Try Again TriCare

Sometimes I love TriCare. Sometimes I loathe it. This is one of those times.

So in reference to my surgery I have needed another referral from my primary care doctor. I got a referral for a surgical consultation, which I went to as you see from my previous entry. Now I got approved by the surgeon, but before they could submit it to TriCare they needed my records and another referral. This referall had to state it was ok to treat, pre-op, surgery, and post-op.

So the very day I left my appointment I was trying to get Dr Kim on the phone. No appointments. No one knows what the heck a referral is all of a sudden. For two solid weeks I fought to get any contact with the man. I finally go through patient advocacy and he calls me back. I tell him I need a copy of my records and another referral for the rest of treatment.

They fax me my file at work. It is wrong. It said I was allergic to latex, on no medication, a non smoker.... all false. I am NOT allergic to latex but do have a fatal reaction penicillin, (which I told them!) I do smoke and I am on at least two-four perscriptions at any given time as well as calcium suppliments! I write all the corrections and fax it back saying I need an accurate record as this is going to my surgeon and surprisingly they fax it back.... three days later. UGH.

I assume the referral is also being taken care of, as Dr Kim said he was resubmitting it. He said he originally submitted it for total treatment, not just consultation, but he will do it again. I give him two weeks. I call TriCare Tuesday of this week and they have no referral on file.

Seriously???

So I try and call the clinic directly. No answer. I call the appointment line to try and just get an appointment to go in and do this in person. No one, and I mean NO ONE, can see me until Saturday November 20th at 7:40am. What the heck!? I have never had a problem getting an appointment at Belvoir before! I book it and call patient advocacy again, this time to talk to someone in referrals. They tell me it was submitted Monday. As in the day before. Again, seriously?! What did they do with it for TWO WEEKS???

Well whatever, it was in. They told me to call Friday and I would have an answer.

I call today at lunch.

At least it is submitted now. They see it. But... it is still pending.

Call back on Monday.


*insert Allie slamming her head into her desk here*

Anyway.... the ball is tomorrow (and Ryan has to wear Dress Whites?! Whaaaat?) my dad and brother will be here!

See you all later taters!

Say A Lil Prayer...

You all remember my last doctor's visit from this post.


Well after work today I noticed I had a voicemail from a number I didn't recognize. It also called me twice the day before. It was from my doctor concerning the results of my spinal xray. I tried to call back and went through a maze (yay tricare!) but I eventually left a message for him to call me back.

I get a call tonight while Ryan and I are watching Hook and making dinner. It was my doctor. So apparently on my spine in two of the five angles they looked at there is some sort of mark. They want me to get another xray to double check their findings. It isn't a tumor or anything. But there are two possibilities. One is nothing. It was the angle I was laying at and my colon was there and it is an "incidental finding" (aka...well, crap). The other possibility is a spinal injury of sorts. My density is off for whatever reason. So if it isn't the incidental finding it is something else. He kept asking me if I ever had a serious injury (theory being it is post-traumatic injury or something that didn't heal) but I never have. Just pulling it out musclewise for 8 years. If the spot is in the same place on these new xrays then I need a CT scan or other tests to determine exactly what the damage is and what is causing it and go from there.

After dinner we get in the car and drive to Ft Belvoir. I was glad Ryan was with me because I couldn't help but feel a little panicky and worried. I wasn't expecting this at all. I was convinced my chest was causing back pain but what if this is causing it too?

48-72 hours for the results. So think positive for me.

Best case scenario... we drove all the way for Belvoir for shit :P

No?

Ok I laughed. Sorry.