I had a fairly restful day, today. I woke up, once, in the early part of the morning and felt rather tired, so I went back to sleep (after a visit to the bathroom) and slept in! I still felt somewhat tired when I finally woke up, so, decided to take it easy. Daughter called to say good morning, I had a cup of coffee, read some blogs (I am behind with my reading and commenting), and replied to blog comments. I do thank you all for all the lovely comments you leave, really appreciate you taking the time to do so.
My neighbor T didn't call as usual at 11:00 a.m., this morning, for our weekly Sunday morning check-in. So, I waited for a bit and called her to see if she's OK. Apparently, she's down with a stomach flu! I checked to see if she had been to see the doctor and she said she had and she is on medication and the BRAT diet. I asked her if she needed anything and she said no, her daughter had been to see her and had brought her everything she needed. Anyway, I assured her that I will be home tomorrow, if she needed anything. I will call her again to check on her, tomorrow, too.
Later, I called the pharmacy's automatic refill line to request a refill on my prescription for the cancer medication I have been prescribed and was told the prescription order had been cancelled! What? I spoke to the pharmacist, who said the same thing and said they will have to call the doctor on Tuesday, as tomorrow is a holiday. Oh, dear! I am supposed to take this medication every day and I t had just one pill remaining! The information on the bottle said there were 4 refills remaining and the authorization is valid until September 2018!
My neighbor T didn't call as usual at 11:00 a.m., this morning, for our weekly Sunday morning check-in. So, I waited for a bit and called her to see if she's OK. Apparently, she's down with a stomach flu! I checked to see if she had been to see the doctor and she said she had and she is on medication and the BRAT diet. I asked her if she needed anything and she said no, her daughter had been to see her and had brought her everything she needed. Anyway, I assured her that I will be home tomorrow, if she needed anything. I will call her again to check on her, tomorrow, too.
Later, I called the pharmacy's automatic refill line to request a refill on my prescription for the cancer medication I have been prescribed and was told the prescription order had been cancelled! What? I spoke to the pharmacist, who said the same thing and said they will have to call the doctor on Tuesday, as tomorrow is a holiday. Oh, dear! I am supposed to take this medication every day and I t had just one pill remaining! The information on the bottle said there were 4 refills remaining and the authorization is valid until September 2018!
So, I decided to go over to the pharmacy in person and do battle with the pharmacist! LOL! It was the right thing to do. They couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me when the cancellation had been placed on the medication or by whom - I have a feeling it is a computer glitch - but eventually, after some discussion, and me asking them what happens if I get cancer again because I didn't have my medication, they gave me 2 additional pills to take me until Tuesday, when I can call the oncologist's office and ask what on earth is going on! I am supposed to be on this medication for at least 5 years, maybe even 10. I can't be fighting with the pharmacy every 3 months for a refill! Perhaps, it is something to do with the insurance switch over on the 1st of this year, but I purposely kept the same insurance coverage, just so I could avoid this type of incident!
I should have also asked about my inhaler, which they were going to put in a request for re-authorization, the last time I was at the pharmacy (on Dec. 30 or 31). But I forgot to ask about that while I was there and, perhaps, it was for the best as they might have got confused (2 different doctors and clinics). It could also be that the clinic didn't reauthorize the inhaler (this is the daily one I am supposed to take, 2 puffs twice a day for asthma) because they got confused since the doctor had changed my prescription for the rescue inhaler! In any case, I'll be seeing this doctor on Tuesday, so I can ask her about it, again (I asked her, last time, too, and she was supposed to renew it then, but, apparently she didn't?)
Life was so much easier when they gave me a piece of paper with the prescriptions written on it and I could check it before I left the clinic! These days, they are required to submit the prescriptions online and there's no way I can verify anything! Between the clinic saying they put in the request and the pharmacy saying they didn't receive it, I am kept waiting without medications. I have reduced my inhaler dose to 1 puff twice a day, in order to make the inhaler last until I see the doctor, next week! I am not being negative, just stating the facts!
