Tag: blogging

healthcare · mental health

Happy Freaking Holidays!

Tracy6 Comments

Independence Blue Cross has decided that it wasn’t an emergency when I needed the ambulance for my attempt on my life as well as the ambulance ride from the hospital after my surgeries to the nursing home. I guess I should’ve hooked up my bed to my husbands car and he could’ve rolled me over. Then I got an explanation of benefits saying they’re not paying for anything from my two surgeries and my hospital stay. I may be billed for $168,000 +. It gets better, I got my first bill for my hip surgery. But wait… there’s more, the ambulance company is sending me to collections because I haven’t paid for those two ambulance rides. 😳 I know that all of these issues are because of pre-authorizations and pre-certifications that were not done properly. I’m trying not to stress over this too much as I know it will all be taken care of at some point. Thankfully my deductible’s have all been met so I have no worries there. It’s just not right that we have to jump through these hoops to get the care we need. As we know sometimes jumping through the hoops doesn’t work.  I mean, I jumped through 1 million hoops and they still denied me the life-saving care of acute rehab. That type of facility is the only way I will ever be able to get out of this bed. I am not giving up. In fact, I’m just getting started.

I’m sorry I have been absent for a bit. It’s just become so overwhelming dealing with Independence Blue Cross. 

I’m a little late, but… I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and I pray that 2021 is kinder to us all.🖤



Anger · Health · healthcare · Medical · mental health · Multiple Sclerosis · Primary Progressive MS · Strength

And here we go again… Part 2

Tracy3 Comments

You’re gonna love this one… I just received an explanation of benefits from Independence Blue Cross stating that they are not fully covering the ambulance ride from the hospital to the rehab center after my hip surgery. I guess I should’ve just hooked my bed up to a car and rolled over that way. Ummmm idiots, I have no choice as to who the case manager at the hospital decides to use for transport.

The best part, my husband told the caseworker not to use American medical response, and she did anyways. 😳

I also received a second explanation of benefits in regards to my hip surgery. Again, I should’ve pre-certified breaking my hip first before I got the surgery. Logically, I understand the concept of precertification, but not in this case. So, we should’ve waited a couple of days before doing the surgery as I was lying there with a broken hip? What exactly am I supposed to do about this? They need to take it up with the fucking hospital and not me.

Thank you to those sending me your horror stories dealing with Independence Blue Cross/Anthem Blue Cross, etc. I’m so sorry you have to deal with this as well. Trust me, we will be heard!

Yup, sharing this one again!
Anger · Fear · Health · Medical · mental health · Multiple Sclerosis · PAIN · Primary Progressive MS · Quotes · Strength

Tell me I cannot do something and I will show you that I can…

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When that idiot of a doctor told me via FaceTime that there’s nothing more they can do for me, I am end-stage MS, and he’ll put in a call to hospice, I almost said “you’re right!” But after talking to some amazing friends and getting the best support in the world, he can kiss my fucking ass! Dr. Kareti at AV Neuroscience, you seriously pissed off the wrong woman. Telling someone over the phone that they are at their end, in a sense, was about the most disgusting thing a doctor could do. Aside from the fact the whole time he was shuffling papers on his table and talking to a nurse, what he did was unconscionable. What if I had been alone? What if I had no support system? He quite possibly could’ve sent someone over the edge by doing that. 

Now, I’m gonna show him just how incompetent and how wrong he is! Tell me I can’t asshole… I’m gonna show you I fucking can! You’ve just given me more strength than you know. I will admit that I was frightened of the places my mind went to after the phone call. But I made it through with so much help from my friends! I’m going to keep going even if I have to crawl.

I’m going to Keep fighting. One things for sure is I’m not going to be silent when I don’t receive the best healthcare possible. I have a remote call with my pain management doctor today and I will be informing him of the conversation I had with the neurologist. I’m curious to see if he’s going to agree with him or not. 

I’m tired, I’m scared, I’m frustrated, I’m angry, but the warrior in me is going to rise from the ashes, just like the Phoenix!!

Have courage and be kind.



Health · Multiple Sclerosis · PAIN · Primary Progressive MS · Quotes · Ramblings · Strength

The human body truly is an amazing thing.

Tracy3 Comments

While I await more rehab through my insurance, I am having a private Physical Therapy. It really sucks when you have to pay for some thing out of your pocket to keep it going when you pay thousands to have healthcare insurance. I’m hoping this will be taken care of within the next couple weeks and my insurance will pick it back up. I knew I could not stop for the little bits that I’ve gained would be lost. I’m very thankful to my stepmom or as I call her, mom, for taking care of private sessions for me.

I really believe that I will be able to get back into my Hoyer lift and into my chair within the month of July. I’m realizing there are some medical issues I will have to get taken care of as well. Both of my knees have frontal torn meniscus’s. This causes some serious pain when bending my knees. But we are taking it slowly and the pain is lessening. I should’ve had these problems fixed years ago, but they would not fix the issue that caused the problems. My doctor told me insurance would not cover it because of my illness and the fact that I spent a lot of time in a wheelchair. So basically every couple years I would just have to get these surgeries to put a Band-Aid on the issue. I had already had one surgery to fix the issue and now I was going to need another one… That’s another story for another blog.

