Oh I am so ready for Universal Healthcare now. I had a helluva time getting my last refill but I was able to switch pharmacies and I hopefully will never have to deal with CVS Specialty ever again. The past few months have been extra stressful but I’m doing my best to use better coping mechanisms and to engage with community instead of withdraw.
I had issues getting my meds last refill but it doesn’t seem like I was the only one. I think insurance companies are getting slammed with Covid related expenses and trying to cut costs where ever they can. For me that meant trying to force me back to the generic version of the medication even though my doctor had deemed the generic a treatment failure because of the side effects I experienced. I ordered my meds on March 3rd and finally got them on April 23rd. A month and a half. Thankfully I did not have to go that whole time without medication. I had saved the rest of the generic does when I got switched back to the brand name in case of a situation like this. Biogen was also incredibly helpful and was able to send me “hold over” doses. So in the end I think I went without meds for less than a week. But there are still missed doses and I’m a little worried that could have an impact.
Dealing with CVS Specialty throughout the course of this issue has been a nightmare that I am thankful to be done with. During the course of figuring out this issue someone at the Johns Hopkins pharmacy decided to run a claim for me just to see what happened, doing that showed them that my insurance company had me locked into using CVS Specialty to fill my prescription. This opened up the option to try to get my prescription transferred to Johns Hopkins Pharmacy and it was a success! I no longer have to deal with CVS Specialty and my prescription will be filled by Johns Hopkins. Which makes more sense to me anyway because now all of my MS healthcare goes through one place. I got to take one corporation out of my healthcare equation and that feels good.
I’m still horrified and appalled at the state of the healthcare system. The way that it is currently set up holds no one accountable. I want someone to be held accountable for putting profits over people (I’m looking at you Gov. Hogan) and it is never the people that I end up talking to over the phone. I spent hours of my life over the past few months on hold with government agencies, insurance companies, and pharmacies. Hours of my life and also reserves of energy. All that time I am spending on hold and trying to get a resolution is time that I haven’t been able to spend on other things. I have to find it funny that my calls to the IRS and VA Clerk’s Office have been the easier and more pleasant calls in the past couple of months. The communications with my doctor and his support staff have been brief and to the point but always working toward the solution which has not been the case with these other places.
There is still some unresolved stuff outside of my healthcare. It took over a month to be reassigned a new therapist. A month that included stress about whether or not I was getting my medication, conversations about relationships with Shannon, and a move out of my Mom’s basement. That’s a helluva month to have without mental healthcare support. I haven’t been able to file my weekly unemployment claims since December 2020, there is something funky going on with my case so no advice please unless you can connect me with someone that works in the UI office. Trust me, I’ve done all the things I’m supposed to with that to get my account unlocked. Called the office multiple times, sent a letter to my representative and the governor after months of no resolution and I still can’t access my UI account or funds.
There is a whole lot to be excited about even with all this going on in the background. I moved back to Baltimore and am no longer living in my Mom’s basement which means Gravy has so many windows to look out now and another kitty friend to play with. I mean she doesn’t seem to interested in playing with him but Wolf just wants her to chase him so bad. I am taking the Stone Circle Wicca 101 course and that is helping me stay connected with both old and new community members. Doing the course work and homework has me thinking and working hard with balance in so many ways which is deepening my understanding of the lessons that have come along with my Balance tattoo. The weekly UToS Spirit Study group has been a fun place of learning and connecting with my community.
As life keeps happening around me I’m doing my best to keep up with the current flow and take rests when I need to. I got the second dose of the vaccine last and I can breath a small sigh of relief as my immunity kicks in! I still feel tentative about super public events or spaces but I worry a little less when I need to run to the grocery store.