Dear [Kaitake]
I am sorry you found my explanation of the Ministry’s criteria for publicly funded fertility treatment unsatisfactory. I am sure you can appreciate our obligation to adhere to the Ministry’s guidelines relating to patient scoring as these apply nationally.
Please let me know if you have further information you wish we take into account or if you require further clarification.
As requested, I have posted to you today all your file documentation, including the CPAC scoring sheet.
Kind regards,
Hamilton FA Clinic Manager
So, as you can see she totally still thinks she's in the right and is still backing her doctor. But she's still wrong!!!!
The documents I requested are now in the post, so we will finally get to see where they dropped the 8 points off our form. Should be interesting. My heart pounds and I break out in a sweat just thinking about it.
Maybe she finally sent me the CPAC form because of all the big bananas I had cc'd on my email? Cos she replied pretty promptly and cc'd everyone back, MP, doctor, HDC advocate, husband. Dunno but I suspect that's a good thing? Do you think she sounds hard-arse, or is she just getting all defensive???
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
I sent the Hamilton FA Clinic an email...
...take this, you b*tch!
Hi [Clinic Manager Lady],
Hi [Clinic Manager Lady],
Thank you for reviewing our case. As you can guess, this is not the result we were hoping for.
When we met with Dr R and were scored for access to funding for fertility treatment, I asked for a copy of the form she used to work out our score. She refused to give me a copy. I believe that this is not in accordance with my rights as a patient.
I am now requesting that you send me a copy of the CPAC form used at our consultation, and all other case notes you have for us. ALL case notes please. I am interested to know how we came to score a 60 on the CPAC form, and how Dr R came to that particular number, as she could not explain it very well at our consult.
Please post me a copy, or scan and email me a copy of all case notes.
My address is...
My email address is...
Furthermore, I would like to let you know that I do not feel you have taken my concerns into account or even given me a chance to explain them properly. I would like to submit a formal complaint. I shall send this to you via email over the coming week, as time permits.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Regards,
[Kaitake]
Oh, yeah, and I cc'd it to my husband, the MP, my diabetes endocrinologist (who used to be a fertility endo back in the USA), and the lovely lady at the Health and Diasability Commission who has offered to help.
So yeah, take that, you sucky Hamilton Clinic Fertility Associates Manager!!
p.s. I'm removing comment moderation, as a trial, because I figure you're all lovely people and I would like to make things easier for you :) Let me know if you like!
p.p.s. spent a lovely day today with hubby (it's a Saturday) shopping this morning, having lunch with my in-laws, walking in the bush, and then hubby cooked a fantastic vege mousaka! Nom!
Friday, February 25, 2011
A positive meeting with my local MP
I was pretty nervous. I joked to myself that my nerve felt worse than when I was going to my last job interview! haha :P I deliberately parked a couple of blocks away from the MP's (Member of Parliament) office so I would have time to walk and get rid of some of my nervous energy. It worked pretty well, and by the time I got to the offices, I was feeling calm and confident.
The MP (let's call him J) had done his homework; he knew that I was a tutor, and asked how "school" was. So I was put instantly at ease as we chatted about the field trip I was involved with this morning.
We went into a shiny new meeting room, with a round table to sit at - nice, since I was expecting a desk. There was plenty of room to spread out my documents, and since J had a notepad to take notes, I got one out of my satchel too. I felt like it was a very comfortable and respectful meeting :)
I showed him the CPAC form, which I had filled out how I believe it should have been in the first place, and he checked through it carefully. He mentioned that he had re-read my letter several times. The letter turned out to be a good idea, because I didn't have to waste time telling all my story, we could just concentrate on talking about what was wrong, why it went wrong, and how to fix it.
