My headache is still persisting. Little bugger. It's not terrible, I can function, but I would still like it to, you know, STOP eventually. So today I went to see my "doctor" (PA) Amber. She seemed kind of concerned with it, particularly the fact that it (or one of the meds) seems to be fiddling with my hearing a little. I noticed it when my phone's text alert goes off. It seems...out of tune. It's weird. I can also hear the difference in music and sometimes even when I'm talking. She did a bunch of little neurological tests and I did fine, so she said that it may be a combination of the migraine and the stupid cold-that-won't-die. So hopefully the antibiotics I've been taking will start working soon.
She gave me a prescription for a migraine medicine I've taken in the past as well, so I dropped it off at a nearby pharmacy. I should mention this was my "lunch break". They said it would be 15 minutes, so I drove across the street for a quick lunch and then went back. When I got back they told me that my prescription plan only approves this medication in a quantity of 12. Mine was written for 9. Seriously?! Yes this is the same RX plan that I fought with on Tyler's medications (see HERE). They said they'd have to see if the doctor would re-write it for 12, which I knew they would, and then they'd call me. I was annoyed, because I was hoping to take the new medicine rather than what I already had because it makes me so tired, but I needed to get back to work for a meeting, and really, what could I do? So I left, got two miles down the road, and got stopped for a really long funeral procession. While I was stopped, I took my original medicine. I had barely swallowed when the pharmacy called to say that they'd gotten the original RX for 9 approved after all, and could I please come back to get it. *FACEPALM*
I waited for the procession to pass, did a U-Turn, and fought the now-congested traffic back to the pharmacy. I finally got my medicine (after playing the I CAN'T HEAR YOU game with the woman at the drive thru--seriously, SPEAK UP sister!) and got back to work just in time for my meeting. Sigh.
My doctor said that if my headache isn't gone by Monday she wants me to have a CAT scan. So please go away, Headache!!!
Showing posts with label me no likey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label me no likey. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
Three years ago and a prayer request
Prayer request first. Twin sissy has been in the hospital since Saturday with gallstones and pancreatitis. Me no likey. So it looks like she'll be having her gallbladder out tomorrow. She's never had surgery before, so please send her any prayers, thoughts and positive juju that you can! I loves her much!
Since this a serious post, I just also need to recognize that it's been three years yesterday since I lost my little butterfly (Posts HERE and HERE). I may not have known I was pregnant for more than a few days, but I still remember and think about it sometimes.
And poor AJ had an ear infection complete with extreme non-AJ like days (extremely scary lethargy) and a fever of 103. So yeah, not a great few days for us. Le Sigh.
Since this a serious post, I just also need to recognize that it's been three years yesterday since I lost my little butterfly (Posts HERE and HERE). I may not have known I was pregnant for more than a few days, but I still remember and think about it sometimes.
And poor AJ had an ear infection complete with extreme non-AJ like days (extremely scary lethargy) and a fever of 103. So yeah, not a great few days for us. Le Sigh.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
I am Mama, hear me ROAR!
I seriously feel like David, with the giant Goliath at his feet, triumphant yet somehow disbelieving that I've actually won the fight. Surely he's going to bounce back to his colossal feet and say say "PSYCH!".
I'm sure you're wondering (assuming anyone is actually reading this, I always feel silly making that assumption) what the heck I'm talking about. So let me back up.
Last October (That's 5+ months ago), I got a letter from my prescription plan company. I have health insurance through my job and there is a separate company that deals with medications and prescriptions. The letter was address to the Parent of Tyler L. It stated that as of January 1, 2014 the medication he takes for acid reflux would no longer be covered under our plan. Tyler has taken medication for acid reflux since he was about 6 weeks old because he spit up often and was a fussy colicy baby. Reflux is very common, especially in male infants, and his pediatrician thought it was a likely culprit and it seemed to help a little. At 9 months, the spitting up had basically stopped, so we were advised to stop the meds. At 12 months, we discovered that Tyler had LOST weight. He had lost several pounds. We put him back on reflux meds and started giving him pediassure instead of whole milk.
Since that time, we've had a bunch of testing done (upper GI, x-rays, an endoscopy, a 2 day probe study, bloodwork, etc) but have never really gotten a lot of definitive answers. I had one horrible GI specialist and one that was so-so, but they never seemed to make a lot of progress. He's tried several medication, finally ending up on Prevacid, which seemed most effective for him. It comes in a little tablet that melts in liquid. We put one in his juice in the morning and it keeps his symptoms at bay for the most part. He still has a very sensitive stomach, especially if he gets overheated from running around. He's still a super picky, difficult eater. But we've tried to wean off the medication several times, and every time is the same--complaints of a stomachache, particularly at dinner time and often accompanied by pressing on his stomach, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, general fussiness, and if tried for more than a week or so, weight loss. So this was the right medication for him. Up until about 2 years ago, there was a generic that was available by prescription, but then it suddenly vanished from the market and we were left with the more expensive name brand, which eventually crept all the way up to my maximum co-pay of $95.
So, back to the letter. I was not happy to hear this. I knew I was in for a battle. The next day, I called the company (I'm being nice and not bashing them by name) and told them I'd received the letter and that was just not going to work. I'd checked, and without insurance, the medicine would cost me around $500 per month. Now, I would do anything for my child, but that wasn't going to be possible without some serious miracles. So the first guy I talked to said I needed a Prior Authorization, submitted from our PCP. Okay, great, done. Our awesome PA (Physician's Assistant) Amber and her amazing nurse Jenny drafted one up and sent it in. Rejected--medication does not require a PA. Oy. Yeah, a PA isn't required in the plan in 2013, but under the new 2014 plan. I was told the plan "wasn't loaded" and we should try again in a few weeks. Okay fine. We did this, with the same result. Against my better judgement, I patiently waited until the new year to try a third time. Now I was told that we never needed a PA--we needed an appeal. UGH. So we filed an appeal and sent with it a letter of medical necessity, stating that this medication is the only one that really works for Tyler, here's the tests that have been run, here are the other meds he's taken, yada yada. Denied. They told us we needed to try him on Nexium. I filled an RX and we tried it for about a week before it was clear it wasn't effective for him.
At that point, our PCP's office recommended that I call his most recent GI Specialist and have them give it a try. They thought the specialist might have more experience and their recommendations might be taken more seriously. The specialist appealed the decision and they were denied (Appeal 2 out of 3 possible). They said that he needed to try one more medication, Prilosec and if he failed it, they would approve the Prevacid. We tried it for 2 weeks and it didn't work either. The GI specialist sent the request through for a third time. They were then told that we needed to try another medication. When she told me that, I reminded her that's what they said last time. She contacted them again and they told her they needed a letter of medical necessity. I told her our PCP had already sent one, but they insisted. Unfortunately, Tyler hadn't been to the GI since 2012, so we were told we'd have to come in for an appointment before they could legally write the letter. I grudgingly made the appointment, but I'd had enough.
I sat down one evening last week and wrote a letter. I put in all the details of the medications we've tried, the information (and more often, MISinformation) I'd been given from their customer service reps, and all of my areas of frustration. I told them how I couldn't get solid answers when I called, how I was even told that the department that I really needed to speak with "didn't have phones". I was calm and mature, but still let them know that I felt it was unfair and cruel to put a five year old child through pain over something like this, to draw the situation out when a child's well-being is at stake. I ended the letter by saying I hoped they would use my comments to improve their policies and appeals process and to train their staff to make the process smoother. Then I said that if there was any assistance they could offer us, to please contact me.
Now, if you've ever tried to contact someone in upper management at a large corporation, you know it's nearly impossible. They don't usually publish their email addresses or phone numbers, just basic information about the corporate headquarters. And even I have been trained when answer phones at work, to withhold that kind of information, to solicitors from contacting management and that kind of thing. But with some creative thinking and deductive reasoning, Adam and I were able to come up with the names of some high-ups and what we assumed were the email address that went with those names. Friday night I sent my letter off as an email to about half a dozen individuals at the company.
Within a few hours, I got a response. They would work on this over the weekend and I would be contacted on Monday.
Over the course of the day on Monday I got several emails and by Tuesday evening the medication was put on a one year approval and I was assured that should Tyler need the medication after the year passes, I should email this doctor personally and he would see that it was extended. I got a phone call this afternoon saying my prescription is ready to be picked up. I will happily hand over that $95 for once.
I am so relieved. I've been fighting this battle for over 5 months, and even though I told myself I wouldn't give up, part of me didn't think I'd be able to get it done. I've been in tears many times over this, so frustrated that some faceless corporation dared to play God with my son's health. I wanted nothing more than to make him feel better. And now I can.
