I work part-time. It's great. The best of both worlds for me. I cannot be a full time stay at home mom. I tried that once and just about went stir crazy. I need some adult interaction and I need to use my brain just a little bit every day. So for me, part time is the answer. This is what works FOR ME. I believe we are all created differently and what works for each of us is different. This is not a post about SAHM's vs working mom's. I really don't care what you do as long as it works for you and your kids. So lets all just do what works for us and not worry about what our neighbor is doing. Now, back to my post.
Since I work part-time, I sometimes get the what do you do with all your free time? Or, what do you do when you are not working? Or good for you, you have some free time to relax. And I laugh and laugh and laugh. Here is an example of what I do in my "free me time".
The Boy had a med check appointment with his doctor last Tuesday. Yes, we use medication in our multifaceted arsenal of tools we utilize to help The Boy mitigate his many challenges. Don't judge. Medication has changed his life, for the better. He cannot function without it. So, we had a med check last Tuesday, like we do every three months. And I left with 3 months worth of scripts for his "controlled substance" med. I went directly to the pharmacy and dropped them off.
Upon picking them up, one of them had a sticker on it saying the pills may look different, but it is the same medication. The pharmacy had changed generics. Not a big deal, I really didn't think much of it. I proceeded to give The Boy his afternoon meds from this new bottle.
After three days it became apparent that this new generic was not working for him. He was a disaster. That child has the most sensitive system I've ever been privileged to witness. He reacts to so many things, one of which is red dye. And the new generic pills were a very, very, very light orange. I should have realized it before giving any to him. But no, it took us 3 days to put the pieces together. Another mommy fail. Sigh.
So, off to the pharmacy I go with the offending pills in hand. After a long discussion with the pharmacist (who luckily didn't poohoo me when I said The Boy doesn't tolerate red dye) he indicated they could order the previous generics and note in his file that he could only take that brand. BUT, in order to give us a new bottle of the old generics, he would need a new script from the doctor since its a controlled substance. Okay.
Phone call #1 to the doctor's office. He is on vacation. It is Friday. I need to get this handled today. Phone call #2 from the nurse for the on call doctor who doesn't know me or my child and I'm sure is questioning why I'm asking for another script for a controlled substance that I just got filled. I repeat my story for the third time today. Phone call #3 from the on call doctor where I repeat my story yet again. And this time I offer to give him the bottle of offending pills if he will just please give us a new script. Phone call #4, on call doctor calls the pharmacy to verify my story with the pharmacist. Phone call #5 on call doctor calls me back asking more questions and finally agrees to write a new script, which I have to pick up in person and hand deliver to the pharmacy. They cannot send a script for a controlled substance electronically.
So, off to the pharmacy I go all pleased with myself that I've gotten this handled in just half a day, 5 phone calls and 2 trips to the pharmacy. Go mom! Not so fast mom. The insurance companies (both of them) refuse to pay for a prescription they've just paid for 3 days ago. I understand this. But this is not my first rodeo people. I know they can and do make exceptions. And for $250 I will make that extra phone call and plead for an exception. Back home I go, no prescription in hand.
Phone call #6, I talk to our primary insurance company. The lady is very nice, but cannot authorize a prescription override. She leaves a message with the correct person to call me. Phone call #7, said person calls me and indicates she has to talk to the pharmacy before she can authorize an override. I ask her to please call me back when she is done so I know when to go pick up the meds. 2 hours later I still haven't received a phone call. We are quickly coming up on the afternoon time when The Boy needs to take these meds. Phone call #8, I call said person back asking about progress. She says she hasn't gotten to it yet, its not considered an emergency. At which point I just about loose it and hang up.
As luck would have it, Mr. Fixit walked in from work right then. When I can't get something done, Mr. Fixit can. He has ... um... different ways of persuasion. Phone call #9, he calls said person back and persuades her that it is an emergency and we need an OK within 30 minutes. (I think there was a discussion about what happens if The Boy doesn't take this med on time and a threat to drop him off at said person's house tonight for her to witness first hand) Whatever, it worked.
8 hours after I first walked into the pharmacy that morning, after 9 phone calls, 1 trip to the doctor's office, and three trips to the pharmacy, Mr. Fixit came home with the correct generic meds. He did end up having to pay the $10 copay as neither one of us was willing to deal with the secondary insurance who usually picks up the copay. It just wasn't worth any more phone calls to save the $10.
So, this is what I do in my down time. Seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.
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