Practicing What You Preach

I posted about three steps forward and two steps back a while back, which means you are still making progress. Well, I got a chance to experience it first-hand this week. I have a husband with multiple interrelated medical issues that are causing his health to become the central issue in our lives. We have spent more than a year switching health systems to get him a new primary care doctor, no less than four or five specialists that deal with the intersecting conditions. Not all physicians use the same system, but we ensure they share visit notes with all the other specialists every time we see them.

After this, we discovered just this week that because of insurance contracts with providers and physicians’ privileges with clinics and hospitals, we had to dismantle part of that team and replace them with new providers. We had taken five steps forward and now have taken three steps back.

I reached out to a part of my medical network that I trusted to see if they had any ideas on how to navigate this setback because my husband’s health was deteriorating. He was in serious need of specialized treatment for his condition. Afraid that it could take months to get a new specialist on board that could refer my husband to treatment, my anxiety and panic were high. This person gave me the name of a specialist who was also the medical director of one of the treatment clinics contracted with our insurance carrier. I left a message at his clinic, and he called me later that day. He then asked if I could bring my husband in the next day. I nearly fell out of my chair, as I was expecting at least a month’s delay in getting this far.

We met with the specialist, who agreed that immediate intake to the treatment was necessary, and would do all he could to get us into the clinic the following week. Because my husband was having severe shortness of breath and fatigue, we asked if he could begin emergent inpatient treatment in the hospital. He agreed that it was an appropriate approach. I was told to take him to the emergency room, explain the condition, and he would notify them to expect us. I promised to take him directly there.

I have to admit at this time that I lied to the doctor. Since we didn’t know how long he would be in the hospital, we stopped by the early voting center on our route to the hospital and cast our ballots for the general election. The admission to the hospital went reasonably smoothly, and he started the treatments the next day. It turned out to be the best option anyway because initial blood work showed he was too anemic to start the treatment, so he had to have a blood transfusion. His blood counts are coming up, and he has perked up a great deal after three treatments.

I feel 1000 percent better and confident that we made the right decision and have learned/reinforced knowledge in several things. They are, in no particular order:

·       Sometimes, it’s not what you know but who you know.

·       Persistence works.

·       While three steps forward and two steps back mean you are making progress, sometimes it doesn’t take all that long to catch up and move things forward again.

·       Stay vigilant and don’t back down when you know you are right

·       Miracles happen

Let me emphasize the most important thing that was reinforced this week: Three steps forward and two steps back mean you are still making progress!