The only thing worse than a woman scorned? A Mama Bear! Don't mess with my babies!
I'm sure you're wondering (assuming anyone is actually reading this, I always feel silly making that assumption) what the heck I'm talking about. So let me back up.
Last October (That's 5+ months ago), I got a letter from my prescription plan company. I have health insurance through my job and there is a separate company that deals with medications and prescriptions. The letter was address to the Parent of Tyler L. It stated that as of January 1, 2014 the medication he takes for acid reflux would no longer be covered under our plan. Tyler has taken medication for acid reflux since he was about 6 weeks old because he spit up often and was a fussy colicy baby. Reflux is very common, especially in male infants, and his pediatrician thought it was a likely culprit and it seemed to help a little. At 9 months, the spitting up had basically stopped, so we were advised to stop the meds. At 12 months, we discovered that Tyler had LOST weight. He had lost several pounds. We put him back on reflux meds and started giving him pediassure instead of whole milk.
Since that time, we've had a bunch of testing done (upper GI, x-rays, an endoscopy, a 2 day probe study, bloodwork, etc) but have never really gotten a lot of definitive answers. I had one horrible GI specialist and one that was so-so, but they never seemed to make a lot of progress. He's tried several medication, finally ending up on Prevacid, which seemed most effective for him. It comes in a little tablet that melts in liquid. We put one in his juice in the morning and it keeps his symptoms at bay for the most part. He still has a very sensitive stomach, especially if he gets overheated from running around. He's still a super picky, difficult eater. But we've tried to wean off the medication several times, and every time is the same--complaints of a stomachache, particularly at dinner time and often accompanied by pressing on his stomach, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, general fussiness, and if tried for more than a week or so, weight loss. So this was the right medication for him. Up until about 2 years ago, there was a generic that was available by prescription, but then it suddenly vanished from the market and we were left with the more expensive name brand, which eventually crept all the way up to my maximum co-pay of $95.
So, back to the letter. I was not happy to hear this. I knew I was in for a battle. The next day, I called the company (I'm being nice and not bashing them by name) and told them I'd received the letter and that was just not going to work. I'd checked, and without insurance, the medicine would cost me around $500 per month. Now, I would do anything for my child, but that wasn't going to be possible without some serious miracles. So the first guy I talked to said I needed a Prior Authorization, submitted from our PCP. Okay, great, done. Our awesome PA (Physician's Assistant) Amber and her amazing nurse Jenny drafted one up and sent it in. Rejected--medication does not require a PA. Oy. Yeah, a PA isn't required in the plan in 2013, but under the new 2014 plan. I was told the plan "wasn't loaded" and we should try again in a few weeks. Okay fine. We did this, with the same result. Against my better judgement, I patiently waited until the new year to try a third time. Now I was told that we never needed a PA--we needed an appeal. UGH. So we filed an appeal and sent with it a letter of medical necessity, stating that this medication is the only one that really works for Tyler, here's the tests that have been run, here are the other meds he's taken, yada yada. Denied. They told us we needed to try him on Nexium. I filled an RX and we tried it for about a week before it was clear it wasn't effective for him.
At that point, our PCP's office recommended that I call his most recent GI Specialist and have them give it a try. They thought the specialist might have more experience and their recommendations might be taken more seriously. The specialist appealed the decision and they were denied (Appeal 2 out of 3 possible). They said that he needed to try one more medication, Prilosec and if he failed it, they would approve the Prevacid. We tried it for 2 weeks and it didn't work either. The GI specialist sent the request through for a third time. They were then told that we needed to try another medication. When she told me that, I reminded her that's what they said last time. She contacted them again and they told her they needed a letter of medical necessity. I told her our PCP had already sent one, but they insisted. Unfortunately, Tyler hadn't been to the GI since 2012, so we were told we'd have to come in for an appointment before they could legally write the letter. I grudgingly made the appointment, but I'd had enough.
I sat down one evening last week and wrote a letter. I put in all the details of the medications we've tried, the information (and more often, MISinformation) I'd been given from their customer service reps, and all of my areas of frustration. I told them how I couldn't get solid answers when I called, how I was even told that the department that I really needed to speak with "didn't have phones". I was calm and mature, but still let them know that I felt it was unfair and cruel to put a five year old child through pain over something like this, to draw the situation out when a child's well-being is at stake. I ended the letter by saying I hoped they would use my comments to improve their policies and appeals process and to train their staff to make the process smoother. Then I said that if there was any assistance they could offer us, to please contact me.
Now, if you've ever tried to contact someone in upper management at a large corporation, you know it's nearly impossible. They don't usually publish their email addresses or phone numbers, just basic information about the corporate headquarters. And even I have been trained when answer phones at work, to withhold that kind of information, to solicitors from contacting management and that kind of thing. But with some creative thinking and deductive reasoning, Adam and I were able to come up with the names of some high-ups and what we assumed were the email address that went with those names. Friday night I sent my letter off as an email to about half a dozen individuals at the company.
Within a few hours, I got a response. They would work on this over the weekend and I would be contacted on Monday.
Over the course of the day on Monday I got several emails and by Tuesday evening the medication was put on a one year approval and I was assured that should Tyler need the medication after the year passes, I should email this doctor personally and he would see that it was extended. I got a phone call this afternoon saying my prescription is ready to be picked up. I will happily hand over that $95 for once.
I am so relieved. I've been fighting this battle for over 5 months, and even though I told myself I wouldn't give up, part of me didn't think I'd be able to get it done. I've been in tears many times over this, so frustrated that some faceless corporation dared to play God with my son's health. I wanted nothing more than to make him feel better. And now I can.
The only thing worse than a woman scorned? A Mama Bear! Don't mess with my babies!
Monday, March 18, 2013
Marching on
The month of March and I have NOT been getting along. I'm trying very hard not say that, since there are still nearly two full weeks left in the month, but I'm forced to accept that at least the first half has not been very much fun. So for now, Optimistic-me will say that the first half of March sucked.
The first week was work related stresses and several people I know losing loved ones. One was the 26 year old seemingly-healthy son of a former coworker. That one really struck me because the son was young and fit and had his whole life ahead of him. It really made me hug my little guys even tighter than usual. At work, my employer let a coworker go and that meant a lot of restructuring and backpeddling and figuring out what needed to be done.
Oh yeah, and then Adam did this:
He missed the last stair one night at about 10:00 pm (while playing around with his cell phone). We spent half the night at the ER and luckily it was just a sprain with a tiny little chip off the bone. It actually healed much quicker than expected and seems to be much better now. It certainly looks much better.
Then last week, twin went on an amazing trip to Costa Rica. It was due to a grant she applied for at the college where she works and it was a really cool opportunity. She got a friend's son to stay at her apartment for the week and look after her dog and two cats. Monday night, the day after she left, her boyfriend called me to ask if I'd been to the apartment. I said I hadn't, and asked why. He said that the house sitter had called him and said the animals were all MIA. We rushed over and luckily, the animals were just very very good at hiding. The cats were under the couch (who doesn't look for cats under the sofa??) and Shadow (the dog) had squeezed himself in between a box and the wall. I don't know if he couldn't get out or didn't want to. Anyway, we got him out and thought that would be that.
My older sister lives in the same apartment complex, so she stopped by the next day and Shadow wasn't doing well. He was crying and then had what she assumed was a seizure. Since she had to go on to work, I left work and took the dog to the vet. Sadly, after a few hours and several of what I have to assume will be very expensive international phone calls with Twin, it was decided that poor Shadow had probably had a stroke and it would be best to put him to sleep.
I was just heartbroken that my sister's beloved dog had to leave us while she was so far away. I'm glad I was able to take care of things and be with him in her place, but I know she would have rather been there with him. I hugged him and told him how much we all, especially her, loved him. It was a very emotionally draining day.
By Wednesday, the cold that was creeping into our house had really hit the kids, especially AJ hard. Thursday morning was spent at the doctor's office and they decided he was showing the earlier signs of an ear infection. All of that led to several rough nights and evenings.
Now some good stuff! Gotta focus on the good! In bullet points!
The first week was work related stresses and several people I know losing loved ones. One was the 26 year old seemingly-healthy son of a former coworker. That one really struck me because the son was young and fit and had his whole life ahead of him. It really made me hug my little guys even tighter than usual. At work, my employer let a coworker go and that meant a lot of restructuring and backpeddling and figuring out what needed to be done.
Oh yeah, and then Adam did this:
He missed the last stair one night at about 10:00 pm (while playing around with his cell phone). We spent half the night at the ER and luckily it was just a sprain with a tiny little chip off the bone. It actually healed much quicker than expected and seems to be much better now. It certainly looks much better.
