)
Janice isn't doing so good. She's still so very weak and doesn't have the strength to stand or walk. Her appetite is better, and for that we're thankful. :) But none of us are sure how long she'll be able to stay at home before being forced to enter a nursing home. None of us want that, but feel we may have no choice.
Chase seems to be doing better. They were to remove the feeding tube yesterday and were hoping he would get to begin eating again by last night. ;) Praise the Lord for this! Hopefully this will lead to him gaining some weight back and being allowed to go home.
Not much else to tell! LOL
*****Newest update on Chase: He is getting to 'eat' again! :) He took about 2 ozs this morning and will get to eat again this evening. I was told that today during rounds, the nurse and doctor even mentioned the 'd' word: dismissal! :) (Just in passing about what is required for dismissal, but still...it's progress and we'll take it!!)
Janice isn't doing so good. She's still so very weak and doesn't have the strength to stand or walk. Her appetite is better, and for that we're thankful. :) But none of us are sure how long she'll be able to stay at home before being forced to enter a nursing home. None of us want that, but feel we may have no choice.
Chase seems to be doing better. They were to remove the feeding tube yesterday and were hoping he would get to begin eating again by last night. ;) Praise the Lord for this! Hopefully this will lead to him gaining some weight back and being allowed to go home.
Not much else to tell! LOL
*****Newest update on Chase: He is getting to 'eat' again! :) He took about 2 ozs this morning and will get to eat again this evening. I was told that today during rounds, the nurse and doctor even mentioned the 'd' word: dismissal! :) (Just in passing about what is required for dismissal, but still...it's progress and we'll take it!!)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Report Card!
Well, it's not the normal time for report cards, but for us it is! :) Brent just finished Unit 3 in his workbooks yesterday and I got his latest grades inputted last night. So this is everything up until the end of Unit 3:
Phonics:
Unit 1 - 97% A
Unit 2 - 96% A
Unit 3 - 97% A
Reading:
Unit 1 - 95% A
Unit 2 - 97% A
Unit 3 - 98% A
Writing:
Fall Semester - 99% A
Math:
Unit 1 - 97% A
Unit 2 - 97% A
Unit 3 - 96% A
I haven't been keeping as good of track of Science and Social Studies, but it is there. Each week, we go to States Studies with our Homeschool group and they learn about 1 or 2 states per week. And on Science, we use science stuff from the MO Conservation Dept and from Apologetics Press. But those are more informational and not something I can really grade very easily at this time.
Phonics:
Unit 1 - 97% A
Unit 2 - 96% A
Unit 3 - 97% A
Reading:
Unit 1 - 95% A
Unit 2 - 97% A
Unit 3 - 98% A
Writing:
Fall Semester - 99% A
Math:
Unit 1 - 97% A
Unit 2 - 97% A
Unit 3 - 96% A
I haven't been keeping as good of track of Science and Social Studies, but it is there. Each week, we go to States Studies with our Homeschool group and they learn about 1 or 2 states per week. And on Science, we use science stuff from the MO Conservation Dept and from Apologetics Press. But those are more informational and not something I can really grade very easily at this time.
Family Updates
First, I'm so sorry it's been awhile since these updates. I have been doing the BASIC computer time that is required of me and just haven't had time for updating. So, just to warn you, this will be a bit longer than normal. I have many things to update you on! :)
CHASE
Since the last update so much has happened. First, I have a picture, which you can see. He made it through the weekend just fine; they got the seizures under control. Hannah had told me on Sunday night that they would be trying to take him off the seizure meds to see if things were getting better. However, on Monday morning about 7 AM, Chase started having blood in his diaper. Thankfully, he was in the NICU with constant nurse attention, so they caught it immediately. He started running a low-grade fever, but they were monitoring him. Well, on Tuesday morning he started vomiting and they ran a test and found a gas pocket near his colon and they would have to do surgery almost immediately. However, it wasn't emergency surgery, as he was still stable. But they were going to transfer him to a different hospital, cuz the specialist was over there that day. Well, after waiting a while, Chase went into surgery about 3:30.
