Coming Up For Air...
::Exhales::
What a week! Last week is what is known to the Ducks as "Dead Week." Dead Week is rumored to be the time when homework is diminished to leave time for studying, but that is just an Old Wives' Tale. Dead Week is really the time of the term when students, who are so sleep-deprived from twenty-four-seven from studying, deliriously walk into to oncoming traffic and are crushed to death.
Well, okay, that's not true, but I'm sure some students have thought about walking into oncoming traffic to escape studying for finals. Physically inabled just enough to get professor's sympathy and the final waived...
Not that I've ever thought of doing such a thing...
Anyway. Last week consisted of work at the AGP, my last PR presentation, a presentation for my non-profit class, and my International Communications final. On Thursday I took the bus to Portland. Friday, I went to the JDRF Corporate Recruitment breakfast, had a pow-wow meeting at the office to figure out what I'm doing this summer (mostly the newsletter and the website. How perfect.), and watched 4 hours of Star Trek (DS9 and The Next Generation. I am a closet geek.). Saturday was my friend Kelsey's high school graduation. Kelsey and I met at diabetes camp about 4 years ago. Graduation was typically boring, but dinner at McCormick and Schmick's was awesome. Raspberry cheesecake is ridiculously good and ridiculously bad for my blood sugars. Ooops...
Sunday was church! Woot! And a little trip to Nordie's where I spent 2 hours trying to find a bra that fit. Twenty-odd bras later and I finally found one. Why are so many evil, annoying things necessary for survival? Honest to Betty... I spent most of Monday driving around and running errands, before driving back to Eugene. Picked up my test strips from the pharmacy as well.
Which brings me to Allison's I Hate Diabetes Story of the Week. (How's that for a transition?)
So, a couple of months ago my mom switched the way we are paying for anything medical (includes everything from aspirin to insulin). The details aren't that important, but Minimed sent me the supplies before the new way of paying switched which was bad news. My dad was able to negotiate with Minimed to let me send the supplies back, even though it had been more than 30-days. Sounds groovy, right?
Uh, sure.
I call Minimed to get the Return information and I also ordered new supplies. I informed them that I was down to two boxes (100 test strips) before running out. The woman said she would try to get them to send them out as soon as possible. That was on Tuesday.
The following Monday and I'm at the Memorial Union, sitting down at 4pm to my first actual meal of the day, when my cell phone rings. It's a guy from Minimed. He tells me that they are going to ship out my box tomorrow, "But," he says, "we're not able to send one item."
Huh?
He informs me that my test strips (the one and only item that I actually need NOW!) is not longer covered by my insurance as durable medical equipment.
I have no idea what that means, all I know is they aren't sending my test strips. And they decided to wait a WEEK to tell me. Honest to Betty, were they waiting for a personal invitation?
I rush home and call my insurance company and the nice woman informs me that for some reason, I now have to get my test strips from the pharmacy. Like everyone else in America, yes, but I've been getting my test strips in 3 month batches from Minimed for the last 5 years. I don't like change!
I called my pharmacy and I called my endocrinologist and after playing a bit of phone tag, finally got everything settled. Stopped in at the pharmacy on Thursday to find out if they got the order and discovered that I only get a month's supply of test strips instead of my usual three months.
All this because my insurance suddenly has decided to make it a pharmacy purchase without even telling me.
Moral of the story: Insurance companies suck. If they weren't necessarily for survival, I would say get rid of them.
Anyway, I am now back in Eugene finishing up finals week at school. One paper and one PR portfolio have already been turned in, and now I'm gearing up for my last Final of Doom and Despair. Get this: My history professor gave us our Study Guide which is just 26 possible essay questions. From those 26, he will choose 8 for the final. And of those 8, we have to write essays on 2 of them. Have I mentioned this final is worth HALF MY GRADE?! Seriously, that kind of weighting should be illegal.
Sigh. Well, I guess I better get back in there. Catch ya later!
::Inhale::
What a week! Last week is what is known to the Ducks as "Dead Week." Dead Week is rumored to be the time when homework is diminished to leave time for studying, but that is just an Old Wives' Tale. Dead Week is really the time of the term when students, who are so sleep-deprived from twenty-four-seven from studying, deliriously walk into to oncoming traffic and are crushed to death.