Then last week, twin went on an amazing trip to Costa Rica. It was due to a grant she applied for at the college where she works and it was a really cool opportunity. She got a friend's son to stay at her apartment for the week and look after her dog and two cats. Monday night, the day after she left, her boyfriend called me to ask if I'd been to the apartment. I said I hadn't, and asked why. He said that the house sitter had called him and said the animals were all MIA. We rushed over and luckily, the animals were just very very good at hiding. The cats were under the couch (who doesn't look for cats under the sofa??) and Shadow (the dog) had squeezed himself in between a box and the wall. I don't know if he couldn't get out or didn't want to. Anyway, we got him out and thought that would be that.
My older sister lives in the same apartment complex, so she stopped by the next day and Shadow wasn't doing well. He was crying and then had what she assumed was a seizure. Since she had to go on to work, I left work and took the dog to the vet. Sadly, after a few hours and several of what I have to assume will be very expensive international phone calls with Twin, it was decided that poor Shadow had probably had a stroke and it would be best to put him to sleep.
I was just heartbroken that my sister's beloved dog had to leave us while she was so far away. I'm glad I was able to take care of things and be with him in her place, but I know she would have rather been there with him. I hugged him and told him how much we all, especially her, loved him. It was a very emotionally draining day.
By Wednesday, the cold that was creeping into our house had really hit the kids, especially AJ hard. Thursday morning was spent at the doctor's office and they decided he was showing the earlier signs of an ear infection. All of that led to several rough nights and evenings.
Now some good stuff! Gotta focus on the good! In bullet points!
- Twin took Domo with her to Costa Rica! So we might just have a return post of Domo's Destinations soon!!
- I went to the baby shower of one of my oldest (I hate the phrase, but we have known each other since kindergarten) friends! It was a ton of fun! Her little girl is due next month!
- My niece turned one on St. Paddy's day! How time flies!
- AJ is now 5 months old and weight 17 lbs 12 oz!? He's also super long, although I can't remember what they said, so he actually doesn't look that big, but he feels big! He rolled from back to front last week! Just like his big brother he did it in his crib and then yelled because he couldn't figure out how to turn back over! Then, just tonight he rolled from front to back! He was sitting on my lap but lean toward and staring at his play gym mat so I laid him down on it on his tummy. Since he hates tummy time he turned right over!
- Tyler went with my older sister to the Children's Museum and had oodles of fun! :) Thanks Aunt Chall!
- While I have had literally no time to work on my book idea, I have lots of thoughts rumbling around in my head about it. I just hope I can get them onto paper (or screen) the way they sound in my head! I seem to have good ideas while driving, perhaps I need to invest in a tape recorder! Or try out my voice recorder on my phone LOL!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Fun Times
Happy Belated Valentine's Day, blogland. Last week passed in a blur of grossness. Early Tuesday morning when we got up to feed AJ I started getting sick with the stomach flu. Tuesday was spent fighting a high fever and general barfy unpleasantness. By Wednesday I was feeling better, just super wiped out from the fever and not eating. By Thursday morning my mom and Adam were both down with it. That left me with Tyler and AJ. I needed to go into work for at least a little while, so I got some things together (and in the process poured a whole bottle's worth of nursery water on the floor when I forgot to put the liner in AJ's bottle), packed up the kids and made the 40 minute drive to the office. I got Tyler settled on our laptop and AJ spent some time in his car seat, then on my knee, and finally laying on a blanket on the floor. Unfortunately it was only an hour and a half or so before Tyler announced tearfully that his tummy hurt. Cue doom music. Needless to say, I rushed to finish what I was doing and get home. Tyler said he couldn't walk, so my dear coworker was nice enough to carry AJ (who was blissfully good during this whole thing) in his car seat down to my van and then wait with the kids while I ran back inside to clock out in the shop (of course the clock in system on my computer wasn't working). We rushed home and shortly thereafter Tyler started getting sick. He broke my heart, the poor thing, he really felt awful. Luckily the worst was over in eight hours or so and he felt better by the middle of the night. By Friday my mom and Adam were able to handle the kids and by the weekend everyone was reasonably healthy, although we're still a little touchy in the food department. Blessedly, AJ has yet to catch it, possibly thanks to an oral vaccine against some strains of intestinal flu.
So, Thursday being Valentine's Day was a complete flop. Mom had the forethought and opportunity to get the kids (and Adam and me) a few little things and I gathered some gifts on my lunchbreak on Friday, but Adam and I didn't go out as planned on the weekend. We may be able to this weekend.
Tomorrow is AJ's four month check up and Tyler's four year check up. AJ will get shots (I'm praying he reacts the same as he did last night, crying for thirty seconds and then sleeping most of the rest of the day and the next) and both boys will see our family "doctor", PA Amber. We all adore her and she loves kids. I'm interested to see how big the boys are and I'm hoping she has some suggestions to help us curb AJ's every-two-hour feeding schedule. We shall see!
In other news, I found out that my next business trip will be in May and I'll be going to Dixon, CA! I'm not looking forward to having to be away from my boys for the better part of four days, but I am excited to get the chance to visit California, having never been further west than Missouri! I'm also presenting a good deal of training material at the conference and I'm hoping it may lead to some new opportunities at work.
So there we are, a good old fashioned update post! Notice the new tabs on this blog, I'm getting fancy! I'm also working on a "100 Things" list, just for kicks, though I'm having trouble talking about myself that much!
My in-real-life friends and family say they read, and I hope I have a few virtual readers. I've been reading oodles of blogs lately and it makes me wish I could increase my reader-ship. I'm not sure how to go about increasing my traffic, though. Any ideas (or just to say hi, I read!), leave me a comment!
So, Thursday being Valentine's Day was a complete flop. Mom had the forethought and opportunity to get the kids (and Adam and me) a few little things and I gathered some gifts on my lunchbreak on Friday, but Adam and I didn't go out as planned on the weekend. We may be able to this weekend.
Tomorrow is AJ's four month check up and Tyler's four year check up. AJ will get shots (I'm praying he reacts the same as he did last night, crying for thirty seconds and then sleeping most of the rest of the day and the next) and both boys will see our family "doctor", PA Amber. We all adore her and she loves kids. I'm interested to see how big the boys are and I'm hoping she has some suggestions to help us curb AJ's every-two-hour feeding schedule. We shall see!
In other news, I found out that my next business trip will be in May and I'll be going to Dixon, CA! I'm not looking forward to having to be away from my boys for the better part of four days, but I am excited to get the chance to visit California, having never been further west than Missouri! I'm also presenting a good deal of training material at the conference and I'm hoping it may lead to some new opportunities at work.
So there we are, a good old fashioned update post! Notice the new tabs on this blog, I'm getting fancy! I'm also working on a "100 Things" list, just for kicks, though I'm having trouble talking about myself that much!
My in-real-life friends and family say they read, and I hope I have a few virtual readers. I've been reading oodles of blogs lately and it makes me wish I could increase my reader-ship. I'm not sure how to go about increasing my traffic, though. Any ideas (or just to say hi, I read!), leave me a comment!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Waiting
Yes I'm still pregnant. No, there are no signs of labor yet. I've been getting a lot of phone calls and texts and every time I call anyone they think it's "the call". LOL But no, even though I'm technically over 40 weeks pregnant I have not have my baby. In fact, according to yesterday's appointment, I'm still not making any progress. My final appointment is Tuesday and at that point we will schedule eviction. I think it's sort of ironic that first I couldn't get pregnant, and now I can't seem to get un-pregnant! LOL It's only a matter of time and I'm not in a huge hurry, but obviously there are concerns so I'm just anxious for everything to be done and over and him to be here and healthy! AJ is still doing well and passed the NST and BPP well. He's still pretty active and everything looks good. So we wait.
Annoyance of the day...I didn't get paid. When I called to investigate, the quickly discovered it was just an issue of the approval being misplaced and therefore not processed. They cut a check by the end of the day and Adam picked it up before coming home. Trouble is, the number didn't seem quite right to me, to the tune of $180. I compared two of my paystubs and realized it was a tax issue. According to our corporate office, short term disability is taxed differently than regular pay. A LOT differently. GRRR Uncle Sam! I'm going to check on this, and I think my mom is going to check with the IRS, because that just seems pointless and unfair. It would have been nice to know this soon, right?
*sigh*
Annoyance of the day...I didn't get paid. When I called to investigate, the quickly discovered it was just an issue of the approval being misplaced and therefore not processed. They cut a check by the end of the day and Adam picked it up before coming home. Trouble is, the number didn't seem quite right to me, to the tune of $180. I compared two of my paystubs and realized it was a tax issue. According to our corporate office, short term disability is taxed differently than regular pay. A LOT differently. GRRR Uncle Sam! I'm going to check on this, and I think my mom is going to check with the IRS, because that just seems pointless and unfair. It would have been nice to know this soon, right?
