I am Mother, Hear Me Whimper

Well, doctors and nurses got all the fluid out of the Kid's lungs, are reducing the tonsils with steroids, and have his oxygen under control with the Bi-Pap machine.

He's driving them nuts and they want him out of there. LOL

So here was the issue of the day.

The respiratory therapist told me that Big Kid could come home with a Bi-Pap., but the insurance company won't pay for a Bi-Pap unless he's completed a sleep study, and he's been on a waiting list and can't get one until August.

How screwed up is that?

I called the nurse-on-call for the insurance company, and explained the situation. Between having the doo-doo scared out of me and being hormonal and not getting enough sleep, I was bawling about 3 minutes into the conversation. "He can't come home if he can't breathe, and how can it be more cost effective to keep him in the hospital for a month?"

The nurse agreed, and offered to put me through to a claim's representative. She said she'd stay on the line to explain the situation for me (so I wouldn't blow my nose in their ears, I suspect). We were on hold for about 5 minutes and when the representative came on the line, the system dropped the nurse off, so I had to go through the whole thing AGAIN.

And yes, about 3 minutes into the long and convoluted explanation I was sobbing like a wet wuss-bag.

"All the doctor has to do is prescribe a Bi-Pap", she told me.

Whaaaat?

"I wish those idiots would just call us first for benefits before upsetting the parents," she grumbled. "If your son's condition warrants a Bi-Pap, all the doctor has to do is prescribe it. He doesn't have to wait for a sleep study."

Damn, I wasted a good manipulative cry for nothing.

As much as I am grateful and thankful for all of your sympathy and support, to be honest, I'm starting to feel like Munchausen Mommy. "My kid is sick! My kid is sick!"

I was telling that to Kitty and Hubby last night. Kitty stayed the night so she wouldn't have to drive back and forth to the city.

Kitty said, "Imagine how I must be feeling. Big Kid never goes ANYWHERE. And then he gets two somewhat random illnesses that I probably carried home (Mono isn't your run-of-the-mill thing among adults, and both children of a friend of Kitty's recently had it)."

So we've dubbed her Typhoid Kitty.

Typhoid Kitty and Munchausen Mommy. Quite the pair. ;-)

Thanks again for all your kind wishes. Gotta go fix up the kid's room for a stay in isolation before the oxygen guys get here.