My pre-moving to-do list is about 5 pages long and about every bit as complicated as it sounds. Truck maintenance, ordering party supplies for work, completing my college shopping list, errands up the yin-yang...
Seriously, when I first got on Summer Break I thought it was about the greatest thing ever to be able to spend the whole day to myself just running around, doing errands instead of doing tests and essays for school. I thought exactly that: "Wow, this is great! No school, no essays, no nothing. It's so nice to just be able to spend a day with myself, running around. OMG I'm a graduate. Life can't get much better than this. I wish that I could do this more often."
Let me just take this paragraph to say that I no longer feel this way and that if I have to spend another day of doing errands that I will most likely take a nosedive off of the closest multistory building I can find, since Florida couldn't be bothered to have some actual mountains.
On top of that, I've come to the marvelous conclusion that when people actually manage to get things done on time, it makes things run oh-so much more smoothly. Conversely, when people do not get things done on time, it makes things get very messed up and needlessly SEVERAL TIMES MORE COMPLICATED.
Proven:
Last week I went into CVS to get my prescription from my Endo filled. 200 test strips, 100 needles, a package of Ketostix, 100 lancets, 2 Lantus Insulin pens, and 2 Novolog Pens. Simple enough, right? Wrong. Turns out the people at my CVS are "special people".
Enter Lacy into CVS: "Hi, I've never done this before. I'm dropping off a prescription."
Lady glances at me. Smiles harmlessly, giving no indication of the nightmare soon to follow. "Your name?"
I figured I'd spell it out to make it easy, even though my name is not a difficult name to spell.
"L-A-C-Y-B-A-L-L."
Confused look from Pharmacist woman.
"Ball is part of your first name? What's your last?"
Hmm. Lacyball. Nope. Not really feeling it.
I shake my head.
"No, Ball is my last name. Lacy is my first."
"Ok. And your insurance?"
"I don't have insurance. Do you take Medicaid?"
"Of course. Is it an HMO or just straight Medicaid?"
"Just straight Medicaid. Here's the card. Do you know what the Co-Pay is?"
"Umm... I don't know. When do you want to pick this prescription up?" She asks, handing me back my card.
I shrug. CVS is 5 minutes down the street. "That depends. When can I pick this prescription up?"
"Is 2 p.m. ok? I'll call you."
"Sure." I said. I didn't realize it was so fast, and I felt rather pleased. Was it really this easy?"
No. I should have taken a hint when I never received a phone call.
So the next day I head into CVS to pick up my prescription.
"Here's everything, but we're waiting on a confirmation for the Novolog and the Ketostix are on hold."
Okay, no problem. Lovely.
"Thanks," I say. "The Co-Pay is what?" "There is no Co-Pay," The pharmacist says. I felt guilty, letting taxpayers foot the bill for my pricey medications. But I knew I'd contribute to society and not always be a worthless College Student. Someday. So I am pleasantly surprised as I leave CVS.
The next day I go in to check and see if I can get my Novolog. It is, after all, Insulin, and thus essential to life.
The pharmacist greets me. "Hi, are you picking up a prescription?"
"Hopefully. I came in Yesterday. Well, and the day before. Is the Novolog in?"
The pharmacist checks. "Nooo... still in hold."
"Err, okay. So what do I do to get it off hold?"
"Umm, I don't know. We're just waiting for the Doctor to approve it with Medicaid."
"Do you know how long that will take?"
The pharmacist shrugs. "I'm not sure, m'am."
This scenario continues all throughout the week. And all throughout this week. Now I have been to CVS so many times that the pharmacists all greet and address me by name. They ask me when I am going to start working there. I blush as I tell them, "I've been in here so much, you probably think I'm a Druggie!"
But even though I deserve a gold star for perfect attendance, still no luck with the Novolog. I went back to the Endo for my appointment yesterday and we figured out, apparently my HMO (once approved) will cover Novolog, but straight Medicaid won't cover it. It covers Humalog, which is basically the same insulin, just a different brand. Tomato, Tomoto. My Endo comes back into the Doctor's room with a bag full of samples for me to tide me over. I felt like a little kid at Christmas. My mom thinks it's weird that I get excited about new Diabetes supplies, but the other Diabetic Doctor Ladies at the office swear they get the same way. Then she switched my prescription to Humalog pens, and gave me another prescription for 300 pen needles, since, using about 4-5 a day, I go through 100 fast. My new nifty Humalog pen actually looks like a nice, really fancy and expensive pen (accurate enough, seeing as insulin does cost a not-so-small fortune), and it takes refillable pen cartridges instead of being disposable.
So I take my new prescription back to CVS, blushing a little again that I am back for the eleventy-first time this week. The pharmacist reassures me that my prescription will be ready in one hour, and naively I believe that my insulin problem is solved. They also just then take the time to tell me that Medicaid doesn't cover my Novolog. As much as I am flattered that they clearly preferred my company instead, Y'think they could have told me that sooner, before I became BFF's with all the pharmacists?
Time passes. The problem is not solved. An hour later I get a call that CVS needs a prior-authorization for the pen needles because I can only get 100 a month, apparently (hardly enough), and that the Humalog has to be ordered and won't be in until tomorrow. So today I come in, expecting my prescription, and run into yet another problem. Prior-authorization has not been done yet, so no pen needles, and apparently, according to the pharmacist, "Humalog doesn't make penfills anymore. They only have the vials. But that's not a problem because you use the pump, right?" I glance it her. Politely I say (because I've really grown quite fond of this particular pharmacist lady, and I feel we have now worked our way up to casual conversations) "No, I do not use the pump. I have to shoot myself up over 5 times a day. Syringes are very inconvenient. Now I don't think that Humalog discontinued the pen... my Endo just gave me one with several refills yesterday." We both lean over the counter to chat. "Anyways, I think they just discontinued it," The Pharmacist Lady says. "But I'll call the Doctor and then call you back." I look at her speculatively. "I promise," she says, as if reading my mind.
Well, after 5 calls from CVS (some one minute apart), and several calls from my Endo, the prognosis is this: The people at this CVS are special people, The Endo argued that Humalog did not discontinue the pen and refused to believe CVS, CVS argued that Humalog did discontinue the pen and refused to believe the Endo, Humalog did not discontinue the pen prescribed to me, the Humalog Rep had to call up CVS to tell them this, the prior-authorization form did finally go through and is awaiting Tallahassee approval and, well, I'm not quite sure if I'm getting my insulin sometime soon or not. Most likely not before I go to Georgia, so luckily I have enough samples to last me. Seeing as once I get to Georgia I'll have a whole new batch of worries to bother about when I have to apply for Georgia Medicaid, find a new Endo, and transfer all of my prescriptions to a pharmacy there...
And all of this trouble over a bunch of needles!
So that has been my past few days/two weeks at a glance. Stay tuned for more drama, excitement, and insulin as I prepare to bid "Adieu" to Florida and maintain my sanity until then.
Its called calling them instead of coming in every day. They aren't in control of when prior authorization is done either, so cut them a break.
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