*sigh*
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Final Countdown Frustration
Well, I have made it to October! And how! Tuesday I went to the doctor and discovered that I've made zero progress. My cervix is long, closed, and posterior. I was really really disappointed. My OB asked me if I want a C-section. I do not want this at all. I was totally taken aback, I'm not even to my due date yet. The NST and BPP had gone fine, AJ seems to be doing perfectly fine, just no interest in being born yet! They are estimating him as 8 lbs 14 oz. I know they are concerned for me to delivery a baby of that size, considering the fourth degree tearing I had with Tyler, but I know that the estimate can be wrong, even way wrong! Plus, there is no reason to think I'll have that problem again. Last time I agreed to using the vacuum, something I won't do this time. I think that really contributed to it. And why are we jumping to c-section, not discussing induction? Granted, I don't want either one, but I'd rather try induction again than major surgery.
My OB suggested I come back Thursday to be re-checked. I don't really expect a lot of progress, given that it will only have been two days. I'm doing what I can to encourage progress, but I still haven't dropped and haven't noticed any physical signs that I might be progressing, so I'm prepared to tell them that I don't want to consider a c-section or induction until my due date has passed. I have an appointment Tuesday and we'll see where we are then. I also want them to explain why they are so concerned and why they think I need a c-section. I'm not scared to tear again. I don't want to, obviously, but if it happens I can deal with it. I really doubt it would be really terrible. I know there is a chance of some real damage, but I don't think that will happen. I also get that with NO progress at all, induction might not be effective, but couldn't we try? We could always switch gears later, if nothing happens or AJ doesn't tolerate it.
It's frustrating. Of course I want my baby here. But I just wanted this to happen they way it's supposed to, without drama. I am determined to give it a little more time. Then I will consider my options.
So for now, me and my watermelon sized baby are enjoying pineapple (with the core), raspberry leaf tea, and LOTS of walking. I don't assume any of this is a miracle fix, but it can't hurt, right?
And if my blog world could send some labor vibes my way, I'd appreciate it! Come on AJ, let's do this!
My OB suggested I come back Thursday to be re-checked. I don't really expect a lot of progress, given that it will only have been two days. I'm doing what I can to encourage progress, but I still haven't dropped and haven't noticed any physical signs that I might be progressing, so I'm prepared to tell them that I don't want to consider a c-section or induction until my due date has passed. I have an appointment Tuesday and we'll see where we are then. I also want them to explain why they are so concerned and why they think I need a c-section. I'm not scared to tear again. I don't want to, obviously, but if it happens I can deal with it. I really doubt it would be really terrible. I know there is a chance of some real damage, but I don't think that will happen. I also get that with NO progress at all, induction might not be effective, but couldn't we try? We could always switch gears later, if nothing happens or AJ doesn't tolerate it.
It's frustrating. Of course I want my baby here. But I just wanted this to happen they way it's supposed to, without drama. I am determined to give it a little more time. Then I will consider my options.
So for now, me and my watermelon sized baby are enjoying pineapple (with the core), raspberry leaf tea, and LOTS of walking. I don't assume any of this is a miracle fix, but it can't hurt, right?
And if my blog world could send some labor vibes my way, I'd appreciate it! Come on AJ, let's do this!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Thank you Gilbert, AZ
Dear Random Resident of Gilbert, AZ who stole or bought my debit card number,
I hope you enjoyed your $355.07 shopping spree to Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's. I really appreciated getting a call from my bank's fraud department at 4:00 pm on a Friday about possible fraudulent charges on my account. And I appreciated having to leave work early--missing out on some of my hard earned overtime and making me late going home and thus getting stuck in traffic, so I could go to my bank and fill out fraud paperwork. Great way to spend a Friday afternoon. On the plus side, my bank won't pay for those charges. On the negative side, it could take up to 10 days for the charges to be completely reversed, which totally screwed my weekend plans (because, you know, they entailed spending money that my bank account now shows as unavailable). I even tried to nail your ass by calling one of the stores, where I suspect you bought a $100 gift card. My banker said he's done this before and the store cancelled the gift card, rendering it useless. But apparently, the Ross store doesn't mind being out $100, so I guess you win on that too. Luckily, according to the fraud department, you'd tried to spend another $200+ somewhere and it looks like you finally got denied, thank Jeebus! I hope it caused you at least a tiny bit of shame. Probably not, but I can hope. Now I find out that regardless of everything I did, the charges have actually CLEARED my bank anyway. Fantastic.
So thanks for ruining my weekend just a little bit. Oh, and I hope you get hit by a bus.
Bite me,
Melissa
Yeah so that happened. Fun times.
23 weeks pregnant! My fun food/baby size ticker is still saying baby is the size of a papaya, which is what it said last week. Lame. So I googled it and found a site that tells me baby is the size of a grapefruit this week. Night time is starting to get more uncomfortable, with my neck and back starting to complain more and of course the never ending trips to the bathroom! Baby boy likes to kick me in such a way that makes me feel like I need to "go" even when I don't. No flutters and gentle pokes for this girl! Nope, it's the old 80's version of Batman! BAM! POW! My belly is poking out and I'm carrying very high AGAIN. But I can safely say, I look pregnant and not just chubby :) I've also been condemned to grocery shopping from one of those old lady motorized carts, because for some reason Sunday mornings and the grocery store equals almost passing out. I think it's the heat, combined with everything I can possibly eat for breakfast not having enough protein or something in it. I feel stupid, looking (I think) younger than my 30 years, certainly not hugely pregnant yet, riding in a cart with no signs of injury, but I suppose it's better than actually passing out and the embarrassment that would bring! Plus then I can usually avoid feeling like a puddle of ick the rest of the day. Not that it stopped me from being a complete couch potato yesterday.
Doctor's appointment Wednesday! Shouldn't be too exciting, probably just a bp and heart rate check, plus scheduling the glucose tolerance test. Yum I can taste the orangey sweetness now! :-P
I hope you enjoyed your $355.07 shopping spree to Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's. I really appreciated getting a call from my bank's fraud department at 4:00 pm on a Friday about possible fraudulent charges on my account. And I appreciated having to leave work early--missing out on some of my hard earned overtime and making me late going home and thus getting stuck in traffic, so I could go to my bank and fill out fraud paperwork. Great way to spend a Friday afternoon. On the plus side, my bank won't pay for those charges. On the negative side, it could take up to 10 days for the charges to be completely reversed, which totally screwed my weekend plans (because, you know, they entailed spending money that my bank account now shows as unavailable). I even tried to nail your ass by calling one of the stores, where I suspect you bought a $100 gift card. My banker said he's done this before and the store cancelled the gift card, rendering it useless. But apparently, the Ross store doesn't mind being out $100, so I guess you win on that too. Luckily, according to the fraud department, you'd tried to spend another $200+ somewhere and it looks like you finally got denied, thank Jeebus! I hope it caused you at least a tiny bit of shame. Probably not, but I can hope. Now I find out that regardless of everything I did, the charges have actually CLEARED my bank anyway. Fantastic.
So thanks for ruining my weekend just a little bit. Oh, and I hope you get hit by a bus.
Bite me,
Melissa
Yeah so that happened. Fun times.
23 weeks pregnant! My fun food/baby size ticker is still saying baby is the size of a papaya, which is what it said last week. Lame. So I googled it and found a site that tells me baby is the size of a grapefruit this week. Night time is starting to get more uncomfortable, with my neck and back starting to complain more and of course the never ending trips to the bathroom! Baby boy likes to kick me in such a way that makes me feel like I need to "go" even when I don't. No flutters and gentle pokes for this girl! Nope, it's the old 80's version of Batman! BAM! POW! My belly is poking out and I'm carrying very high AGAIN. But I can safely say, I look pregnant and not just chubby :) I've also been condemned to grocery shopping from one of those old lady motorized carts, because for some reason Sunday mornings and the grocery store equals almost passing out. I think it's the heat, combined with everything I can possibly eat for breakfast not having enough protein or something in it. I feel stupid, looking (I think) younger than my 30 years, certainly not hugely pregnant yet, riding in a cart with no signs of injury, but I suppose it's better than actually passing out and the embarrassment that would bring! Plus then I can usually avoid feeling like a puddle of ick the rest of the day. Not that it stopped me from being a complete couch potato yesterday.
