Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Bad Marketing Strategy


Here's a thought....if you are begging for money outside of 7-11, how about not screaming at people when they tell you no? Cuz I'm thinking the screaming is gonna have a negative impact on your "earnings".

I dunno...just a thought.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Meet Betty

Nurse K inspired me to introduce you to Betty. She is either my hatchling or my twin just now getting around to joining me in this world (geez, where were you in the 7th grade, Betty?). I somehow acquired her after our trip to Sea World in mid-June. Who knows why she is still festering, but you might as well have fun, right?


Betty felt sassy this evening. So, she did a crooked sassy pose for you.





This is where she thought about the main reason she doesn't seek medical attention. Evil Insurance Company.




I'm rather attached to her. Whaddya think??
You're only getting glimpses because of the evil folks out there that will use this post as nothing more than gossip fodder. Poor Betty has been through enough, hasn't she?

Looking forward to the start of the school year....

I am the kind of parent that enjoys being a parent. Meaning, I take my job seriously. I do not wish to put my babies out into the world and expect the village to help raise them. I've run into too many village idiots to be ok with that scenario. I want to partner with my kids' schools and make sure that A) my children are doing the best they can possibly do, and B) the instructors do the best they can do for my children.

Here is an example of my frustration with the educators my son has had in the past. I have not altered or changed anything except for the identifying information. My commentary is in pink. Makes me a bit teary-eyed.

-----Original Message-----
From: CrazyMama@work.com
Sent: September 25, 2008 8:49 AM
To: 6thgradeteacher@school.com
Cc: Behavioral_interventionist@privateagency.org
Subject: My Kid

Dear 6Th Grade Teacher:
My Kid did not complete any of his homework last night. He is cycling rapidly
right now & his doctor is trying to adjust his meds (read: punching holes in walls and melting down easily).

If we do not get the cycling under control soon, we may be looking at a hospitalization. I wanted to
let you know what is going on right now so you can understand why his homework
isn't complete.


When he isn't stable (typically occurs this time of year for him), homework is a huge challenge for us to get him to complete. Is there anyway we can hold off on the homework assignments until we can get him
more stabilized? It is a huge source of stress in the evenings for him & sets him off very easily.

Please let me know you thoughts. I appreciate all you guys are doing for him and I am really hopeful that he will have a good opportunity this year to get on track academically. This is the first time he has been in classes with the same grade level students.

Regards,

Crazy Mama

-----Original Message-----
From: 6thgradeteacher@school.com
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 12:53 PM
To: CrazyMama@work.com
Subject: RE: My Kid

I think that Your Kid is having tough times wit meds, but Your Kid only hmwrk when
he doesn't complete in class wrk. I think Your Kids choosing not to wrk. He is
constantly drawing dragons, and other things. When we ask him to wrk he shuts
down. We are needing grades so he has to complete something. So incourage him
please..
(Ok, really? Speak English, not Text and there is a thing called spellcheck. Not to mention the fact that asking me to "incourage" a kid to come out of his world when his moods are all over the place is RIDICULOUS and NAIVE).
-----Original Message-----
From: Crazy Mama
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2008 9:31 AM
To: 6th Grade Teacher
Cc: Behavioral Interventionist
Subject: RE: My Kid

6th Grade Teacher:
Thank you very much for your comments. I understand your frustration with the
incomplete class work, however, if encouragement was all it took, I'm sure
we can all agree My Kid would be extremely successful due to the large quantities
of encouragement he receives at home and at school. The lack of focus is a
result of a medical condition that he is not in control of right now. Believe
me, we don't give him any leeway at home and hold him accountable for his
actions (or lack thereof). If I even suspect he is deflecting or trying to
divert our attention from the core issues, I call him on it. With all of that
being said, I think that right now he is not in the correct state of mind to
control his focus.

I received the ARD paperwork last night. I will send it back on Monday with
our signatures. My husband and I are trying to clear our schedules for that
day. I look forward to participating and learning more about your plans and
processes for this year in class so we can reinforce them at home. Both my
husband and I are looking forward to teaming up with you and your teaching group this
year.

As I said before, this is going to be the best opportunity for him to get on
track academically and we are committed to his success. We would just ask for
your continued patience as we work through this hiccup with the medications.

Regards,
Crazy Mama

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Cell Block 56

Rumor is there are major cuts coming at Very Large Corporation. So, in my warped mind, I found it hysterical to see that our cubicles were numbered on Friday morning.







Will this be some sort of random lottery drawing???

