Letters to you

So the first insurance hurdle stemmed from the fact that my company has a Health Reimbursement Association deductible plan, meaning that there's a huge deductible that you have to apply for through a separate organization (not the insurance company proper). This is not a problem - all paperwork has been submitted. Other than the deductible, the whole hospital stay, ambulance, ER, nurses, etc. were covered 100%, and I expect full reimbursement of the deductible. So far so good.

The trauma surgeon was another story... I was assigned a great surgeon who did a good job (yay!) but he wasn't in my insurance PPO plan (Boo). I'd rather get a good one than a covered one, (both would have been good but I'm not unhappy with the result).

However, I am now responsible for about $1600 of the surgery bill, maybe a little more. I was told by the trauma surgeon's business office that I have a good chance at an appeal, since who I was assigned by the ER was not my choice.

So... the paperwork for the appeal is prepared and Explanations of Benefits for claims that I've received so far have been copied and attached. I'm still waiting on a few more statements before I send the appeal package to the insurance company. I have about a month to send it in, and they've been pretty prompt so far, so I expect all the statements by this week.

Meanwhile, the insurance company sent whatever they initially agreed to reimburse (not enough, hence the appeal), directly to me because the doctor is out of plan. I can't cash the checks to pay the doctor because that would indicate I accepted their terms. So, the doctor will have to wait for reimbursement, unfortunately (they're aware of that).

So the moral of this story is, give your trinkets to the faeries instead of to the insurance company.

Two handed typing - Up to about 60 wpm now - not up to speed because I still have the split loosely in place to allow wrist to rest on wrist-shaped surface at all times.

Able to oppose index & middle finger to thumb now. (before could not oppose middle finger). Thumb opposing the ring and pinky, still working on - moving to the stress point but not beyond. Nice to know the average rat has better opposing ability than I do... Edit: I was able to oppose the ring finger today (July 3).

Ability to lift with left hand. Tested by lifting a coffee cup full of coffee so I could open door with right hand. Success - no pain, huzzah.

Discoloration and swelling - still there but fading.

Ability to bend fingers - still stiff - need PT

Ability to make fist - not good - need time, PT

Ability to grasp - fairly good, oddly enough. Need time, PT to get up to snuff.

Ability to move thumb to "thumbs up" position - not good, need PT and time - one of the bones that governs that was broken.

The future -- Not happy until I resolve a few things.

Usual line of treatment for people in my demographic - Biophosphonates. I was tested last year and told my bone density was low and was told to take a biophosphonate called Fosamax. Refused due to particularly gruesome side effects, and also due to the fact that my father experienced some of those side effects when he took it.

Would Fosamax have prevented this fracture? I don't know, but I doubt it. Not how I fell on it and given the tiny radius of my wrist. The new wrist now looks like a normal wrist. My right one looks like a small kid's wrist.

If it had broken while taking Fosamax, the Fosamax would have impeded healing. This is how it works: It prevents old bone re-absorption and new bone growth while it adds mineral substance to existing bone. Thus the bones become dense but brittle and non-regenerative. That would be rather bad in the current situation.

Alternative medicine route: http://www.algaecal.com
Real or quacks? Again, I don't know. People have reported good results.

Further uneasy questions: Why did I fall? Tripped? (that's how my brain parsed it at the time) All my life (from childhood) I've taken these weird spills occasionally. I'll be walking along and suddenly I'll fall. Does my foot catch on something? Does my ankle give out (many sprains as a kid)? A weird muscle/nerve glitch? Bad shoes? I never fell or sprained an ankle as long as I wore my high-top ren shoes, though. Maybe I'll go back to wearing those all the time for good weather and high-top boots in bad weather.

Seems to be mending well. The surgeon did a good job - this was not a simple break. I still feel twinges, but this is a good thing -- it lets me know there's still a pulse there!

I'm completely off percoset (as of 11:00 pm Friday) and have not even needed an aspirin since then. There were enough scary percoset side effects - subtle changes in personality, creepy physical sensations, etc., that I was happy to experience any pain left over from the surgery rather than the percoset. Besides, pain is a good indicator of how far not to push it.

Turned out that wasn't a problem. I was surprised when I woke up Saturday morning and there was no pain. The previous day it had been pretty noticeable. Hopefully this means it's mending faster than expected. (They gave me enough percoset for two weeks).

Sithreal's surgery is now. Then once he gets home, there will be confinement to a room, elizabethan collar, pain medications, and oral antibiotics for as long as he has the stitches. Initially there will be a pain patch as well. I'm sorry, big kitty. Your life belongs to the goddess Porcelaina Conveniencea for two weeks, in hopes that it can be a long and healthy one thereafter. Best of luck.

( update )