Doctor's appointment Wednesday! Shouldn't be too exciting, probably just a bp and heart rate check, plus scheduling the glucose tolerance test. Yum I can taste the orangey sweetness now! :-P
Monday, November 7, 2011
Through the rough
Boy am I glad this week is over! Tyler had his endoscopy and reflux study Thursday. He did GREAT...until he woke up afterward. Then he was understandably scared and wanted nothing more to do with any of the equipment or staff. He had a tube in his nose that was attached to the probe he'd have to wear for 24 hours. He hated it, I hated it. But we got through it. He was such a brave little guy and I was so proud of him.
The experience sucked over all. The doctor was being an ass and the nurses hadn't explained the procedure clearly when it was scheduled. We were totally unprepared with all it entailed. Several times we were given contradictory information or told something that then ended up not correct. All in all, I'm glad it's over. We don't have results yet but I won't be taking Tyler back to that doctor.
It was also Halloween this week. Tyler had a lot of fun trick or treating. He went as Thomas the Tank Engine, which he is obsessed with! He has just about doubled his collection of toy trains over the last two weeks, some as gifts for being a big brave boy this week and two of them for going potty in his big boy potty! He has done that 3 times. I know it's probably all by accident, but it's a great start with potty training, since we haven't been trying very hard before now. He's had such issues with constipation, we haven't focused on it before now.
You were going to get pics of trick or treating, but since my husband restored my computer and hasn't put the driver for the SD card back on, it'll have to wait! I wrote this post days ago, so I'd better go ahead and publish it!
The experience sucked over all. The doctor was being an ass and the nurses hadn't explained the procedure clearly when it was scheduled. We were totally unprepared with all it entailed. Several times we were given contradictory information or told something that then ended up not correct. All in all, I'm glad it's over. We don't have results yet but I won't be taking Tyler back to that doctor.
It was also Halloween this week. Tyler had a lot of fun trick or treating. He went as Thomas the Tank Engine, which he is obsessed with! He has just about doubled his collection of toy trains over the last two weeks, some as gifts for being a big brave boy this week and two of them for going potty in his big boy potty! He has done that 3 times. I know it's probably all by accident, but it's a great start with potty training, since we haven't been trying very hard before now. He's had such issues with constipation, we haven't focused on it before now.
You were going to get pics of trick or treating, but since my husband restored my computer and hasn't put the driver for the SD card back on, it'll have to wait! I wrote this post days ago, so I'd better go ahead and publish it!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Suck it, October
This month SUCKS. Praise Jeebus it only has 3 more days, two of which are weekend. Work has been awful, Tyler hasn't felt well and will have his endoscopy next week, so he can't take his reflux meds and it's already bothering him. And, not surprisingly, I'm not pregnant.
Okay, shake it off...letitgo
Good things! I'm going to have a niece in April!! My sister in law, who has three wonderful boys that I love to bits, is finally going to have a girl! I can't wait to meet Elizabeth Grace!!
Tyler peepeed in the potty for the first time yesterday! With all of his constipation problems, potty training has been delayed for the most part, and it was totally an accident that he went, but it's the first step! My big boy!!!
Good things...good things...I could probably think of more, but I'm tired and cranky, so that's all I got! Come on November, bring me good things!
Okay, shake it off...letitgo
Good things! I'm going to have a niece in April!! My sister in law, who has three wonderful boys that I love to bits, is finally going to have a girl! I can't wait to meet Elizabeth Grace!!
Tyler peepeed in the potty for the first time yesterday! With all of his constipation problems, potty training has been delayed for the most part, and it was totally an accident that he went, but it's the first step! My big boy!!!
Good things...good things...I could probably think of more, but I'm tired and cranky, so that's all I got! Come on November, bring me good things!
Friday, October 7, 2011
A request
Do you think if I put in a request now for next week to not suck, it might be granted?
'Cause really, last week sucked. And this week, pretty much a suckfest too.
Firstly, my mom's diabetic 11 year old cat Tigger has been sick. He had something that looked like a seizure the other day. We were told it might have been a reaction to flea treatments and him being diabetic. So we gave the cat a bath. That wasn't a lot of fun. The next day my mom took him to the vet. Turns out he is VERY anemic. They aren't sure why, and my mom flat cannot afford the tests to really figure out why. So far the vet is treating him as best as he can, with fluids mostly. This vet doesn't keep animals overnight, so we keep having to take him back in to be checked again. They are being super great and not charging for the extra care, God bless them. But it remains to be seen if anything they can do at this point will help.
Also, today Tyler had a doctor's appointment at his GI specialist. Tyler has been treated for acid reflux since he was a newborn. He is also super picky about what he will eat and he has issues with constipation. I went in thinking they were going to tell us to keep doing what we are doing, since he isn't doing too badly. Instead, they said they want to do an endoscopy to see if there is an underlying problem that is causing him to not eat that well. They also want to put a probe in for 24 hours that will measure the amount of reflux he's having. Just the thought of putting him through that is making me feel sick. I know it's what is best, they'll be able to treat him if there is a problem or we can take him off the reflux medication if that's not an issue anymore. But it's still an awful though for a mother to have to allow her child to go through a scary thing like that.
Finally, I had my HSG test today. It went okay, my uterus and right fallopian tube look good, but they dye wouldn't go through my left tube. The doctor is blaming the fact that I was cramping during the procedure. Apparently, the opening of the tube is only about 1 millimeter, so if the uterus is cramping, the dye might not be able to get through. Since the dye wasn't getting in at all and I don't have any history that would suggest a blockage, he isn't very concerned. So we will continue with this cycle of Clomid and then move on if it doesn't work.
I guess I didn't think they would find anything abnormal, so now that nasty doubt is creeping in a little bit. I know that if it's meant to be, it will happen. But in this moment, I feel overwhelmed and sad. I guess it's probably everything going on at once.
But if the universe could possibly squeeze out a less stressful, more pleasant or at least less eventful week next week, I would really appreciate it. Just putting it out there.
'Cause really, last week sucked. And this week, pretty much a suckfest too.
Firstly, my mom's diabetic 11 year old cat Tigger has been sick. He had something that looked like a seizure the other day. We were told it might have been a reaction to flea treatments and him being diabetic. So we gave the cat a bath. That wasn't a lot of fun. The next day my mom took him to the vet. Turns out he is VERY anemic. They aren't sure why, and my mom flat cannot afford the tests to really figure out why. So far the vet is treating him as best as he can, with fluids mostly. This vet doesn't keep animals overnight, so we keep having to take him back in to be checked again. They are being super great and not charging for the extra care, God bless them. But it remains to be seen if anything they can do at this point will help.
Also, today Tyler had a doctor's appointment at his GI specialist. Tyler has been treated for acid reflux since he was a newborn. He is also super picky about what he will eat and he has issues with constipation. I went in thinking they were going to tell us to keep doing what we are doing, since he isn't doing too badly. Instead, they said they want to do an endoscopy to see if there is an underlying problem that is causing him to not eat that well. They also want to put a probe in for 24 hours that will measure the amount of reflux he's having. Just the thought of putting him through that is making me feel sick. I know it's what is best, they'll be able to treat him if there is a problem or we can take him off the reflux medication if that's not an issue anymore. But it's still an awful though for a mother to have to allow her child to go through a scary thing like that.
Finally, I had my HSG test today. It went okay, my uterus and right fallopian tube look good, but they dye wouldn't go through my left tube. The doctor is blaming the fact that I was cramping during the procedure. Apparently, the opening of the tube is only about 1 millimeter, so if the uterus is cramping, the dye might not be able to get through. Since the dye wasn't getting in at all and I don't have any history that would suggest a blockage, he isn't very concerned. So we will continue with this cycle of Clomid and then move on if it doesn't work.
I guess I didn't think they would find anything abnormal, so now that nasty doubt is creeping in a little bit. I know that if it's meant to be, it will happen. But in this moment, I feel overwhelmed and sad. I guess it's probably everything going on at once.
But if the universe could possibly squeeze out a less stressful, more pleasant or at least less eventful week next week, I would really appreciate it. Just putting it out there.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Updates
So! It was a busy week! Work was crazy and abbreviated last week. We thought Tyler had broken out with hives so that was scary and stressful. He broke out into spots, but then they sort of disappeared. We took him to the doctor and she suspected hives because they had faded. However, they were back the next day. The final conclusion was bug bites :( It's a relief that it's not an allergy though! He's doing much better now.
I was a bridesmaid in my friend Mandy's wedding this weekend! Friday was the rehearsal dinner and it was a TON of fun! I really like Nate and Mandy's friends and family! We ate outside in the backyard and little did I know, I was becoming dinner too! I have (at last count) 36 bug bites on my feet and legs! I itch like crazy!