During all of this, Terry and I decided to go up and visit with everyone that was up there. Things were so emotional and we just thought it would be nice to be up there. Well, when we got up there, we found out that Chase made it through surgery just fine. The colon had a small hole in it and they had to remove about 2 cm of it. However, due to the amount of infection in the colon they couldn't reattach the two ends and had to put in a colostomy bag. They said that he will be in the hospital for about 3 more weeks and have to have the colostomy for 6-8 weeks. :( So discouraging and scary for H&J.
So far this week, Chase has continued to do well and everyone seems to be adjusting. Terry and I just keep saying over and over that it's not fair and we wish we could take their pain/frustration from them, but we can't. I think that is the hardest part of all of this...we can't do anything. We feel helpless.
Janice
Janice is now home, with full time nursing care. It was a tough decision to make, knowing that her Medicare coverage had run out and figuring out which would be cheaper for her to pay for: home care or paying for hospitalization. Home care ended up being the better way to go, in all areas. Emotionally and financially. We were supposed to go in and 'relieve' Donna for the weekend (with Darlene in St Louis and us down here, she's been at J's house each night). But we're stuck here with all the ice and snow...just like last weekend. :( SO! Depending on what happens in the next 12 hours, we MAY go to Salem tomorrow or we may have to put it off another week.
Mom and Dad
Dad has known for a couple weeks that he was changing jobs...but I haven't been able to tell anyone cuz of not wanting it to 'leak' to the wrong people about where he was going. But, now that he's started the job (this week!) I can share: Dad is now a counselor at Pathways, which is a substance abuse place for adolescents. He is LOVING it so far and we're so excited and happy for him (and mom!). I pray that he continues to love his work!
Mom had an interesting situation at work this week. The center had decided to make a blanket policy and mom decided to not sign the policy paper. Well, since she refused to sign it and since she took a stand against a really stupid policy, she was suspended for 3 days. And they told her that if she didn't come back in and sign that policy within that 3 day time frame, she would have 'abandoned' her job. SO, since she had no intention of changing her mind (and dad was in full agreement with this), she packed up all her stuff and left. For good. It was so weird for her to not have to go back to work on Thursday. Of course, now she has to start looking for a job, but hopefully and prayerfully, she will be getting a job that is much better (and for a much better company) that what she had before. :)
Ice, Ice, and More Ice
We had an ice storm last week....and now we have another one this week! We are now iced in again....things are even more slick this time than last week, but this one isn't causing the power outages that some had last week. (Fortunately, we even avoided the power outage!)
I'm getting pretty 'cabin feverish', as this will make the 3 week in a row that the boys and I have been stuck in the house with no outside diversion (except for being able to go to worship on Sunday). Of course, we've had some diversion if you count Chase, Janice, and Mom and Dad...but for some reason it just isn't the same! LOL
CHASE
Since the last update so much has happened. First, I have a picture, which you can see. He made it through the weekend just fine; they got the seizures under control. Hannah had told me on Sunday night that they would be trying to take him off the seizure meds to see if things were getting better. However, on Monday morning about 7 AM, Chase started having blood in his diaper. Thankfully, he was in the NICU with constant nurse attention, so they caught it immediately. He started running a low-grade fever, but they were monitoring him. Well, on Tuesday morning he started vomiting and they ran a test and found a gas pocket near his colon and they would have to do surgery almost immediately. However, it wasn't emergency surgery, as he was still stable. But they were going to transfer him to a different hospital, cuz the specialist was over there that day. Well, after waiting a while, Chase went into surgery about 3:30.
During all of this, Terry and I decided to go up and visit with everyone that was up there. Things were so emotional and we just thought it would be nice to be up there. Well, when we got up there, we found out that Chase made it through surgery just fine. The colon had a small hole in it and they had to remove about 2 cm of it. However, due to the amount of infection in the colon they couldn't reattach the two ends and had to put in a colostomy bag. They said that he will be in the hospital for about 3 more weeks and have to have the colostomy for 6-8 weeks. :( So discouraging and scary for H&J.
So far this week, Chase has continued to do well and everyone seems to be adjusting. Terry and I just keep saying over and over that it's not fair and we wish we could take their pain/frustration from them, but we can't. I think that is the hardest part of all of this...we can't do anything. We feel helpless.