After that, I did my grocery shopping for the week - bread ($1.99), milk (1/2 gal., $1.99), bananas (@$.49/lb. = $.68), and tangerines (@$.50/lb = $.92):
I didn't need anything else as I still have plenty of vegetables and some fruit from last week's shopping!
I should have also asked about my inhaler, which they were going to put in a request for re-authorization, the last time I was at the pharmacy (on Dec. 30 or 31). But I forgot to ask about that while I was there and, perhaps, it was for the best as they might have got confused (2 different doctors and clinics). It could also be that the clinic didn't reauthorize the inhaler (this is the daily one I am supposed to take, 2 puffs twice a day for asthma) because they got confused since the doctor had changed my prescription for the rescue inhaler! In any case, I'll be seeing this doctor on Tuesday, so I can ask her about it, again (I asked her, last time, too, and she was supposed to renew it then, but, apparently she didn't?)
Life was so much easier when they gave me a piece of paper with the prescriptions written on it and I could check it before I left the clinic! These days, they are required to submit the prescriptions online and there's no way I can verify anything! Between the clinic saying they put in the request and the pharmacy saying they didn't receive it, I am kept waiting without medications. I have reduced my inhaler dose to 1 puff twice a day, in order to make the inhaler last until I see the doctor, next week! I am not being negative, just stating the facts!
After that, I did my grocery shopping for the week - bread ($1.99), milk (1/2 gal., $1.99), bananas (@$.49/lb. = $.68), and tangerines (@$.50/lb = $.92):
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| January 14 Grocery Shopping |
I didn't need anything else as I still have plenty of vegetables and some fruit from last week's shopping!
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| 1/14 Receipt |
As the receipt shows, I bought two more bags of cat food (remember, I feed all the stray cats in the neighborhood! Yes, I am that crazy cat lady!). Now I have an extra bag of cat food, to stock up for when I have my surgery and can't go shopping or lift weights while recovering. I'll probably buy another couple of extra bags when I shop next, too, and might get another bucket of kitty litter, as well (for Dancer). Daughter will come down to be with me during the week of surgery, but she'll be working from home and won't have time to run too many errands for me.
I spent $5.58 on my groceries only (without the cat food).
January Grocery Budget = $75
Spent to date: $40.14 + $5.58 = 45.72
Balance remaining = $75 - $45.72 = $29.28
For dinner, tonight, I had some of the leftovers I had brought home from my aunt's house, and a side of cucumber slices (not pictured):
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| Dinner: Thai noodles, beef, shrimp, and green beans |
Today, I am grateful for:
- A restful Sunday and being able to sleep in
- The pharmacist was willing to give me two additional pills to tide me until I can call the doctor's office to find out what's going on with my prescription.
- A restful Sunday and being able to sleep in
- The pharmacist was willing to give me two additional pills to tide me until I can call the doctor's office to find out what's going on with my prescription.
- A warm, sunny day
- Leftovers from the prayer gathering for dinner
Today's accomplishments include going to the pharmacy and grocery shopping, checking on my neighbor, and chatting with my daughter.
How was your Sunday? How is your grocery budget coming along, this month?
I'm sorry that you continue to have problems with the pharmacy. While most of the prescriptions are submitted electronically here, we can still use a paper copy. Is it a state law that you have to submit them electronically? Is it an insurance or pharmacy policy?
ReplyDeleteI think you're probably right that something changed with your insurance and that's why your order was cancelled. Two of the medicines we're on were no longer covered as of Jan. 1. We did get a notice, but it was only at the end of December. I wish I had known that when I was signing up for insurance.
I was told by the doctor that the clinic is required to send the requests electronically, to prevent prescription fraud. My dentist still writes out the prescription and, so did the radiation oncology center when I needed a cream for the skin burns. But the primary care clinic and the oncology clinic do it electronically.
DeleteI am so sorry to hear that two of your meds. are no longer covered by insurance! It really is too bad that you didn't know that at the time of signing up, for it might have made a difference! Is it possible to contact insurance and tell them that you might have made another choice had you known and ask if they can cover the meds for you? Some of these medications can cost so much if you have to pay out of pocket for them.