The wedding was Saturday and it was beautiful! It was really touching to see how in love Nate and Mandy are and how emotional it was for them. It was wonderful!
Sunday was grocery and cleaning day, along with resting my high-heel sore feet and trying not to scratch my legs!
It was back to work today :-P time for month end and covering for someone on vacation. It's going to be a busy one before a 3 day weekend!
I was a bridesmaid in my friend Mandy's wedding this weekend! Friday was the rehearsal dinner and it was a TON of fun! I really like Nate and Mandy's friends and family! We ate outside in the backyard and little did I know, I was becoming dinner too! I have (at last count) 36 bug bites on my feet and legs! I itch like crazy!
The wedding was Saturday and it was beautiful! It was really touching to see how in love Nate and Mandy are and how emotional it was for them. It was wonderful!
Sunday was grocery and cleaning day, along with resting my high-heel sore feet and trying not to scratch my legs!
It was back to work today :-P time for month end and covering for someone on vacation. It's going to be a busy one before a 3 day weekend!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Blame it on the hormones
Today was not a good day. I think I'm in a bit of a funk. Work isn't great, home isn't great, I'm worried about a hundred and one things. Tyler's been super fussy, not sleeping well, and not eating well.
And now I'm messing with my hormones. Yeah, that was smart.
I was ranting a little (okay, a lot) at work today. This was not the day to try to deal with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. I have a theory that they hold auditions to work at the BMV instead of interviews, because it seems like the most unpleasant people work there. Anyway, long story short, I was trying to set up an account on their dealer website so that I can order temporary license plates for our customers. We just found out it has to be done online now. So the website said to enter my dealer number and they would email me the new password. But they don't have my email. There was a note that said that if that was the case, to call this phone number to have an email added. So I did that. And the lady said I had to have a letter signed by one of three people listed in their system. The first two have retired. The third is the OWNER of my company. Yeah, I need to bother the owner of my company and ask him to please have the Indiana BMV add my email address to their system.
Seems pretty trivial to me and I'm sure it will seem trivial to him as well, but that's what I've got to do. So anyway, I was telling my boss this and describing the snarkiness of the BMV employee and he (not so delicately, I might add) asked if I had started taking my fertility medication.
I sort of just stared at him for a minute, at first sort of taken aback that he would ask me that.
And then I thought, "Huh. Yeah, I guess that could be it."
And the cherry on the craptastic day? I broke my glasses. I was pulling a shirt off over my head and crack! The leg snapped clean off. So I will be walking around with scotch tape around my glasses until the weekend when I can go get them fixed. I could really use the "Reparo" charm right now.
*sigh*
On the plus side (gotta try to find one), my hormone levels at my appointment were fine. My ultrasound must have been too, since they gave me the prescription for Clomid. I haven't heard back about my Glucose and Insulin levels, but I felt pretty much fine after drinking the lovely orange soda, so I think it'll come back okay too. AND I'm taking vacation next week. Even if homelife isn't great right now, it's got to be better than work and homelife put together, right?
right?
Anyone? Bueller?
And now I'm messing with my hormones. Yeah, that was smart.
I was ranting a little (okay, a lot) at work today. This was not the day to try to deal with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. I have a theory that they hold auditions to work at the BMV instead of interviews, because it seems like the most unpleasant people work there. Anyway, long story short, I was trying to set up an account on their dealer website so that I can order temporary license plates for our customers. We just found out it has to be done online now. So the website said to enter my dealer number and they would email me the new password. But they don't have my email. There was a note that said that if that was the case, to call this phone number to have an email added. So I did that. And the lady said I had to have a letter signed by one of three people listed in their system. The first two have retired. The third is the OWNER of my company. Yeah, I need to bother the owner of my company and ask him to please have the Indiana BMV add my email address to their system.
Seems pretty trivial to me and I'm sure it will seem trivial to him as well, but that's what I've got to do. So anyway, I was telling my boss this and describing the snarkiness of the BMV employee and he (not so delicately, I might add) asked if I had started taking my fertility medication.
I sort of just stared at him for a minute, at first sort of taken aback that he would ask me that.
And then I thought, "Huh. Yeah, I guess that could be it."
And the cherry on the craptastic day? I broke my glasses. I was pulling a shirt off over my head and crack! The leg snapped clean off. So I will be walking around with scotch tape around my glasses until the weekend when I can go get them fixed. I could really use the "Reparo" charm right now.
*sigh*
On the plus side (gotta try to find one), my hormone levels at my appointment were fine. My ultrasound must have been too, since they gave me the prescription for Clomid. I haven't heard back about my Glucose and Insulin levels, but I felt pretty much fine after drinking the lovely orange soda, so I think it'll come back okay too. AND I'm taking vacation next week. Even if homelife isn't great right now, it's got to be better than work and homelife put together, right?
right?
Anyone? Bueller?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
RIP Sammy
Sadly today I must report a death. My dear smartphone (since dubbed Sam. I felt he deserved a name in his passing) died a terrible death in the parking lot outside my office this morning. I dropped him. I feel so terrible. I used to carry my phone in my pocket but my new fancy phone has a touch screen and I sometimes carried it in my hand. I exited my car, juggling a bag, purse, keys and phone and which item do I drop? Sammy. I stopped and said "Man I am going to have to be so much more careful with this thing, totally thinking it was going to be fine or maybe slightly scratched. It was face down, so I flipped it over and the screen was totally shattered. &%$@ I totally almost bought a case this weekend too, which might have helped my phone to be not completely destroyed, but the saleslady was a bitch. I picked up one and wanted to see how my phone would look with it on. It was at a little kiosk in the mall, so the packages pop right open so you can do just that. I put in part way on and started to take it off again and she snapped at me that I was going to break it and snatched it (with my phone) out of my hands. She removed the case, put it back in the package and hung it back up. I was like, "okay I was going to buy that but since you obviously don't care to sell it to me...." So this was a totally senseless tragedy. Here is what the little scene looked like:
This image is inspired by the genius that is Ali and her blog http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/. I hope this doesn't come off as copying her. It's a FABULOUS blog and you should ALL check it out. All 5 of my readers LOL
Anyway, my phone is toast. And I, being brain dead, did not purchase the insurance policy. It is my first smart phone and I have only had it 3 weeks. It still rings, but the screen is shattered. So very sad. And even sadder, I had to purchase a new phone at full retail price or refurbished price. So I will not be replacing this phone with the same model. I'm getting an older one and my mom is going to take it, then I'm going to take hers (it's just like mine). She doesn't want or need so many features so she wants to trade.
Isn't that a sad story? Do you know what is also sad? I'm going through serious withdrawl. I haven't been without a working cell phone since I was 18.
Goodbye Sammy. We had some good times together...Activation, the time we spent in the marketplace, our Angry Birds rendezvous...you will be missed. At least until my new one comes and I forget how much I had to spend to fix this. RIP Sammy.
Anyway, my phone is toast. And I, being brain dead, did not purchase the insurance policy. It is my first smart phone and I have only had it 3 weeks. It still rings, but the screen is shattered. So very sad. And even sadder, I had to purchase a new phone at full retail price or refurbished price. So I will not be replacing this phone with the same model. I'm getting an older one and my mom is going to take it, then I'm going to take hers (it's just like mine). She doesn't want or need so many features so she wants to trade.
Isn't that a sad story? Do you know what is also sad? I'm going through serious withdrawl. I haven't been without a working cell phone since I was 18.
Goodbye Sammy. We had some good times together...Activation, the time we spent in the marketplace, our Angry Birds rendezvous...you will be missed. At least until my new one comes and I forget how much I had to spend to fix this. RIP Sammy.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Twin Talk: Russell Brand ICK
Here is a conversation had by twin and I, plus my older sister a few minutes ago. I admit, it's pretty un-classy, so be warned. Also, explanation, Twin says the word bulbous to me randomly because it makes me giggle uncontrollably.
Twin: I'm so pissed off that they are making a new Arthur movie.
Me: I know! There wasn't anything wrong with the original.
Twin: I even liked Liza Minelli in it.
Me: I forgot she was in that. I hate Russell Brand. He's icky!
Twin: I know! I look at him and I'm like, "Great! I have an STD now!"
Me: *rotflmao*
Twin: He's like gonorrhea.
Me: He TOTALLY is!!!
Twin: No, he's like chlamydia!
Older sister: Is he like genital warts?
Twin: No, because genital warts are hidden sometimes and Russell Brand is always up your business, burn and itching and making your cooch smell funny.
Me: *more rotflmao*
Twin: Oh and also, bulbous.
Me: *dies from laughing*
Twin: I'm so pissed off that they are making a new Arthur movie.
