Flames

My head feels swirly with lots of things most of it insurance and diagnoses and "What the fresh hell?" feelings.

Yesterday we received the statement from the hospital for Iris' staycation a few weeks ago. $67,845. I laughed mirthlessly BECAUSE I KNEW that biznass would be expensive. Much more expensive for our private insurance to cover than the, oh, five doses of Synagis she should have received due to her jenk lungs.

The dosage amount of Synagis is dependant upon her weight and then becomes more costly as a result (more drug = more money). At her current weight, or what it was back in November when the first dose would've been due, the cost per dose (according to our pediatrician) would have been $2300. Nothing to sniff at, but neither is sixty-eight thousand dollars and the cost of the subsequent follow-up visit to her primary pediatrician.

In today's mail (man, the USPS just keeps on giving...) was the approval letter from her state-based secondary insurance for the intensive feeding clinic. That beast's cost? $736 a day. A DAY. I offered up thanks that our cans and the costs were covered, and then rolled my eyes heavily in the direction of all things costly about medical services. Sweet heavens.

In other more exciting news, Ezra is getting a new tube placed in his right ear on Monday.  It's not infected, per se, just gunky. And has been draining off and on for about three months and only responds to ear drops but then the gunk reappears after the drops are stopped and the doctor can't see the tube--even if it's still there--at all. Sigh. The left ear?--dreamy. 

So yeah. Fifth tube, for those counting at home but T and I are seeing improvements. No rampant ear infections. No pain for Ezra. One ear that has been pristine since the tube was placed last June.  That promise of "things will improve as his anatomy develops..." the ENT starting giving us at 13 months of age is FINALLY starting to come true. Almost three years later. 

All in all--can I get "HOLLA!" for insurance. And an eye roll.

In fact, the way I feel about medical costs are much like how Mrs. White felt about Yvette.  Just sayin'.

Nosey Nancy: Home edition

I haven't asked you things in awhile, but ohhhhhh do I have queries. Always.

1. What is the thing that bothers you most about where you live?
2. What household chore accomplishment/tackling/skill, do you pride yourself most on?
3. What household chore do you avoid like the plague?
4. If you could go Office Space Printer on any one thing in your home, what would it be?

Share.

Random useless tidbits

Iris is pretty much back to being 100% and it's good to see.  I missed the sass.

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I weighed myself this morning so then T stepped on the scale too. Ezra was in the bathroom with us and when T stepped on Ezra said, "WOOOOWWW. That's a lot of numbers!"

Heh.

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T turns 44 today and Ezra wanted to get him a big boy bike.

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The unbloggable work thing I mentioned awhile ago never came to fruition how I thought it would, but it is resolved none the less and that is a-okay by me.

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I have to take Iris to our pediatrician tomorrow for a follow-up and when I offhandedly mentioned this to the small people in the car this morning, Ezra exclaimed, "Not the hospital, right? I don't want her to sleep there again."

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I let myself turn rather hoopty these past three weeks or so and when that happens I always think of this post from Jess (okay, I scoured her blog and couldn't find it but it's great and talks about how it can be hard to take care of yourself but it's a necessary thing and ladypants knows what she's talking about as she has four kids and a very busy life...) and it motivates to me to shave and put makeup and make a manicure appointment and pick up the house and put effort into making a menu for the week and cooking meals after work and on the weekend and being productive at work.

My head space feels better if I'm not hoopty.

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I am all kinds of itchy to buy spring clothes. 

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So! Iris' name came up a few months early and homegirl will be starting the intensive feeding program on March 27. T and I are all kinds of excited as we feel as if this will be The Thing that gets her eating more, if not wholly, by mouth.  

I have talked to the Dean and my direct boss and both are keen on supporting me in anyway possible. I've talked to my co-workers and tried to reassure them that I won't be burdening them too much by being gone. I've filed my FMLA paperwork with HR. We are good to go.

