On the last day of insurance...

We missed our final speech therapy appointment, because a certain little Tar is sick and feverish. I was bummed, because she is now without services until the district gets it together. Her speech therapy alone is $165 per week and OT is another $230 and we just can't shell that out on a weekly basis.

We went to the pediatrician, the 5th doctor we've seen since last Thursday.

We refilled standing prescriptions so we have extra on hand during this limbo period.

We spent $35 on these things. Without insurance, it would have cost just a bit over $100.

On Monday, and every day after until we find a solution, any day like this will cost about $100, more depending on if there are shots or antibiotics or any other medications involved.

If KayTar decides to play that little game we all love so much, you know the one, Dehydration Roulette, not only will we have to worry about the hospital. We'll have to worry about paying for the hospital, too. Fuuuuuun.

On to the roundup...

Thursday: Genetics and Neurology

These visits were actually extremely heartening. Everyone is thrilled with the progress she's made in the past 6 months. The geneticist didn't order any tests, because as our neurologist said, she has had The Workup. He doesn't have any leads right now, so no blood work. Hooray! The geneticist did, however, strongly recommend a thorough behavior/autism evaluation with developmental pediatrics. This wasn't a shock, of course, because it is now a frequent refrain. The neurologist agreed it is a good idea. She has these quirks that do fall on the spectrum, so I'm fine with the evaluation. With KayTar, autism is never going to be the root cause of anything. It might be a handy way to categorize some of her processing differences, though. The pediatrician and I both agree that if it helps facilitate her services, it is just fine. The most excellent news is that we don't have to see genetics for a FULL YEAR! Technically we can wait until after her fourth birthday, which sounds amazing. Ahhh. The neurologist agreed that she looks great, said we should keep treating her episodes the same way, and noted that her eye was drifting inward when tracking objects. We see him again in 6 months.

Monday: Pediatrician, well-check

She weighs 30 pounds! YAY! She is growing perfectly, despite her diet of Pediasure and chips. She is 37.5 inches tall. Everything growth-wise is just right. She still has some delays, but overall she's doing amazingly well. She's really come much farther, much faster than we ever thought she would. It has been amazing to watch and it has been fun to share that excitement with the people who have been helping us take such good care of her. The pediatrician noted the eye drifting as well.

Thursday: Ophthalomology

Bah. We are always disappointed with the results of these appointments. They always feel rushed and she always says "Everything looks great!" Anytime we ask about a problem that we've noted, she turfs us back to neurology. It has been frustrating. But I thought if both the neurologist AND the pediatrician have seen the drifting, just in the last week, she'd catch it. But nope. She said she saw nothing and sent us on our way. In fifteen minutes of our arrival. I drove an hour and a half for this appointment and I left feeling decidedly aggravated. It was our last ditch effort to get it looked at before the sand ran out of the insurance hourglass and it was wasted, really. It isn't something that I mistakenly noted as a layperson/parent. It is something that two of her doctors noticed and brought to my attention. I feel certain that there is something going on there and I don't like it being disregarded out of hand. Like I said, bah.

Friday: Pediatrician sick-check

She puked in the waiting room. FUN! I caught part of it in my hands. MORE FUN! Another mother kindly ran to get me paper towels so I could clean up a bit. I wonder how many other kids have puked in that waiting room, which begs the question...WHY IS IT CARPETED? It must be a delightful haven for multiplying bacteria. Her throat was red, so we did the obligatory strep swab. She puked again. This time on me and her pants. Mmmm, the aroma of mucus and partially digested milk. The strep screen was negative, YAY! So it looks like a run of the mill upper respiratory virus. We're just doing her breathing treatments and keeping her fluids up. Oh, and her appetite stimulant is also an antihistamine, which means we FINALLY have something we can give her for congestion and she isn't stuck choking and puking in her bed at night. Thank God for compounding pharmacies.

That's it really. Fairly inconsequential. Next month she sees the feeding specialist, so if insurance isn't worked out by then we'll have to pay out of pocket. The following month is her ABR (hearing test), same story there. I hope we find a solution before then. I'm applying for night jobs. We have an appointment with social security to determine if she is eligible for disability, but it seems like a long shot. We'll see, and if we get anywhere I'll be sure to update.