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Fundraising Fail

At Very Large Corporation, we are currently doing our fundraising campaign for United Way.


So, let this be a lesson to ya'll. Eat lots of spaghetti and go get fit. Oh, and Human Resources sponsored both. LOL!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Final Thoughts on Healthcare Reform

Now, after reading through my previous posts, you may be under the impression I am for a government-sponsored, socialized, healthcare plan.

That could not be further from the truth. Keep in mind that in every one of these scenarios - while it was a pain and expensive - we got the care we needed.

I wish that I could envision Universal Healthcare for Americans. But I can't. There are so many reasons why this is not possible, but the main one is that our government is incapable of running an efficient, fair and cost effective healthcare system for our country.

Have doubts? Well, take a look at Medicaid and Medicare. The abuse of those two systems will make your head implode. Our own government has given up on them and tried to privatize them. How'd that work out for us?? If the government is so incapable of running Medicaid and Medicare, why do I want them to take over my mediocre private healthcare?


Here is what I want:



I want employers around the country to stand up to the insurance companies. Yes, the employers. If several of the nation's largest employers such as Wal-Mart, Exxon-Mobil, GM, Ford, AT & T, Bank of America and UPS would join forces to REQUIRE the insurance companies to provide the services that these companies are paying for - it would be a revolution.


Here's the thing....if I go into any of these companies and had a documented issue with a product or service they provided, they would be obligated to resolve my issues. So - why do they put up with the insurance companies' substandard services which results in substandard care for their employees?

If these employers banded together, I believe the insurance companies would be shocked into action. The almighty dollar is a powerful thing and these employers demanding change would make an impact.

How do we get them to take action? The old fashioned way. If you are employed at one of these big companies, talk to your Corporate Human Resources Department. I did, and after griping over and over again about that prescription drug benefit, changes are coming for our plan in 2010. I'm just a mom, but I am a vocal mom who didn't let up and kept MAKING them listen to me. Squeaky wheel and all that....

If the government socialized our healthcare, my voice would be drowned out by the lobbyists. Just look at our prescription costs compared to other countries. Know why it is so much higher? Because lobbyists convinced our government we should "pay" for the research and development for the new drugs hitting the market.

Clean up Medicaid and Medicare and leave my privatized insurance alone. As imperfect as it is, at least I'm confident I can get care when it is needed.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Healthcare Reform Pt. 4

I'm not a medical professional, I'm just a mom. A mom who has spent a lot of time trying to navigate through inefficient systems trying to get care for my children. I'm going to give you several posts related to many of the headaches I've had to go through in order to get care for my children.



Let me preface this by saying I have health insurance. In fact, I've had the exact same health insurance for the last 12 years from one of the bigger players in the health insurance game. I work for one of the largest employers in the U.S. and have what most think are the "best" benefits around. After reading through my posts, I wonder if you would say we are getting the "best" medical care available to a working family of 4.



Scenario #4:



When I had my daughter, 7 years ago, I had a very high risk pregnancy. I had lost a baby prior to getting pregnant with my daughter, had Hyperemesis Gravidarum and ended up going into preterm labor with her. So, imagine my surprise when I received a bill in the mail after her birth for the pediatrician who saw her in the hospital. Evidently, the insurance company denied payment.



Want to know why?



Ready for this?



It was denied because the pediatrician was not selected to be my daughter's primary care physician. The pediatrician was not selected as my daughter' PCP because the insurance company wouldn't allow me to officially select/add a PCP for my unborn child. Yes, I tried very hard to get her added prior to her birth. When I went into preterm labor, there were several things my OB suggested I do while laying on the couch 23 3/4 hours a day. This was one of those things.



Here's the kicker - I gave birth a few days before Christmas and got the bill (as a result from the denial) within 2 weeks of her birth. They never even gave me a chance to get her added even though I tried to take care of this before her birth!



Now, tell me this - what new mother who is trying to nurse and care for a brand new baby after being on bedrest for 6 weeks is thinking about which day during the Christmas holidays she can call and deal with the lovely, obnoxious representatives from an insurance company?!?!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Healthcare Reform Pt. 3


I'm not a medical professional, I'm just a mom. A mom who has spent a lot of time trying to navigate through inefficient systems trying to get care for my children. I'm going to give you several posts related to many of the headaches I've had to go through in order to get care for my children.