And, in a gesture that made me get a bit weepy with appreciation, our daycare is not going to charge us Iris' tuition while she is out for those eight weeks. I fully expected them to and we were okay with that as we don't want to lose her spot and we understand that they still need to pay staff. But the director said that this was extenuating circumstances and not to worry about it. They have been so good to us, this school. I can't even tell you.

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I had to throw away some pie and some chips and dip the other day because I was losing my mind and any tenuous grasp I had on eating healthy. I just canNOT have that stuff in the house. At all. I do well with moderation in other parts of my life, but with food it's kind of all or nothing.

Ah well.

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It is sunny here today and it does my spirits good.

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I am wearing this dress today and love it because it is so very comfy.



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What sorts of tidbits do you have going on?

Two servings of the poo-poo platter, please

So the lights when dark on Broadway here because Iris was in the hospital for two weeks. 

On the morning of Sunday, February 5 Iris and I ran errands and wrestled and had fun. That evening she had a 103 temperature that neither Tylenol nor Motrin could not bring down and so we went to the ER.  We just came home on Friday the 17th. 

She got RSV and then a secondary infection of pneumonia and almost had to be intubated about halfway through the illness. Her lungs just took a beating and the thought of her on the ventilator made me weep in my kitchen. It was (is) my worst nightmare.

But!

She kicked it and she's doing better and she's home. A little weaker for the wear after lying in the hospital bed for two weeks, but slowly coming around. 

Those two weeks cleaned my clock and T's as one of us was bedside with her at all times. She looked for us if we stepped too far away and we could not do that to her. So we juggled our biznass and made it work and tried to keep it mellow for Ezra, but we could see him starting to get strung out near the end. 

So we have that behind us and wish to never repeat it. And the big britches we had over Iris never being hospitalized after her first discharge? Well, they're a tiny bit pinchier.

Lesson learned.

Cheater post

Jive Turkey said I could straight up snaggle this business, so I did. 

You like it?--you leave a link to yours and I will read it.  You hate it?--you shut your piehole and shuffle on, friend.

A to Z


A. Age: 36

B. Bed size: King. Anything teenier is ridiculous.

C. Chore that you hate: Cooking. I hate it and it's not a stress-reliever and it makes things messy and I would generally just prefer to eat out or eat cereal.

D. Dogs: I'm tolerant of dogs, but owning one and dealing with the poo and hair and slobber and smell and just no. No, thanks. 

E. Essential start to your day: Seeing smiles from Ezra and Iris.

F. Favorite color: Green

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: 5'7"

I. Instruments that you play: Um. I have no skillz.

J. Job title: Reference Librarian. Or, according to T at home, "Giver of Hassle."

K. Kids: Two rowdy-ass toddlers, Ezra and Iris

L. Live: the Midwest

M. Mother's name: Janet

N. Nicknames: There are many. 

O. Overnight hospital stays: 2008 when Ezra was born, but then 2009 did it up right big. I stayed overnight for some kidney stones. Then I stayed overnight three different times to be monitored for bedrest-type horseplay. Then there was the Sneak Attack Birth. So...yeah. 2009. Ole.

P. Pet peeves: Douchebags. The people not the feminine hygeine product.

Q. Quote from a movie: One T and I will say often to one another when the refrigerator is looking rather empty...from Dumb and Dumber: "We've got no food, we got no jobs. OUR PETS HEADS ARE FALLIN' OFF!"

R: Right or left handed: Right

S: Siblings: Two younger brothers

T. (Uh, Jive Turkey, what the heck happened to T on your list?)

U. Underwear: Sad

V. Vegetable(s) you hate: The green pepper and its friends, Red and Yellow, can die in a fiery crash. I do not like.

W. What makes you run late: Trying to wrangle and stuff my children into the car.

X. X-rays you've had: My teeth? 

Y. Yummy food that you make: Cheesy potatoes, wild rice casserole, roast beef, chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

Z. Zoo animal: Penguins. I keep trying to get T to let me have one.