Janice
Janice is now home, with full time nursing care. It was a tough decision to make, knowing that her Medicare coverage had run out and figuring out which would be cheaper for her to pay for: home care or paying for hospitalization. Home care ended up being the better way to go, in all areas. Emotionally and financially. We were supposed to go in and 'relieve' Donna for the weekend (with Darlene in St Louis and us down here, she's been at J's house each night). But we're stuck here with all the ice and snow...just like last weekend. :( SO! Depending on what happens in the next 12 hours, we MAY go to Salem tomorrow or we may have to put it off another week.
Mom and Dad
Dad has known for a couple weeks that he was changing jobs...but I haven't been able to tell anyone cuz of not wanting it to 'leak' to the wrong people about where he was going. But, now that he's started the job (this week!) I can share: Dad is now a counselor at Pathways, which is a substance abuse place for adolescents. He is LOVING it so far and we're so excited and happy for him (and mom!). I pray that he continues to love his work!
Mom had an interesting situation at work this week. The center had decided to make a blanket policy and mom decided to not sign the policy paper. Well, since she refused to sign it and since she took a stand against a really stupid policy, she was suspended for 3 days. And they told her that if she didn't come back in and sign that policy within that 3 day time frame, she would have 'abandoned' her job. SO, since she had no intention of changing her mind (and dad was in full agreement with this), she packed up all her stuff and left. For good. It was so weird for her to not have to go back to work on Thursday. Of course, now she has to start looking for a job, but hopefully and prayerfully, she will be getting a job that is much better (and for a much better company) that what she had before. :)
Ice, Ice, and More Ice
We had an ice storm last week....and now we have another one this week! We are now iced in again....things are even more slick this time than last week, but this one isn't causing the power outages that some had last week. (Fortunately, we even avoided the power outage!)
I'm getting pretty 'cabin feverish', as this will make the 3 week in a row that the boys and I have been stuck in the house with no outside diversion (except for being able to go to worship on Sunday). Of course, we've had some diversion if you count Chase, Janice, and Mom and Dad...but for some reason it just isn't the same! LOL
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Latest on Chase...
I just got a phone call to let me know that Baby Chase has had about 3 more seizure's today. It's so very scary and we're hoping to know more this afternoon. They are doing a test to find out if the blood-bruise is on the inside of the skull or outside of the skull.
Hannah is being released this morning and is going down to Cardinal Glennon to be with Chase...
Plesae keep praying.
Hannah is being released this morning and is going down to Cardinal Glennon to be with Chase...
Plesae keep praying.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Chase update
I have more news about Chase...no pictures yet, cuz everyone has been so busy with things (you'll see why in a moment).
Terry told me this morning that Chase was 8 lbs 12 oz, just a few ounces smaller than Brent was when he was born, and that they were all exhausted.
Around noon, I hadn't heard from anyone (no pictures or anything) and thought I would call Darlene to see how things were. I coudln't get her, so I called Hannah's cell to see if Jeremy had it and I could talk to the proud Daddy. Well, Hannah answered and she sounded very sad. I asked if she was okay and she told me that Chase had had a seizure last night about 1:30 and they flew him over to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. Apparently, they found he had a bruise on the brain (blood on the brain) that they think was caused from delivery and that at this point they don't think there would be any lasting damage. Hannah said he was fighting the nurses and didn't like to have his blood drawn! But she is still in the hospital and wouldn't be released for another day due to her own complications.
Then later this afternoon I talked more with Darlene and found out that they also see now that they broke Chase's collarbone during delivery. She said that Hannah had been ready to push and they made her wait last night for 15 mintues cuz the doctor wasn't there yet! Apparently they squirt some fluids back up on the birth canal to relieve the pressure off of Chase while they waited! Then when they finally let her push, the dr had to twist and pull on Chase's head to get him out...hence the broken collarbone! Good grief! And Darlene said his little forehead was all deformed cuz he kept hitting the pelvic bone...he was just too big. We're still trying to figure out why they didn't go ahead and do a C-section long before this time...there is no reason for Hannah (or Chase) to have had to go through all that!
Gr....the medical profession aggravates me sometimes!
Please pray for Hannah and Chase (and Jeremy). They are all exhausted and torn as to where their place should be. Hopefully this will all be over within a few days and Hannah and Chase will both be home!