Let me preface this by saying I have health insurance. In fact, I've had the exact same health insurance for the last 12 years from one of the bigger players in the health insurance game. I work for one of the largest employers in the U.S. and have what most think are the "best" benefits around. After reading through my posts, I wonder if you would say we are getting the "best" medical care available to a working family of 4.


Scenario 3 (which could be split into many, many posts, but I'm ready to be done with this topic):



Our prescription drug benefits changed 2 years ago. The change to "save money" requires us order our long-term prescriptions through a mail order company run by the insurance company. You can only fill a prescription 3 times at a local pharmacy before they refuse to cover it.

Here are the fun things about that little change:
  • If you are on the same drug, but the dosage changes, it is still considered part of the long term prescription. So, for example, when my son went from taking 500 mgs. of Depakote ER to 1000 mgs. of Depakote ER and finally to 1500 mgs. of Depakote ER, the insurance wouldn't authorize it at the local pharmacy when we ran low. We ran low because the change in dosage came during the last month of the 3 month supply. There went $200+ I will never see again because I had to pay for it out of pocket.


  • The insurance company "prefers" certain drugs over others without any regard for the individual's needs. My son took Depakote ER for several years (mostly to level out his moods, but it is designed to be a seizure medication). He cycles rapidly - multiple times throughout the day, hour, etc. - going from giddy and happy, to down and finally bottoming out with anger and rage. We tried Risperdal, but it didn't seem to work well. He was zombie-like and extremely depressed. From there we went to Abilify. Abilify has been a gift from God to us because he isn't angry all the time. Guess what? Abilify is not a "preferred" prescription so every time I get it filled through mail order ($800 for a 3 month supply) I have to make sure the doctor notes no substitutions. If he doesn't (he forgot one time) we get Risperdal. Which, oh by the way, doesn't work! GAH!


  • The 3-month supply ALWAYS ends up being more expensive than if I filled the prescriptions locally and paid the 1 month co-pay three times in a row. For example, if I pay $10 to the local pharmacy for a blood pressure medication my husband takes, I would think that the max I would pay with the mail order company would be $30 plus shipping, right? Um, no. That medication costs us around $47 plus shipping for the 3 month supply.


  • Timing is always an issue when filling certain medications. Because we have to pay a larger amount of money at once for a 3 month supply and I have to time the refills around doctor's appointments, I am usually getting refills about 10-14 days out from when the medication runs out. You would think that would give them plenty of time to process the prescription and get it shipped to us, right? Not always. Know what the insurance company told me one time when the medication shipped late because they were out? They offered to have me speak to a counselor to discuss the implications of my child coming off of his medication. Um, thanks, but I know the implications which was why I called you people freaking out that it didn't ship until a week after it was supposed to ship. Talk about insulting.

Healthcare Refort Pt. 2




I'm not a medical professional, I'm just a mom. A mom who has spent a lot of time trying to navigate through inefficient systems trying to get care for my children. I'm going to give you several posts related to many of the headaches I've had to go through in order to get care for my children.

Let me preface this by saying I have health insurance. In fact, I've had the exact same health insurance for the last 12 years from one of the bigger players in the health insurance game. I work for one of the largest employers in the U.S. and have what most think are the "best" benefits around. After reading through my posts, I wonder if you would say we are getting the "best" medical care available to a working family of 4.

Scenario 2:

While trying to determine the underlying cause of the seizure (and other symptoms I didn't realize were common with Autism), my son's pediatrician sent him to the local children's hospital for a sleep-deprived EEG. He did a referral for the procedure and we thought it was covered by my insurance.

I got a bill for over $500 for this procedure a few weeks later. Want to know why? Because the neurologist or the pediatrician (both offices finger pointed at the other) didn't provide the correct "diagnostic" code to the evil insurance company. Pediatrician's office said they didn't have a diagnosis so they couldn't have provided it when the test was ordered. Neurologist's office said they only read the test results. They are not responsible for the diagnostic code, it was the pediatrician's responsibility.

I fought that battle for over 6 months and paid out the wahzoo for the EEG - both in time and in cold hard cash. To add insult to injury, because this drug on for so long, I was sent to collections over this bill.
When my daughter's ear drum "busted"/"perforated" (whatever the medical terminology is) months after this issue, I took her to the same children's hospital. Do you know that I got the Stink Eye from the admissions representative because I had a "past due" balance with them? Oh - and they had our insurance information already on file from that old visit because we haven't had any change to our insurance. Hello?! Clearly something went horribly wrong with the referral/diagnostic process, but I'm the bad guy.