Me: I know! There wasn't anything wrong with the original.
Twin: I even liked Liza Minelli in it.
Me: I forgot she was in that. I hate Russell Brand. He's icky!
Twin: I know! I look at him and I'm like, "Great! I have an STD now!"
Me: *rotflmao*
Twin: He's like gonorrhea.
Me: He TOTALLY is!!!
Twin: No, he's like chlamydia!
Older sister: Is he like genital warts?
Twin: No, because genital warts are hidden sometimes and Russell Brand is always up your business, burn and itching and making your cooch smell funny.
Me: *more rotflmao*
Twin: Oh and also, bulbous.
Me: *dies from laughing*
Thursday, April 7, 2011
SPRINT=FAIL
I have spent the better part of a week fighting (yet again) with my cell phone provider, Sprint. If I was ever going to go completely postal on a company it would be them!
It all started in October when I called to try to see if I could lower my bill. We were struggling money-wise and I thought I'd check. They discovered that I wasn't getting a discount that I was supposed to be getting and my darling husband had never noticed! They assured me they would put in for a credit for the entire 10 months I had not been getting my discount, but that it might not be in time for the next billing cycle.
Nearly 2 months later, I still hadn't seen it, so I called to check and see what the status was. I was told it can take up to 3 billing cycles. I informed them that I was not told that. She apologized and told me that I was eligible to resign my contract and get a different credit that would show up immediately, thus allowing me to skip a payment in December. I needed that, so I agreed. She told me to just go to any Sprint store and I could also upgrade my phones. A few weeks later, I did that, but left the store without buy because I wasn't sure. I found one online for a good deal (free) and called to order. Then I was told that I was only eligible for a PARTIAL credit, which meant I would have to pay about 50 bucks a phone to upgrade.
By now I was mad. No one told me that. Not even close! I argued and this one guy said he was going to transfer me, but he'd explain everything first and he thought they could probably push that through. Then he dumped me to the completely wrong department with no explanation. I was livid. The poor girl who answered could do nothing for me. She was nice, but she couldn't even transfer me anywhere. I finally had to call back in and start all over. At the end, I did not get the full upgrade then. Before hanging up, I wanted to check the status of my refund.
Then they told me that I could only get a three month refund. No. Not. At. All. I unloaded on them, eventually getting the refund I was owed. And being assured that on April 1st, I would be eligible for a full upgrade.
I waited a little impatiently and a few days before the first, I called to check what plans Sprint has for Smartphones. I had my heart set on having one if we could afford it. I talked to a girl and she explained the cheapest plan is $129.99. She saw that I have 3 phones on my plan and a discount. She calculated my discount and estimated my bill to be $112 a month for 3 smartphones. I needed to consider this, so I thanked her and told her I'd call back with a decision after the 1st.
We talked about it and decide to indulge ourselves. So I called on Friday to order them and all of the sudden there was an extra $19.99 charge for the third phone plus $10.00 per phone for smartphone data. The estimated price would be over $175. In this exchange my phone "dropped" the call twice, forcing me to call again and start over. I got a lot of excuses about how the plan is the plan yadayada. Eventually I talked to a guy who seemed nice and said they were going to file a complaint about the girl who misquoted me and listen to the call. If the call was as I said it was there was a "very good chance" they could work something out and get me a better price. he would call me on Tuesday. I went ahead and ordered the phones, so not to miss out on the deal, but when they arrived on Monday, we did not activate them. If we had to return them we'd be charged a restocking fee if we had activated them.
Tuesday at 5pm I still hadn't heard back. I called and fought with a few people before one guy was really nasty, saying he was going to make sure if I called again I would always have to talk to him because I just didn't like the answer he was giving me. Finally though he let me talk to his boss. She said that the guy I'd spoken to Friday had just left me a message and did I want her to hold so I could check it. I said yes and while I used my home phone to call, she HUNG UP on me. No dropped call. She hung up. And there was no voicemail message. They say that's because I was on with Sprint already so it wouldn't go through.
I was PISSED. I called again and talked to a nice guy who said he was going to try to contact the guy from Friday for me. He actually gave me an email address so I could contact him. No one else would do that.
Yesterday, William (the guy from Friday) called and he said he was passing my information on to one of the higher ups at his location and she would call as soon as she'd had a chance to look it over. Josh, the nice guy who tried to contact William also checked in.
Today, William's boss called my cell phone but he was really just seeing if he could get me to give up. While I was on with him, William called. I told him I was on with his supervisor and he said, "Bear with me a minute" and put me on hold. I got off the phone with his boss Fredrick and waited. A few minutes later I realize that he too had disconnected me.
What.
The.
Fetch.
So here I am, over a week into this, with an awesome phone I can't activate and a MAJOR headache. Everytime I see their number on my phone, my heart races and I get sooooo anxious! It's really making me sick! I just want them to stand behind what their employees say. I work in sales too, and that's what we have to do! If we get the price wrong, we have to eat it! And over and over I'm being told that something someone told me isn't true. I'm basically being lied to.
I've considered canceling, and I still may. I'm trying to see this through. If anyone had an "in" at Sprint, I could really use one!
It all started in October when I called to try to see if I could lower my bill. We were struggling money-wise and I thought I'd check. They discovered that I wasn't getting a discount that I was supposed to be getting and my darling husband had never noticed! They assured me they would put in for a credit for the entire 10 months I had not been getting my discount, but that it might not be in time for the next billing cycle.
Nearly 2 months later, I still hadn't seen it, so I called to check and see what the status was. I was told it can take up to 3 billing cycles. I informed them that I was not told that. She apologized and told me that I was eligible to resign my contract and get a different credit that would show up immediately, thus allowing me to skip a payment in December. I needed that, so I agreed. She told me to just go to any Sprint store and I could also upgrade my phones. A few weeks later, I did that, but left the store without buy because I wasn't sure. I found one online for a good deal (free) and called to order. Then I was told that I was only eligible for a PARTIAL credit, which meant I would have to pay about 50 bucks a phone to upgrade.
By now I was mad. No one told me that. Not even close! I argued and this one guy said he was going to transfer me, but he'd explain everything first and he thought they could probably push that through. Then he dumped me to the completely wrong department with no explanation. I was livid. The poor girl who answered could do nothing for me. She was nice, but she couldn't even transfer me anywhere. I finally had to call back in and start all over. At the end, I did not get the full upgrade then. Before hanging up, I wanted to check the status of my refund.
Then they told me that I could only get a three month refund. No. Not. At. All. I unloaded on them, eventually getting the refund I was owed. And being assured that on April 1st, I would be eligible for a full upgrade.
I waited a little impatiently and a few days before the first, I called to check what plans Sprint has for Smartphones. I had my heart set on having one if we could afford it. I talked to a girl and she explained the cheapest plan is $129.99. She saw that I have 3 phones on my plan and a discount. She calculated my discount and estimated my bill to be $112 a month for 3 smartphones. I needed to consider this, so I thanked her and told her I'd call back with a decision after the 1st.
We talked about it and decide to indulge ourselves. So I called on Friday to order them and all of the sudden there was an extra $19.99 charge for the third phone plus $10.00 per phone for smartphone data. The estimated price would be over $175. In this exchange my phone "dropped" the call twice, forcing me to call again and start over. I got a lot of excuses about how the plan is the plan yadayada. Eventually I talked to a guy who seemed nice and said they were going to file a complaint about the girl who misquoted me and listen to the call. If the call was as I said it was there was a "very good chance" they could work something out and get me a better price. he would call me on Tuesday. I went ahead and ordered the phones, so not to miss out on the deal, but when they arrived on Monday, we did not activate them. If we had to return them we'd be charged a restocking fee if we had activated them.
Tuesday at 5pm I still hadn't heard back. I called and fought with a few people before one guy was really nasty, saying he was going to make sure if I called again I would always have to talk to him because I just didn't like the answer he was giving me. Finally though he let me talk to his boss. She said that the guy I'd spoken to Friday had just left me a message and did I want her to hold so I could check it. I said yes and while I used my home phone to call, she HUNG UP on me. No dropped call. She hung up. And there was no voicemail message. They say that's because I was on with Sprint already so it wouldn't go through.
I was PISSED. I called again and talked to a nice guy who said he was going to try to contact the guy from Friday for me. He actually gave me an email address so I could contact him. No one else would do that.
Yesterday, William (the guy from Friday) called and he said he was passing my information on to one of the higher ups at his location and she would call as soon as she'd had a chance to look it over. Josh, the nice guy who tried to contact William also checked in.
