Waiting for the chiropractor or someone like him

[carbonel]

Last night around 9:45, after I posted to LJ, something happened to my misbehaving rib. I was cutting up the pork roast I'd cooked (never bought one before, but it was a good price at Costco) to freeze most of it, refrigerate a few slices, and nibble on the end. And there, with a mouthful of pork roast, I couldn't take a full breath. I couldn't even take most of a partial breath. It just hurt too much. Things ebbed and increased, but for the next half hour I was too busy trying to get a full breath to think about much else. I did manage to swallow the pork eventually. It took much longer to get the slices into Ziploc bags and into the freezer and refrigerator, but I managed that, too, eventually. It's a measure of how much pain I was in that these were major achievements.

I debated calling 911 for an ambulance, or a friend to take me to the ER, or whether I could hold out until the morning. Things let up enough for me sit down, at least, though not without serious moments of unusual interest in between.

I decided that I would take some codeine to zone me out, and sent my boss a note that I might be late in the morning. Unfortunately, my carefully hoarded store of codeine (saved from a dentist's procedure several years ago, but still reasonably potent) had apparently disappeared in the move. I made it through the night on ibuprofen, guts, and very careful movements. (Among our coping mechanisms are such diverse items as...)

This morning, I called the triage nurse at Park Nicollet to ask whether I should come in for an X-ray, go to the Methodist Hospital ER, or some other option, and she said she couldn't help me immediately because there was a flag on my file because they don't have the right insurance information and so payments haven't been going through. Once that was fixed, she'd be happy to help me, she said.

She transferred me to the business office and I gave the right information to the clerk there. The clerk said that's what she had and it wasn't working. I said, can't you call Blue Cross and confirm it with them? She said I should do it. I said I already had; that was where the information I gave her came from. She said, all right, give me the 800 number on the card. I said I didn't have a card, though a new one was being sent to me. She said, in that case I can't help you. I said wait, let me check my mailbox, maybe it came yesterday. Luckily, it had. I confirmed that the information on the card was the same as what I'd given her. She said okay, give me the number on the back. I asked which one, and she said the customer information one. I said that was on the front, and there was an annoyed silence at her end. I gave her the number and asked her to call me back when things were fixed. She grumped but eventually agreed.

So I'm waiting. I've been waiting 45 minutes now. It's utterly surreal. And the whole fuss is over $900 worth of bounced bills. I'm in enough pain to say I'll *pay* the bloody bills, but I have to play it their way because if I go to the ER it's going to cost a lot more. I've never had this kind of problem with the insurance company before.

Comments

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Aaargghhh!!

Sympathy and I actually cannot believe that this really happened. I mean, I know it did, but I want to tear my hair, or maybe theirs.

I mean worse things have happened in the history of the world than telling someone in pain that they can't be helped until they jump through bureaucratic hoops, but it seems an absolute outrage.

Would you really rather not pay a couple of percent more tax and have a proper health service for everyone?

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

Pretty much what papersky said, including especially the ARRRRGGGGHGHHH.

Call us if you need some help with transport, etc.

[morgandawn.livejournal.com]

post an update when you feel up to it. am glad you are heading in to see someone.