Well, okay, that's not true, but I'm sure some students have thought about walking into oncoming traffic to escape studying for finals. Physically inabled just enough to get professor's sympathy and the final waived...
Not that I've ever thought of doing such a thing...
Anyway. Last week consisted of work at the AGP, my last PR presentation, a presentation for my non-profit class, and my International Communications final. On Thursday I took the bus to Portland. Friday, I went to the JDRF Corporate Recruitment breakfast, had a pow-wow meeting at the office to figure out what I'm doing this summer (mostly the newsletter and the website. How perfect.), and watched 4 hours of Star Trek (DS9 and The Next Generation. I am a closet geek.). Saturday was my friend Kelsey's high school graduation. Kelsey and I met at diabetes camp about 4 years ago. Graduation was typically boring, but dinner at McCormick and Schmick's was awesome. Raspberry cheesecake is ridiculously good and ridiculously bad for my blood sugars. Ooops...
Sunday was church! Woot! And a little trip to Nordie's where I spent 2 hours trying to find a bra that fit. Twenty-odd bras later and I finally found one. Why are so many evil, annoying things necessary for survival? Honest to Betty... I spent most of Monday driving around and running errands, before driving back to Eugene. Picked up my test strips from the pharmacy as well.
Which brings me to Allison's I Hate Diabetes Story of the Week. (How's that for a transition?)
So, a couple of months ago my mom switched the way we are paying for anything medical (includes everything from aspirin to insulin). The details aren't that important, but Minimed sent me the supplies before the new way of paying switched which was bad news. My dad was able to negotiate with Minimed to let me send the supplies back, even though it had been more than 30-days. Sounds groovy, right?
Uh, sure.
I call Minimed to get the Return information and I also ordered new supplies. I informed them that I was down to two boxes (100 test strips) before running out. The woman said she would try to get them to send them out as soon as possible. That was on Tuesday.
The following Monday and I'm at the Memorial Union, sitting down at 4pm to my first actual meal of the day, when my cell phone rings. It's a guy from Minimed. He tells me that they are going to ship out my box tomorrow, "But," he says, "we're not able to send one item."
Huh?
He informs me that my test strips (the one and only item that I actually need NOW!) is not longer covered by my insurance as durable medical equipment.
I have no idea what that means, all I know is they aren't sending my test strips. And they decided to wait a WEEK to tell me. Honest to Betty, were they waiting for a personal invitation?
I rush home and call my insurance company and the nice woman informs me that for some reason, I now have to get my test strips from the pharmacy. Like everyone else in America, yes, but I've been getting my test strips in 3 month batches from Minimed for the last 5 years. I don't like change!
I called my pharmacy and I called my endocrinologist and after playing a bit of phone tag, finally got everything settled. Stopped in at the pharmacy on Thursday to find out if they got the order and discovered that I only get a month's supply of test strips instead of my usual three months.
All this because my insurance suddenly has decided to make it a pharmacy purchase without even telling me.
Moral of the story: Insurance companies suck. If they weren't necessarily for survival, I would say get rid of them.
Anyway, I am now back in Eugene finishing up finals week at school. One paper and one PR portfolio have already been turned in, and now I'm gearing up for my last Final of Doom and Despair. Get this: My history professor gave us our Study Guide which is just 26 possible essay questions. From those 26, he will choose 8 for the final. And of those 8, we have to write essays on 2 of them. Have I mentioned this final is worth HALF MY GRADE?! Seriously, that kind of weighting should be illegal.
Sigh. Well, I guess I better get back in there. Catch ya later!
::Inhale::
posted by Allison at 8:53 PM
2 Comments:
I'm exhausted reading your post! I sure don't miss final exams .... ugh.
Good luck on finishing everything up :) I know you'll be busy this summer, but any plans to take a "little" vacation?
I agree with you, insurance companies suck! I have to do the same thing as you do. Get my pump supplies every 3 months from minimed and have to pick my strips up every month. What really sucks is that they will only give me 100 a month and i test WAY more then that. LAME
Post a Comment
<< Home