I honestly think it was a computer error or someone made a mistake. Or, it was an opportunity for prayer! Last night, when I said my prayers, I asked that I be provided with the medications I need. This morning, I received a text from the pharmacy saying that they've filled the prescription and it's ready for pick up! Maybe the clinic was open, after all, even though it is a holiday, and the pharmacy was able to contact them. I don't know. All I know is that my prayer was answered and I am grateful. I haven't gone to the pharmacy to pick up the medication, yet, though. But will do that soon.
I've got to talk to the doctor about one of them and the other one I'm trying something else. I might have very well signed up for another insurance option if I had known about the change. But I'm still happy to have good insurance.
DeleteYes, talk to the doctor - maybe you might be able to get a different prescription. Definitely agree about being happy to have insurance! I'd hate to think how much my medications would cost me if I had to pay full price for them, instead of my co-pay! Not to mention all the other procedures and treatments I've had and continue to have!
DeleteOh dear me, what a bother and so upsetting. Glad you got the 2 pills to tide you over but so unnecessary. The old way with a paper prescription certainly worked and often with a small pharmacy you were known.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are off today. Rest and take care of you. Everything else can wait.
Thanks, Sandy. I was trying hard not to get too upset at the pharmacy and I was very grateful that they were willing to give me 2 additional pills. Last night, when I said my nightly devotions, I asked for help in getting the medications I needed; this morning, the pharmacy texted saying the medication was ready for pick up! Maybe the clinic was open, after all, and they were able to get the authorization? Or, maybe it was a computer error. I don't know. I am not going to question it too much. As far as I am concerned, my prayers were answered. :)
DeleteDear Bless, so happy to hear that. I am a very strong believer in prayer.
DeleteThank you, Sandy. Me, too!
DeleteI am so sorry you are having to battle the pharmacy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anne. I think this particular battle has been won - the pharmacy texted me this morning saying the prescription was ready for pick up! I will go and pick it up in the next hour or so and brace myself for the next battle, if there is one!
DeleteYou are a crazy cat lady and I'm going to have to send you my Crazy Cat Lady Action Figure because it sounds like you deserve it more than me, LOL.
ReplyDeleteAll joking aside, I'm livid on your behalf upon reading about the pharmacy mishap again! Why would the doctor cancel your prescription?! That makes no sense and obviously something went wrong at the pharmacy level. You are NOT complaining and if you were you'd be entirely justified. There is no "spin" to be put on a story about not giving access to your life-saving medication when you have insurance coverage and your doctor told you you have to take it long-term. What a cluster...mess. Good luck with all of this and good for you for standing your ground and making them at least give you 2 more pills until YOU can try to sort out the mess that, no doubt, THEY created. And... I'm late to the party and now reading your reply to Live and Learn and see that they did fill the prescription. I would press for answers when you pick it up because they need to acknowledge their mistake if it was their fault. I'm relieved for you now and I can calm down. LOL.
I hope your Monday is going well now. Sorry to hear about your sick neighbor. Stomach flu is very contagious so it's probably best for you to stay away as much as possible.
Thank you for being so concerned, Nathalie. :) Yes, I picked up the medication, today. Different staff on duty today, so even though I asked the girl who helped me about why it was cancelled, yesterday, she really couldn't tell me. All she said was that it was filled this morning. So, maybe the clinic was open, today, even though it was MLK Jr. day, and they reauthorized the meds or, the pharmacy quietly corrected the mistake. But, the issue was resolved (for now) and they gave me a 3 months supply (90 pills). I will ask about it when I next see the oncologist and hopefully, this doesn't happen, again.
DeleteMy Monday is going well, thank you, Nathalie. Hope you've had a good day, too.
I share Nathalie's sentiments! There is absolutely no sense in you having to worry and wonder if your medication will be ready when you need it. Do you have the option of a different pharmacy? My apologies if you have answered this question already and I have missed it. Years ago, I used a national chain pharmacy and after receiving the wrong medication, I changed to a small, locally owned and operated one. Haven't had an issue since. Thank goodness I wondered why my medicine looked different that month! I read you eventually did receive your refills, but there is no need for unnecessary fretting.
