Because Inquiring Minds Want To Know....

A brief update on the insurance saga…

First, I want to take the opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to all my friends and family who have given us their concern and support through this little health insurance crisis. It’s been a hellish month, but the phone calls and late night texting and emails of everyone checking in with us for situation updates and to simply inquire how we were doing have overwhelmed me with gratitude and provided much comfort. Thanks for caring. Thanks for listening. You’ve made more of a difference than you could possibly know.

That being said, I am pleased (and relieved as hell) to report that a solution has been found. I was able to plead my case to the higher ups at my company and they agreed to reinstate my full-time status (thus making me eligible for benefits), provided I began working full time hours immediately. This proved a bit of a challenge, but my manager and the manager at another location have helped me to obtain the necessary amount of hours required to maintain full-time status. For this, I am extremely grateful to both of them.

There was a small waiting period (while the company data base was updated), but I was able to enroll for benefits last week and I received confirmation on Friday that my enrollment was successful. Now we’re just waiting for our information to be updated with the insurance company and for our cards to arrive.

Whew.

I feel like I can breathe once more. Those three weeks of being un-insured were extraordinarily daunting; I had no idea if we would find any kind of resolution or be able to get coverage before our medications ran out. And what if we didn’t? So many unanswered questions, so many what if’s, so many people telling me not to get my hopes up; I was prepared for the worst.

Fortunately, things worked out. I feel very fortunate that my company was willing to take into account my many years of service and the contributions I have made and bend the rules to ensure both my continued employment and my well-being. These days, I think that's probably pretty rare.

Of course, this comes at the price of working full-time again. Going from 2 or 3 days a week to a full 5 has been a bit grueling; my body is just not able to take as much as it once did. But, we must do what we must do. I am just grateful that there is something I can do to ensure that Nick and I can continue to treat our conditions and receive the health care that we both need and deserve. We'll make this work.

In the meantime, we’re readjusting. Nick has once again risen gloriously to the challenge and has been extraordinarily helpful around the house and with meal preparations and running errands (grocery shopping, impromptu ice cream cravings, etc.). I am so grateful for both his willingness to step up and for his notable talents in the domestic arts. Thank you, my love. I love you so much!

As for me, I'm hanging in there. I’ve had to make some compromises with my exercise routine and social activities; I simply don’t have the energy to do it all. But I am adjusting and I try to reserve a little time and as much energy as I can for the things I enjoy and a little fun and socializing too; I refuse to let life become nothing but work and sleep. At the same time, I need to remember to be kind to myself and to say 'no' and rest my body when I need to. This is a difficult concept for me, one that I am continually working on.

I’m determined to keep swimming and keep smiling. I put as much effort as I can into remaining positive and counting my blessings each day. I know that even though this situation is kinda crap, we still have much to be grateful for.