Andrew is doing well, except he has been sick for the last few weeks. And I have struggled with anger during this time. I begged BCBS since the first of February when I knew there was trouble showing he had insurance to the drug company. Once that was fixed, the reimbursement rate for the company (that we have used since he was diagnosed a few years ago) was way too low (like from 42% to 3%). So the drug company - after having weeks of trouble even reaching BCBS - found us another company. I tried to get one dose on my credit card - whatever we could do. I warned BCBS through phone calls and private FB messages that this would probably happen. They did not care as they held up his meds for over two months. So he has had a bad upper respiratory infection with coughing and bad fatigue. He has missed every track meet since the 5000 he ran in Charlotte. And we started him on antibiotics even before the doctor thought we really needed to. It escalated fast, and he is on round 2. I have talked to BCBS twice in the past week for an hour each time. They called ME. Maybe I am on their priority list, because they know that I know I have proof of contact and begging. They did offer to maybe get a gift card to "compensate" for what Andrew has been through. We are in the process of getting a case manager, and I told them a gift card (and I don't think I said "stupid" gift card) would not make up for Andrew missing most of his senior track season.
I also told them, since they asked about my issues, that he could be susceptible to that liver disease or lipodystrophy that went away and has not come back. I told them there was no explanation for the remission of those things except God and that I was trusting God would keep them at bay while Andrew's immune system is still so low. They always start out with an attitude, but at the end of the conversation really act like they understand that we need help getting our stuff.
Andrew has not had a seizure during this time, but he did call us one day from campus and could not use his legs. We got him into the peds office in a wheelchair, and Dr. Zimmerman gave him fluids for a few hours. During that time, he could not even stand up alone to go to the bathroom. He could not walk. It was scary, and that does make me angry at Blue Cross. But I also know that God had His hand on Andrew. And I share that with the insurance people, so they will know that I am upset and want things fixed BUT that our family does not totally rely on them.
So we are praying Andrew will be back to himself by conference in mid-May. He has run two PR's in the 5K and 10K. And that is a huge praise, because those are the only times he has had! My dad, Sam, and I are driving to Lafayette, LA, to watch Andrew run. My dad does not know (unless he reads this email) that I am planning the trip with some good stops in mind. He likes to eat inside a restaurant while Sam and I like to run into a favorite store or two on a break and go through a drive-thru. So we will compromise and have had some help planning some stops in places we have never been Sam and I went to BIrmingham, our halfway point, for indoor conference; so at least we have been that way already and know what to expect.
We are thankful Dad is going (I am 48, but he said I am not going alone), because Pete will be out of the country. He leaves for Israel right before we leave. And he is so excited. Andrew won't graduate in May, because he has added a nutrition major. I know his brain is working well, because he has done really well in his first Chemistry class, probably one of the toughest subjects at Appalachian. Andrew has not always seen good grades with his studying, so we are very thankful his brain seems to work better with his school work. He had a few tough years while we changed his medications, and he had more seizures.
Sam has started reading lessons at ASU. He was evaluated, after Laura got one of his notebooks I keep and showed it to her supervisor. Her supervisor is wonderful and told me after his second evaluation that he needs intense one on one help, and she believes she can teach him to read. I got tears in my eyes, and she told me I was so sweet. Then I told her that I had prayed about his reading for years. I knew something was wrong. And though he has had some really good teachers, he needed that one on one. And what is on paper at school is not always what will work. He has struggled with a huge amount of anxiety this year, and I hate to say I did not have a clue how bad it was. He does not act out. But we have also been to Asheville to Olson Huff twice, and I saw it clearly in those weeks. We are working on plans for next year, and that will include getting him the help he needs to read and whatever else he needs to feel comfortable and learn. We have been praying so hard about all of this, and God just keeps bringing people, since March, to give us answers. So we know He will help with the rest. Sam is already talking more about what bothers him and handling things much better. He was able to run into Boone Drug Friday alone (we're in there all of the time, and they know us!) to get a book he had seen, and he ended up having someone get it for him! He was beaming, clutching that Star Wars book, when he waited for me on the sidewalk. He could not have done that even a few weeks ago.
During all of this stuff, Sam has had some very low blood sugars. He also had trouble feeling his legs when he got into the car one day after school (weird that there were two instances of that!). But his blood sugar was in the 50's, so his knees probably felt extremely weak. He was fine when our wonderful nurse had checked him, but he dropped right before school let out. I was just thankful he was able to eat Smarties all the way home where he was still a little lower than he should have been. So that was a fast, scary drop. We went to the endocrinologist two weeks ago and found his a1c had drastically dropped - a great thing since it had been creeping up despite our best efforts. The doctor was extremely pleased, and Sam and I celebrated with a big Lego set that he had wanted since before Christmas. It was on the clearance table at the Lego store when we went into South Park to grab lunch. God had it right there for him. Now, we are changing everything around again as he starts to creep up again and don't know if it's illness or just the up and downs of diabetes. But we are determined to keep on top of things. And we continue to thank God for the help He always gives.
Peter is finishing his junior year at Appalachian. He just ran a 5K at school yesterday. We are happy he is running some again. He is also on a mission to help our dog lose weight. He's done a great job, and she is so much more active. We have all been on board. He will be surprised to return home tonight to find she's lost 10 more pounds, since Will shaved her this afternoon! He left the mountains of white fur on the back deck. If it blows into the neighbors' yards tonight, they will think they have awakened to snow in the morning!
Will is working on getting his CDL still and has part of it. It's a little weird to see him driving such huge things, but we think he was born that way I am just hoping and praying he will recognize where his gifts and abilities come from and do things to honor God with those talents. He has good people in his path that we know God has orchestrated. So we continue to pray over all of our boys continually. We are so thankful God is faithful.
Thanks for reading this and thanks for praying for us. We cannot begin to explain how much it means to us.
Wendi
No comments:
Post a Comment