My body lets my physical therapist know when it’s had enough. My leg will literally stop any movement. If that makes any sense at all. It truly is amazing how the human body works to protects itself. I am learning the saying, move it or lose it, is so very true. I’m doing everything I can on my own to move my legs as much as I can, and my husband is also trying to help as much as possible. He has his own back issues and it causes him a lot of pain helping me. So it’s a lot of moaning and groaning going on as he moves me around. Old people problems. 😜

Patience is something that I have to work on. It really isn’t one of my virtues. I am learning and I know that it took 6 1/2 years to get to this place so it’s not going to be fixed overnight. This time I will not give up. This time I will not give in. This time I will fight for my life!

Have courage and be kind. 

Health · PAIN · Ramblings

Baby steps

Tracy6 Comments

Today’s fun is trying to get my ankles used to wearing my Forrest Gump shoes again. 😂 It’s been a while and I think my legs are going to be pissed off at me tonight. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Tomorrow we will be trying to get me in the chair again. My lower back is still hurting really bad so we didn’t want to push it today.

And now I’ve had these on now for 2 1/2 hours and I think that’s long enough for today. 

Baby steps… 🖤

Have courage and be kind.

Fear · Health · Medical · mental health · Multiple Sclerosis · Primary Progressive MS · Ramblings

We can’t do it alone…

Tracy2 Comments

Since my husband’s been home thanks to the corona, we’ve been moving my legs more and more. It’s all been leading up to getting me into my chair. Today was that day. I wish I could say that it worked and I got into my chair. But I can’t. The pain in my lower back, my hips, and my knees was so excruciating I couldn’t do it. I was scared we were going to fracture another bone in my back. I’m so angry and bawling like a little kid. I’m angry at myself that I just didn’t bite the bullet and have them throw me into my chair. The pain was/is worse than the contractions I experienced giving birth to my son. 😢

We will try again, hopefully tomorrow. But after today, I’m scared… so scared. It really feels like I’ll never get out of his bed. I am bedridden in every sense of the word. I know I say it all the time, but wow, did my doctors drop the ball in 2013. And wow, did Independence Blue Cross fuck me in regards to Rehab. It just sucks knowing that there is no way to get help. We can’t do it alone. I’m thankful that tomorrow is my counseling appointment as I’m falling apart right now. I’m so disappointed in myself that I couldn’t do it. I know I shouldn’t be, but I am.

Oh well…

Have courage and be kind.

mental health · PAIN · Primary Progressive MS · Ramblings

Letting go…

Tracy4 Comments

This is tough for me. I can see myself sitting up and moving around my room. When I see myself, I still see the kid that I once was. I have cried so many silent tears for all that I’ve lost. Believe me, I have tried to move forward and truly accept my new normal. It sounds easy enough, but it’s so very hard. I think the boredom gets to me after a while. It’s almost seasonal in a way. It feels like every three months or so I fall into a depression. I’m trying to recognize the signs of my downward spiral(s).

I constantly fight with everything that I feel I should have done when I fell in 2013. Why didn’t I scream at them for rehab, why didn’t I try harder, etc.? I’m learning to forgive myself for that. There was nothing I could’ve done as I’d never been in that situation before. My doctors dropped the ball. I’m trying to let go of the anger.

I’m going to discuss this with my therapist on Thursday. I think it’s something that has been festering for so long. I have to get it out. I feel like I’m all over the place right now, so I will end here. 🖤

#LettingGo #ChronicIllness #PrimaryProgressiveMS #TheBedRiddenLife

Have courage and be kind.

Fear · Health · Medical · mental health · Multiple Sclerosis · Primary Progressive MS · Ramblings

You’ll get through this!

Tracy6 Comments

I have made it through a couple times where I didn’t think I was going to make it. I wish I could say that it’s going to be OK, but I don’t know. I’m trying really hard every day and hoping that something is going to give. I just can’t go another 6+ years in this bed. I’ve had to learn patience, which has never been one of my virtues. I really want to stay positive but I don’t see me getting the help that I need. I’ve been in this bed for over six years and my body has, well, died in a sense. It’s going to take a lot of time and a lot of hard work to make my legs go back to a normal position. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money or the good insurance to get the help I need. And in this moment in my life, unless you’re trapped the way I am trapped, I understand you’re not going to understand. I know, blah blah blah. I just needed to vent it out. I’m struggling, but I’ll get through this. I’ll get through this to wake up trapped again. But, I’ll do it because that’s what everyone wants. OK, that didn’t come out the way it was supposed to, but I think some of you understand.

My legs are jacked the fuck up. I can’t straighten my knees or bend my ankles properly. I’ve been stuck in this bed for so long as I sit up, in my adjustable bed, I get dizzy. My body has literally died being in this bed. Ten to twenty, and I’m being generous, physical therapy visits won’t do anything for me. I can’t sit up unless I have help or something is behind me. But like I’ve stated before, Independence Blue Cross took me out too soon from the rehab. I was sitting up on my own. But when you get kicked out of rehab and you get no good in-home physical therapy, it all goes away.

Yes I know it’s obvious I’m struggling. I just am not sure how to wrap my head around it all. I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore and that’s what scares me. But I’ll keep fighting and hopefully one day it will take me to where I need to be.

I’m sorry if it’s all over the place right now. But I can’t get my thoughts in order so, there it is.

Have courage and be kind.