DeleteI had a different pharmacy, which was smaller and much better because of the pharmacist, that was closer to my office, but I switched to this current one when I was undergoing treatments because it was closer to my home and it was easier for my daughter or a friend to pick up my prescriptions from there. Now, I don't want to change, again, because I am such a creature of habit! And there's no guaranty that it will be better somewhere else. :)
DeleteOh my goodness! I too am sorry you are still having issues with the pharmacy. I am glad though that it seems to be straightened out today. What a royal pain though to have to continue to do battle with them.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Debbie. I think it was a computer glitch, more than anything else, but yes, it does get old to be constantly having issues with the pharmacy.
DeleteOff topic: As MLK holiday, TV 'talking heads' have discussed every racially, intolerant, visible minority reflective news clip, going back to Pearl Harbour.
ReplyDeleteBut here you are patiently explaining to a genuinely curious, polite group, customs and culture of your smaller, foreign country and numerically, significant, non Christian religion without feelings of impropriety.
I know you've lived in the USA a great many years but do strangers try to intimidate or make you uncomfortable/fearful [you mention not walking on your street when dark.]
Hon, I think that every country, every culture, has some sort of prejudice based on race, ethnicity, religion, language, etc. Sometimes, it is very overt. Other times, it is less obvious. It is regrettable, but it is a fact of life.
DeleteTelling people about myself, my culture, my religion, etc., is something I have always done, if I feel that someone wants to know. I don't feel the need to always proclaim about my beliefs, but I don't hide them, either. Those who read my blog have been very genuine in their curiosity, I feel, and I am happy to share.
Well, I have been stopped by police when driving through certain majority white neighborhoods and asked if the car I am driving is my own (yes, it is). I have been asked at the grocery store by the workers there if I am from the same country as the 9/11 terrorists (no, I am not). I have been followed by security in certain so-called "up scale" shops, although no one has actually questioned me as to what I was doing there (maybe they don't think I have the money to buy their goods?) But these things haven't intimidated me. I consider them as signs of their own ignorance.
But I won't go walking or shopping, etc., in the dark on my own because I feel vulnerable as a woman. I have been mugged, had my purse snatched, etc., and that was in broad daylight. My neighborhood is probably just as safe as many other neighborhoods, but, people have been shot and killed just a couple of blocks from me, I have come home from work to find my driveway blocked by police with guns drawn as they stood guard over a man spreadeagled on the road, I've gone out to take my trash cans to the curb only to find police officers combing through my yard and telling me to get back inside because they are searching for an armed suspect. So, under those circumstances, I do my shopping and walking, etc., when it is light and stay indoors when it is dark! :D
I think you will have to call yourself the Pharmacy Warrior Queen! You have had so many run-ins when they have let you down. Maybe you can even develop a personal battle cry to get their attention. I hope you get this latest problem sorted out satisfactorily, including the puffer prescription. "puffer prescription"? sounds quite exotic, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI was up around 4 am and put wood in the furnace, then couldn't get back to sleep for a while. My mind was in exercise mode! Weather cold today but mostly clear and the roads were excellent. I'm not complaining.
Ha, ha, Bushlady, they probably call me an old battle axe, or something like that, already! :D Yes, I got the prescription sorted out, today - they texted me in the morning saying it was ready and I picked it up in the afternoon. I will ask the doctor about the inhaler tomorrow, when I see her. Sometimes, that particular clinic won't reauthorize medicines unless you see the doctor!
DeleteHard to sleep when the mind is going "nineteen to the dozen", isn't it? Hope you had a pleasant day and was able to keep warm!
Thank you for the response. I'm horrified as that is shocking to western Canadians. Our city in particular has a fluid population. I think Bushlady is likewise Canadian, I wonder if discrimination is rampant in the Maritimes. I never saw it, but it didn't occur to me to look for it.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Hon. I guess if you haven't noticed it, and must go looking for it, then, it is not that prevalent. Or, it is less obvious. My daughter has had to deal with the "Where are you from?" question quite often as people assume she's from somewhere else; apparently, it never occurs to them that she might have been born here! It might be an innocent question, but it carries with it a tone of discrimination, too, I think ("You can't possibly be from here because of how you look"). :)
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