Hmmm....and I/my employer pay monthly premiums for this special kind of torture? Oh wait, and I pay taxes so that people who are uninsured can get all types of tests done without any cost to them?

**And yes, they do. My mother in law is on Medicaid and had this exact procedure done to determine what was causing her headaches and balance issues. FYI, an EEG can't diagnose plain ol' crazy. **

Healthcare Reform Pt. 1

I'm not a medical professional, I'm just a mom. A mom who has spent a lot of time trying to navigate through inefficient systems trying to get care for my children. I'm going to give you several posts related to many of the headaches I've had to go through in order to get care for my children.

Let me preface this by saying I have health insurance. In fact, I've had the exact same health insurance for the last 12 years from one of the bigger players in the health insurance game. I work for one of the largest employers in the U.S. and have what most think are the "best" benefits around. After reading through my posts, I wonder if you would say we are getting the "best" medical care available to a working family of 4.


Scenario 1:


My son (now 12) had a seizure when he was 4. I do not have any medical training and had no idea what was going on with him, so I called 911 and asked for an ambulance. As EMS entered my house, my son came around and started vomiting all over them. They did his vitals, a blood glucose test and told me they suspected a seizure. Once they determined my son was stable they suggested I transport him myself to the hospital.

Want to know why? Because my insurance company was most likely not going to pay for the trip to the hospital since it was not "preauthorized".


Had we been on Medicaid, would I have been advised to transport him myself? Or would authorization have been assumed? And more importantly, can someone tell me exactly how to preauthorize a trip to the hospital when my child is unresponsive, unconscious and twitching all over the floor? Should I have asked him to hold please while I call the helpful 800# on my medical card?


* For the record, the EMS guys were awesome with us and I am not bashing them. My mind was on my son and I was freaked out by his seizure. They were level-headed and professional enough to know I would end up with the short end of the stick and didn't seem phased by my son's lunch on their otherwise tidy uniforms. *

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Instant Messenging at Work



(Co-worker emailed this to me to remind me of how crazy I can be, so here you go!)
March 2, 2009

Crazy Working Mama [1:03 PM]:
i need to go home
Loyal Work Buddy [1:04 PM]:
i need a new job
Crazy Working Mama [1:04 PM]:
an asteroid almost hit the earth today
Crazy Working Mama [1:04 PM]:
i'm too stressed out about my near death experience
Crazy Working Mama [1:04 PM]:
Had 2009 DD45 hit the Earth, it would have exploded on or near the surface with the force of a large nuclear blast — not very reassuring when you consider humanity had only about three days' notice.
Loyal Work Buddy [1:04 PM]:
and I’m a concerned citizen
Crazy Working Mama [1:04 PM]:
fireballs one day, astroids another
Crazy Working Mama [1:04 PM]:
where is bruce willis when you need him?
Loyal Work Buddy [1:05 PM]:
shaving his bald head ..i guess
Crazy Working Mama [1:05 PM]:
but i thought he didn't want to miss a thing?
Loyal Work Buddy [1:06 PM]:
guess so ...
Crazy Working Mama [1:06 PM]:
even when I think of you....
Crazy Working Mama [1:06 PM]:
the sweetest thing will never *something or another* cuz I don't want to miss a thing
Loyal Work Buddy [1:07 PM]:
just sing it to me
Loyal Work Buddy [1:07 PM]:
haha
Loyal Work Buddy [1:07 PM]:
ur a dork
Crazy Working Mama [1:07 PM]:
Uh, yeah. But you love me anyway!

Some things shouldn't have to be said.....

Let me set the stage for you. I am a 30-something female on the low rungs of management at Very Large Corporation. Mostly I am an analyst. "Bob" is an administrative employee who has been with Very Large Corporation longer than I have been alive. He has many quirks (such as literally wearing the same clothes every day to work) but is overall a good employee.

Me: Bob, I brought you in to discuss a concern shared by several of your co-workers.

Bob: Those people have nothing better else to do than to harass me.

Me: Well, Bob, I think they may have a valid point. It has to do the with the microwave and your socks.

Bob: What about my socks? I put them in the microwave to warm them up.

Evidently it was all so very logical in Bob's world. In my world, this kind of thing shouldn't have to be said.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Score 1 for the kid....


So, my son has been staying at home semi-supervised by his grandmother during the day while I am at work. I have felt like he is spending too much time at the computer or watching TV, so in order to prevent the mush brain from settling in, I have asked him to do a few chores around the house. Seems logical, right?