Terry told me this morning that Chase was 8 lbs 12 oz, just a few ounces smaller than Brent was when he was born, and that they were all exhausted.
Around noon, I hadn't heard from anyone (no pictures or anything) and thought I would call Darlene to see how things were. I coudln't get her, so I called Hannah's cell to see if Jeremy had it and I could talk to the proud Daddy. Well, Hannah answered and she sounded very sad. I asked if she was okay and she told me that Chase had had a seizure last night about 1:30 and they flew him over to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. Apparently, they found he had a bruise on the brain (blood on the brain) that they think was caused from delivery and that at this point they don't think there would be any lasting damage. Hannah said he was fighting the nurses and didn't like to have his blood drawn! But she is still in the hospital and wouldn't be released for another day due to her own complications.
Then later this afternoon I talked more with Darlene and found out that they also see now that they broke Chase's collarbone during delivery. She said that Hannah had been ready to push and they made her wait last night for 15 mintues cuz the doctor wasn't there yet! Apparently they squirt some fluids back up on the birth canal to relieve the pressure off of Chase while they waited! Then when they finally let her push, the dr had to twist and pull on Chase's head to get him out...hence the broken collarbone! Good grief! And Darlene said his little forehead was all deformed cuz he kept hitting the pelvic bone...he was just too big. We're still trying to figure out why they didn't go ahead and do a C-section long before this time...there is no reason for Hannah (or Chase) to have had to go through all that!
Gr....the medical profession aggravates me sometimes!
Please pray for Hannah and Chase (and Jeremy). They are all exhausted and torn as to where their place should be. Hopefully this will all be over within a few days and Hannah and Chase will both be home!
Baby Chase has arrived!
We are so very thrilled that Chase Kenneth Collins has made his way into this world! :) We've waited so long to meet him....and now due to weather, we'll have to wait a bit longer. LOL
Mommy and baby are doing well....
Mommy and baby are doing well....
Friday, February 08, 2008
Is it possible??
Wow. Okay. So I now realize just how many days it's been since I last updated this blog. Way too many! The boys did FABULOUSLY at their tournament and I will have a separate post (complete with pictures) in a day or two. :) (Just dangling that carrot for you...)
This past week we've been hammered/smacked/way-layed/bombarded by the flu bug that has been so mercilessly passed around. Monday night Clayton started it all off by saying his tummy wasn't hungry for supper...okay, no prob. But while we were eating, I asked him to come over to me and he said, "I can't mom...my legs hurt too much." Strange. So by the time I finished eating, I went to check him and he was asleep (at 7:30) and I could tell by just touching him he was burning with fever. So I took it anyway and it was well over 102. So I gave him a breathing treatment, some cough meds, and some tylenol and he went to bed. He woke up at about midnight and was still burning with fever. So I took him to the living room, got him more meds, some water (which he asked for....a major oddity for him in the middle of the night) and snuggled in with him on the couch. The cough just kept getting worse and we were concerned with pneumonia (due to Clayton's history of everything going straight to his bronchial/lung area) and so I took him to the dr Tuesday morning. The nurse took one look at me and Brent and said, "How have you two kept from getting all this??" (Shoulda known she was jinxing me!)
Well, lo and behold, that very afternoon, Brent and I both ended up coughing and going downhill very quickly. By the nighttime, I was feverish and Brent was on his way. Then on Wednesday mid-morning, I talked to Terry on the phone and he was pretty sure he had a fever too and would be leaving work early...did we all want to go to the doctor together? LOL So we all went and the nurse just laughed when she saw us in the room together. Course, then she looked at Brent (who by then was asleep on the exam table) and just went to work. So after all that, we're all on meds and came home to drink TONS of liquids (we had NO appetite) and get as much rest as we could. We were all in bed asleep by about 6:30 Wednesday night!
