No Stress Test Today

Unless you count the annoyance stress.

If you work for an insurance company, log off now. It isn't personal against you, just go visit another blog for a few minutes.

We were informed this morning -- this morning, after no coffee or tea for the past 24 hours, after no breakfast this morning -- that they won't have an approval back from Dewey's insurance until 9 pm this evening, at the earliest.

Why does it take so long to get something approved with insurance? First you've got my mom's car sitting open to the world, waiting all weekend and 3 days this week just to get into the adjuster-whateverperson so she has the *approval* to get it fixed.

Now, a doctor sends Dewey for additional tests concerning shortness of breath and bottoming out pulse rates, and high blood pressure...not that I'm sitting on the amen pew for doctors, but still...

When did we decide that someone under the care of a liscensed physician, being given a referral to another liscensed physician for a more specialized look-over, needs the *approval* of some pencil sharpening, minimum wage earning insurance geek without the first knowledge of anything medical?

I know that's where supposed "health care" has gone in this country, still, it's annoying that when you don't use their services as often as they would like, some outside third party numbskull gets the godlike authority to approve or deny your chosen physician's recommended course of treatment.

We don't go to doctors. We just don't feel the need to run off to some medical what-not every time a discomfort arises. In 23 years Ican literally count off the visits we've had to doctors...my pregnancies (and I don't even go for checks on that until at least my 5th month), Chris had 2 stitches on his head, Jennifer had pneumonia twice that was undetectable without an xray, and to have her finger looked at, Abigail had her shoulder xrayed once, her eyelid looked at when it was cut, then that slice on her arm glued, Jacob and his 2 weeks in the burn/surgery unit, KatiAnne had 2 cuts glued on her face and then xray when she swallowed that beaded fan chain, David spent the night at the burn unit with Jacob, for observation, and then Emily and every 3 months with her surgeons watching/waiting for the right time to remove the hemangioma. Dewey has even less time with doctors under his belt -- he hurt his foot on a jobsite once and had an orthotic made for the damaged arch, his bp issues while in Arkansas and now this round.

But here, when we feel a necessity to go and have his health checked out concerning things like shortness of breath and low pulse...things that could serious hinder his work, let alone plain living in general, and we get cancelled at the last minute because some idiot pencil pusher needs to brush up on his cardiology knowledge and consult his 8 Ball or ouija board.

Grrrrr.