Um, yeah - if you decided to live in a logical world without a 12 year old BP, PDD kid maybe. I don't. Evidently I am treating him as the "maid". Since all I asked him to do was wash dishes he used, I didn't really agree with that opinion and grounded him from the computer by changing his login password until they were done.

Imagine my delight when I got the phone call from him telling me he was done! I was so happy (and feeling smug, I might add) that I dispatched the grandmother over the house post-haste with the super secret code.

I even followed that up with a sappy sweet email telling him how proud I was of him. He was certainly making good choices and showing real maturity.

Imagine my anger when I got home and said dishes were still in the sink. Dirty.

Note to self: Be more specific to grandmother about why she has been given the super secret password and don't believe it until you see it. GAH!
He may have won this skirmish, but the battle is far, far from over.....evil Mama is plotting as we speak. Muwwaahhhhh..........

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Hello, Summer? Yes, you can go away now....


It's stinking hot here in the South. Like 107 degrees hot today. And wouldn't you know it, the electricity went out in the neighborhood as I was cooking dinner.

AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

When Crazy Mama Morphs to Ninja Mama


I wrote this the week before school let out and never got around to posting it....still makes me shake my head....



As a mother of a behaviorally-challenged student I get that my child can be, well, a challenge. I fully appreciate that our teachers and the support staff around him are GROSSLY underpaid. I get it. It is a thankless profession. It ranks up there with Social Workers (probably why I am not one after spending thousands of dollars on tuition).

What I don't get is why people get into this profession thinking it will be a cake walk. Seriously, folks, this is not for the faint of hearts. You need to be on your "A-Game" when dealing with these kids because it is a rollercoaster. You're clicking along just fine, enjoying the scenery and them BAM! The bottom falls out. It happens. That's why you enjoy the view when things are looking up. You store that for the times you are staring at the ground rushing up to meet you while holding down your lunch.

Here is what you don't do. You don't call the mother of this behaviorally-challenged child expecting said mother to wave her magic wand and perform a miracle while stating that this has been "escalating" all week.

*Stepping off of soapbox*

The teacher/behavioral interventionist said the kid might not go on the field trip tomorrow with his peers. Um, ok.

Me: "Did he do his work?"

BI Teacher: "No."

Me: "Then it is appropriate he misses the trip."

BI Teacher: "Well, I need you to understand I have done everything I could do to avoid this, but he will probably be left behind."

Me: "Will he be supervised?"

BI Teacher: "Yes, an aide will be with him."

Me: "Sounds good. By the way, I am still not seeing any feedback coming from you guys. Have you been sending home his behavior reports and maybe I'm not seeing them?"

BI Teacher: "Um, no, I've been busy and haven't sent them."

Me: "Oh, ok." But you have done everything to avoid this? Right….how about next time, you cooperate with Crazy Mama before she becomes Ninja Mama and jumps over your head to the principal. Shall we?

Crazy Mama feels very strongly that parents deserve to be involved in what happens with their children at school. In fact, it has been said that she is unusual in that she requests meetings and on-going feedback regarding her child. And outrageously enough, she does not like to hear that her child is behind and has had escalating behaviors 3 days too late. Crazy Mama feels it is important to address said behaviors immediately because the child can't comprehend why he is in trouble today for something he did (or didn’t do) 3 days ago!

I'll post more on this in the future, but let's just say this was one LOOOONNNNGGG school year.

Intro

Welcome to "Mama said". I am a mom of 2 great kids and frequently find myself saying "Because I am the mama!" hence "Mama said...".

My oldest child is a 12 year old boy child who just happens to have Bipolar 1 Disorder mixed without psychosis (thank goodness!) and a form of Autism called PDD-NOS. He has been diagnosed by 4 different psychiatrists and yes, I agree with them. No, I will not debate psychiatry in children with you.

My other child is just a sweet, sassy 7 year-old girl child who sometimes thinks she's a cat. Well, ok, only when she's in trouble and thinks meowing will be her ticket out, but whatev.

My husband and I have a complicated marriage, but he is a great dad to both of my children.

Someday I might share history of how these special people came into my life, but not just yet. I have been recently burned by real-life gossip due to "oversharing" via an old blog.

I love blogging because it's cheaper than therapy and have decided to resume it, but without so many details. Since I consider it my form of therapy, it may not always be sweet, endearing or even cheerful. If you notice a post doesn't appear to be current, it probably isn't. I'm going to write what I feel like writing and will post when I feel it is appropriate. So there.