This flu is just awful.....we are all so achy and hurting all over! Argh! The pains that comes with this are nothing to sneeze at, that's for sure. No way that I layed, stood or sat made a difference. I was in pain regardless. We were all simply sleeping in 45-90 minutes increments but doing this for 12 hours at a time. What a few days it's been! But now we're on the mend! :)
Oh, before I forget! I was SO bummed last weekend. I was informed by Armchair Interviews that they no longer need me as a reviewer. Apparently, I wasn't reviewing enough books often enough or something like that. I was really upset at first. Mad, too. I truly enjoyed reviewing books for people. It was fun and gave me some new genres to check out. But the more we looked at things, the more we realized that perhaps this is God's way of letting me know I have too much on my plate right now and need some things to back off...so He helped me with one of them. :) So much as I would like to, I haven't sought out another reviewing site to sign up for yet. I'm gonna give it some time and see where things are in a few months. Maybe I need a break with everything else we have going on. Ya think?? LOL
Janice is back in MoBap....she had fluid on her heart so they took her back up there. Hopefully she'll get to go back to Salem right after this is dealt with..... :)
Terry had a follow up appointment in St Louis today. The dr thinks that he's healing well and has scheduled another followup appointment for the middle of April. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this...I was hoping that she would schedule the surgery...but no luck. But she said that by April he should be scarred over to the point that we can make some more definitive decisions. LOL
Okay....off to check my healing babies. One I know is asleep in my bed (Clayton!) and the other is waiting for me to finish with the computer! :)
This past week we've been hammered/smacked/way-layed/bombarded by the flu bug that has been so mercilessly passed around. Monday night Clayton started it all off by saying his tummy wasn't hungry for supper...okay, no prob. But while we were eating, I asked him to come over to me and he said, "I can't mom...my legs hurt too much." Strange. So by the time I finished eating, I went to check him and he was asleep (at 7:30) and I could tell by just touching him he was burning with fever. So I took it anyway and it was well over 102. So I gave him a breathing treatment, some cough meds, and some tylenol and he went to bed. He woke up at about midnight and was still burning with fever. So I took him to the living room, got him more meds, some water (which he asked for....a major oddity for him in the middle of the night) and snuggled in with him on the couch. The cough just kept getting worse and we were concerned with pneumonia (due to Clayton's history of everything going straight to his bronchial/lung area) and so I took him to the dr Tuesday morning. The nurse took one look at me and Brent and said, "How have you two kept from getting all this??" (Shoulda known she was jinxing me!)
Well, lo and behold, that very afternoon, Brent and I both ended up coughing and going downhill very quickly. By the nighttime, I was feverish and Brent was on his way. Then on Wednesday mid-morning, I talked to Terry on the phone and he was pretty sure he had a fever too and would be leaving work early...did we all want to go to the doctor together? LOL So we all went and the nurse just laughed when she saw us in the room together. Course, then she looked at Brent (who by then was asleep on the exam table) and just went to work. So after all that, we're all on meds and came home to drink TONS of liquids (we had NO appetite) and get as much rest as we could. We were all in bed asleep by about 6:30 Wednesday night!
This flu is just awful.....we are all so achy and hurting all over! Argh! The pains that comes with this are nothing to sneeze at, that's for sure. No way that I layed, stood or sat made a difference. I was in pain regardless. We were all simply sleeping in 45-90 minutes increments but doing this for 12 hours at a time. What a few days it's been! But now we're on the mend! :)
Oh, before I forget! I was SO bummed last weekend. I was informed by Armchair Interviews that they no longer need me as a reviewer. Apparently, I wasn't reviewing enough books often enough or something like that. I was really upset at first. Mad, too. I truly enjoyed reviewing books for people. It was fun and gave me some new genres to check out. But the more we looked at things, the more we realized that perhaps this is God's way of letting me know I have too much on my plate right now and need some things to back off...so He helped me with one of them. :) So much as I would like to, I haven't sought out another reviewing site to sign up for yet. I'm gonna give it some time and see where things are in a few months. Maybe I need a break with everything else we have going on. Ya think?? LOL
Janice is back in MoBap....she had fluid on her heart so they took her back up there. Hopefully she'll get to go back to Salem right after this is dealt with..... :)
Terry had a follow up appointment in St Louis today. The dr thinks that he's healing well and has scheduled another followup appointment for the middle of April. I have to say I was a bit disappointed in this...I was hoping that she would schedule the surgery...but no luck. But she said that by April he should be scarred over to the point that we can make some more definitive decisions. LOL
Okay....off to check my healing babies. One I know is asleep in my bed (Clayton!) and the other is waiting for me to finish with the computer! :)
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