The fight of my life (with insurance not even fighting the cancer that’s invaded my body)

Hi, everyone!

This blog doesn’t come from a place of swirling thoughts but just a space of wanting to update everyone and shed light on the unprofessionalism that happens in regards to insurance and healthcare.

Yesterday, I had my port inserted. I got to the hospital around 5:45 am and my procedure wasn’t until 8am. Before the procedure, the nurses gave me IV fluids and got me ready for the procedure. Naturally, we are all on first name basis now and I know their kids AND their cats names. We also swapped photos lol. I love a good cat photo. When I was getting wheeled into the OR room, my surgical nurse asked me if there was any music I wanted playing while the port was getting inserted. Harry’s House hasn’t left my AirPods since 9pm Thursday evening so that’s what I asked for and not Taylor Swift (I hope she forgives me). So there we are 4-5 different nurses moving around me rubbing me with iodine, starting IV’s, putting monitor stickies all over me…all with Watermelon Sugar playing pretty loud in the background lol. Sign of the Time came on at one point and I turned to Caesar (my surgical nurse) and said it feels like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy with this dramatic song playing in the background and nurses all around me and he replied, “it feels like the season finale”. How freaking kismet haha. I feel like my whole life for the last almost two months have lead up to this moment. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. This port going in marks the end of my life as I knew it and the start of a hard but super important journey. It truly does feel like a season finale occurred yesterday in my life but don’t worry…the newest season starts off with a ton of drama.

I was supposed to start chemotherapy today but I never got told what time to show up or what to expect. While I was at the hospital for my port insertion I had Adam give them a call and ask for me. He was told I wasn’t on the schedule for Tuesday. I email the only person I have direct contact with and get told the insurance provider approved it for the wrong medicine code and she lists off two codes that mean literally nothing for me. I have a contact at Battalion (she gave me free chainsmokers tickets, we go way back) that has access to tricare referrals and she looked it up for me and saw that tricare has attempted to get in contact with the office four times regarding the codes. The code the office was giving tricare is showing expired for tricare and giving them a different code for the medicine I’m supposed to receive. I call the office to give them that information and I’m told that’s incorrect and not a code they use. To which I respectfully reply…”Ma’am I’m literally just trying to start this life saving treatment or at least know around when I can expect to start so I can arrange childcare and mentally prepare. I know you deal with this stuff every day and are desensitized to it but I’ve never gone through this and all the misinformation or lack of information is frustrating and overwhelming. I cannot change the codes myself so I don’t know why you’re arguing with me instead of figuring it out with my insurance or why it would take two weeks when this seems like it could be solved in phone call if you would ever answer a call from them. Can you please let me know how I can start this week?” She said I could pay out of pocket and then “figure it out with my insurance later” The American healthcare system ladies and gentlemen…greatest country on Earth right.

So, I start my chemotherapy journey tomorrow at 8:20 and I’m going to pay out of pocket until they can figure it out. The lack of compassion or just niceness in general while trying to navigate this impossible time and back and forth of insurance and doctors offices is mind boggling. And the complete lack of communication. If I didn’t call or start asking questions, I wouldn’t be told anything. Absolutely insane to me.

Thank you as always for your continued support. It means more than you know and I’m forever grateful. Not having to worry about dinner for my family last night as it was supplied by my neighbor who started my meal train was amazing. I came home from the hospital and slept until 8pm and then woke up and panicked about dinner only to come down and be reminded of the community that has surrounded me and my family during this insane time.