Delay after delay

Well its been a while since I have updated this site. I have been busy for sure. After my second bout of ICE chemo I spent a lot of time at the hospital. It seemed that every time I went back to have my blood work checked I had to have something done. The first time I had to have a blood transfusion, 2 units. Then I went back 4 days later and had to have a platelet transfusion. According to their factors if your platelets dip to 15 or below you get to be transfused. Well mine were 15. That was on a Friday. Well Kevin and I went back on that following Monday expecting things to be better and not spend much time there but my platelets had dipped even further, down to a 12. Crazy huh? I went back a week later and they were finally good, at 277 and the I got the best news of all. I had had a PET scan earlier that morning and it came back clear which means I am officially in remission. Yippee.

That was a little over a week ago. I thought I would be in the hospital starting last Thursday to begin the BEAM chemo, and then transplant. But as some of you may know, nothing is that easy when it comes to insurance companies. I found out last Tuesday that a lot more has to be done first. A letter and my medical records had to be sent to the case manager for Cigna to determine that it is medically necessary for me to have the transplant. Then after that is approved I will have to go through a battery of tests. My oncology coordinator said it should only take a week to get approved and then two days to do all the tests which include an EKG, pulmonary function test, kidney function test, bone marrow biopsy (my least favorite) and some kind of additional body scan.

So I gave everyone a week right? So I call my Cigna case manager this morning and she says she hasnt gotten any of the paperwork yet. And she informs me that there is no way that the tests could all be done in two days. I said what kind of other tests are needed? One was a clean check from my dentist. Thank goodness I went to the dentist last week because a tooth was bothering me. I had a cavity and got if fixed the same day. And she said other tests but didnt specify. So after that I got off the phone and called my onc coordinator. She said the insurance coordinator in their office sent all the paperwork last week. So between these three people they were supposed to be faxing each other to get all approved. Thankfully I got a call after the lunching hour and am approved to do all the tests and my doctor knows what tests I am supposed to do now. So hopefully they will get this all scheduled this week so that all can be done by next week.

I would like to be in the hospital by the 15th but who knows if that is what will happen. I really just want to be home for Halloween and have the strength to have a happy Thanksgiving and Christmas. That is my main goal really. Kevin and I have been buying decorations to make our screened in porch really spooky for halloween. It helps that he works at Michael's right now so I can buy stuff on discount. The coolest thing we have gotten so far are these window clings that are gelly like. They are bloody hand prints. They are so cool.

My sister is on her way up here tomorrow night to stay with me for a few days. I am so excited. She was planning to come stay with me because I was going to be doing my transplant on Friday. But even though I am not going to the hospital she so deserves a break. All you mothers out there know how hard it can be to find time for yourself. She hasn't had time away from all the kids since before she was pregnant with Dalton who is three now. So she is very deserving of this vacation she is getting. We are going to Sam Moon, The Pocket Sandwich Theatre with Kevin, and who knows what else. We will be watching movies and all sorts of stuff. Kevin unfortunately will be working most of the time, except Friday so its girl time.

I hope everyone is doing great and had a wonderful Labor Day. Don't labor too hard now that the work week has started again. I am trying to clean my apartment in slow batches. Everything can be done as long as I do it in batches so I don't exhaust myself. Take care everyone and I love you all.