Today, William's boss called my cell phone but he was really just seeing if he could get me to give up. While I was on with him, William called. I told him I was on with his supervisor and he said, "Bear with me a minute" and put me on hold. I got off the phone with his boss Fredrick and waited. A few minutes later I realize that he too had disconnected me.
What.
The.
Fetch.
So here I am, over a week into this, with an awesome phone I can't activate and a MAJOR headache. Everytime I see their number on my phone, my heart races and I get sooooo anxious! It's really making me sick! I just want them to stand behind what their employees say. I work in sales too, and that's what we have to do! If we get the price wrong, we have to eat it! And over and over I'm being told that something someone told me isn't true. I'm basically being lied to.
I've considered canceling, and I still may. I'm trying to see this through. If anyone had an "in" at Sprint, I could really use one!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Bummin'
I'm feeling pretty bummed today....Aunt Flo (AF as she's know in TTC (trying to conceive) speak) arrived today. Another unsuccessful month. Adam and I gave it our best this month. I got a positive OPK (ovulation predictor kit) 5 days in a row. I thought I had some symptoms like extreme weepiness, fatigue, backache, sore breasts....but I guess these were in my head, cause there she was this afternoon. I even toyed with the possibility that it was implantation bleeding. I'm delusional. Or desperate. Ugh I know it's pathetic. I have a beautiful son, it'll happen when it's meant, yada yada. But this is my blog, right? I can bitch about this? Right? Next month would put a baby due near xmas and the next month would be near Tyler's bday...I didn't want either of those, but I don't want to stop either. Ugh, just the cherry on top of a crap sundae of a week.
Speaking of TTC speak, I'm amazed at all the acronyms! I've been hanging out on some forums (big mistake, I know) Can you guess these? Highlight after the acronym to see answer.
BD Baby Dance
AF Aunt Flo aka period
BFN Big Fat Negative
BFP Big Fat Positive
CD Cycle Day
DPO Days Past Ovulation
HPT Home Pregnancy Test
POAS Pee on a Stick
TWW/2WW Two Week Wait (refers to time between Ovulation and Next expected period)
I swear, it's another language entirely!
Okay, moving on...shake it off. Life goes on. On the upside, new posting series premiere coming soon! (I know, my whole 3 or 4 readers will be on the edges of their seats LOL) Twin and I are going to take a photo series of field trips with DOMO! Domo is...well a Domo....a little Japanese character. He's squarish and has a large gaping mouth. Her Domo was crocheted for her by a coworker. He is awesome and we will be traveling the city with him, taking fun photos and I'll be posting them here with some fun captions. So stay tuned! I promise that postings to come will be more upbeat!
Speaking of TTC speak, I'm amazed at all the acronyms! I've been hanging out on some forums (big mistake, I know) Can you guess these? Highlight after the acronym to see answer.
BD Baby Dance
AF Aunt Flo aka period
BFN Big Fat Negative
BFP Big Fat Positive
CD Cycle Day
DPO Days Past Ovulation
HPT Home Pregnancy Test
POAS Pee on a Stick
TWW/2WW Two Week Wait (refers to time between Ovulation and Next expected period)
I swear, it's another language entirely!
Okay, moving on...shake it off. Life goes on. On the upside, new posting series premiere coming soon! (I know, my whole 3 or 4 readers will be on the edges of their seats LOL) Twin and I are going to take a photo series of field trips with DOMO! Domo is...well a Domo....a little Japanese character. He's squarish and has a large gaping mouth. Her Domo was crocheted for her by a coworker. He is awesome and we will be traveling the city with him, taking fun photos and I'll be posting them here with some fun captions. So stay tuned! I promise that postings to come will be more upbeat!
Monday, February 28, 2011
There's more than corn...
...In Indiana. And one of my least favorite things is thunderstorms. We had a doozy last night! It started raining before I went to bed and it didn't stop until this morning. Some areas got more than 3 inches! Adam and I went to bed and I had a terrible time getting to sleep. I woke up a bunch of times to thunder. At 2:30, the sirens were wailing and my mom was telling us there was a tornado warning. We got up, collected Tyler and went downstairs. Tyler was a bit confused, asking for breakfast and juice and his usual morning routine. He was running around and being goofy. We stayed up for about an hour until the weather calmed down and then we went back to bed. I had still more trouble sleep, so I didn't end up getting much rest last night. Today was the end of the month at work, so I was dragging though my work.
Gotta love midwestern weather! Or not. At all.
Gotta love midwestern weather! Or not. At all.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Blue GRRRR(ay)
My mom had a toothache today so I had to stay home with Tyler. We had fun, lunch with Aunt G (twin) and then shopping at Walmart. Picked up a few things for G'ma and, per Adam's request, got the new Star Trek movie on DVD.
Or so I thought.
Apparently I got Blue Ray instead of DVD. Which I didn't realize until I had taken off the shrink wrap. I guess the box was slightly shorter than a DVD box, which I didn't notice because in the store it was placed in an anti-theft devise, making it impossible to tell what the actual box size was. Neither Adam nor I noticed it once we took it from the bag at home. THEN I noticed the tiny 1/2 inch border at the top of the box that says Blue Ray.
So another trip to Walmart took care of it, they took it back without too much arguing. But I'm annoyed. I hate that there are two different formats. HATE. But if there has to be, why can't one of them look significantly different? Like VHS vs. DVD or Record vs. cassette tape vs. CD?
So.
Dear Blue Ray Powers that be,
Get some creativity to go along with your technological advances. I DO DVD. Make your shit look different or something.
Stubbornly,
Melissa
Or so I thought.
Apparently I got Blue Ray instead of DVD. Which I didn't realize until I had taken off the shrink wrap. I guess the box was slightly shorter than a DVD box, which I didn't notice because in the store it was placed in an anti-theft devise, making it impossible to tell what the actual box size was. Neither Adam nor I noticed it once we took it from the bag at home. THEN I noticed the tiny 1/2 inch border at the top of the box that says Blue Ray.
So another trip to Walmart took care of it, they took it back without too much arguing. But I'm annoyed. I hate that there are two different formats. HATE. But if there has to be, why can't one of them look significantly different? Like VHS vs. DVD or Record vs. cassette tape vs. CD?
So.
Dear Blue Ray Powers that be,
Get some creativity to go along with your technological advances. I DO DVD. Make your shit look different or something.
Stubbornly,
Melissa
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Bop it!
I've become a virtual punching bag, from the inside. I swear my little booger is kicking my bladder and my ribs simultaneously. How he's managing it, I don't know. He has excellent timing.
I don't remember what feeling "normal" is like anymore. Granted, with my many health issues, I don't feel "normal" but really my own version of it. "As good as it gets" type of thing. But I'll complain about that a lot less now that I know what it feels like to be pregnant. Like for example, stairs have never been my friend. I'm not in great shape in the best of times and I have bad knees and a bad back, so stairs generally hurt. But now? I would be willing to swear they are sneaking in extra stairs at work every night. I'm exhausted by the time I climb them. And that's first thing in the morning. And my comfy bed is suddenly not so comfy. No matter what I do, my back kills and forces me to roll over every hour or so. Not so conducive to a good nights sleep.
I don't want to complain too much, because I feel light years better than I did at the beginning of the pregnancy, and I know it's going to get much worse in the third. But really, I'm already getting tired of being pregnant. As much as the though of having a little being here that I'm totally responsible for freaks me out, I'm also excited as hell about it. I'm trying not to let myself think about if I can handle it or not. I will when I have to.
I start my little newborn class next week. I have a lot to learn in only four classes. Four classes are supposed to last me 18+ years? Thank goodness for Grandmas and Aunts.
I don't remember what feeling "normal" is like anymore. Granted, with my many health issues, I don't feel "normal" but really my own version of it. "As good as it gets" type of thing. But I'll complain about that a lot less now that I know what it feels like to be pregnant. Like for example, stairs have never been my friend. I'm not in great shape in the best of times and I have bad knees and a bad back, so stairs generally hurt. But now? I would be willing to swear they are sneaking in extra stairs at work every night. I'm exhausted by the time I climb them. And that's first thing in the morning. And my comfy bed is suddenly not so comfy. No matter what I do, my back kills and forces me to roll over every hour or so. Not so conducive to a good nights sleep.
I don't want to complain too much, because I feel light years better than I did at the beginning of the pregnancy, and I know it's going to get much worse in the third. But really, I'm already getting tired of being pregnant. As much as the though of having a little being here that I'm totally responsible for freaks me out, I'm also excited as hell about it. I'm trying not to let myself think about if I can handle it or not. I will when I have to.
I start my little newborn class next week. I have a lot to learn in only four classes. Four classes are supposed to last me 18+ years? Thank goodness for Grandmas and Aunts.
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