We discussed the maternal instinct and how you can't just switch it off. How his father remarried and had his (J's) brother when the father was 55 - so I felt he was understanding and compassionate to our case with mine and hubby's age difference (did you follow that?). We talked about health funding, and I mentioned that infertility is recognized as a disease by the WHO. I said how I felt that if it was just my husband being scored, then maybe yes, it would be fair, but for me, who has never had a child, it's not fair, thus it's not fair for us as a couple to be treated like this. He wanted to make sure that he understood that we did not have unexplained infertility, and asked it waiting 3 years would help out case. He could easily see that it wouldn't! I felt reassured to see he also could not see the logic in it all. I made sure to say how we suspected the Hamilton Clinic of Fertility Associates had artificially lowered our score, andI felt they were now giving our complaint the brush-off. I must admit to taking only minimal notes, and I was doing a lot of the talking, so I don't have a verbatim record of our conversation.
But...
then he asked "how would you like me to help you?" How good is that? I had a copy of my letter, and I said "well, I wrote a wishlist in my letter for you!" I said that ideally, we would like to be treated fairly and that to us, that would mean having our scored changed from the 60 (fail + false) to the 68 (pass + how it should be!!), as well as having our time on the waiting list back-dated to the point of our consult with the fertility specialist, since that is when all this palava started. I also made sure to say that it felt like I might as well ask Santa, since I knew that he probably couldn't just wave a magic wand and make that happen - oh, and for us to be put on the waiting list, someone else might have to be bumped back or off it! Awful!
He thought for a minute, then said he would ring the Ministry of Health, to ask for their advice on our next steps.
I said I would contact the Hamilton Clinic again and this time, ask for a copy of my CPAC form, my ACTUAL form, which they refused to give me a copy of at the consult. As a patient, I'm legally entitled to see it. I can't wait to see where they think they took the 8 points! Honestly, even using all sorts of permutation on the form, I could not get it to spit out a 60! :S
He also said that, if I was comfortable, he would like it if I could keep him up-to-date with anything relevant to our case. So now I'm on a first-name + email basis with my MP. Cool.
I must say I left the office feeling quite light and positive. I never expected it to go so well.
- - - - - -
My apologies if this whole post is a bit shoddily written. I pretty tired. Apart from the nerves I had before my meeting, I had a full day at work too!
As soon as I got into work one of my colleagues (the one who called his father in Christchurch and got cut off) asked if I could help out with transporting students to a field trip later - he had booked an institute van, but then extra students had enrolled into his class that morning (that's art students for you!) but it wasn't enough students worth renting a bus for. So I drove 3 students in my personal car, which was nice, as it meant I was able to go with one of the new students, who I'd just transferred into the class when she turned up at the office nearly in tears because she was afraid the level of course she had chosen was too hard. I got her fixed up and finished all the change of programme paperwork, then introduced her to her new classmates and travelled with them to the field trip. We visited 3 galleries in quick succession. I found a simply gorgeous bird bath by a local ceramics artist that will be fantastic in our back garden. Oh! I'm so naughty, it was a bit expensive. I pick it up tomorrow and will post pictures for you to see :)
The stress of the day made me go quite high, but I was super-worried about over-bolusing, especially when I was driving students around the place.
After lunch, and the meeting with the MP, I went back to work and did a couple of hours research into eBooks (I'm helping out the e-learning department here at work) and had a couple of intense discussions with the colleague on the other side of my desk... whew!
I picked up hubby on the way home from work (his kidney stones are better, for now, he passed a MASSIVE one! Blood tests were pretty good but showed slightly raised blood pressure so we are modifying our diet a bit and hubby is increasing his exercise by walking to work which is cool. He also had a CT scan, but hasn't yet got the results back) and then we went to see my Mum and have a cuppa tea. Little sister turned up too, which is cool as sometimes I don't get to see her as often as I'd like.
I am sooooooooo glad it's the weekend!
The MP (let's call him J) had done his homework; he knew that I was a tutor, and asked how "school" was. So I was put instantly at ease as we chatted about the field trip I was involved with this morning.
We went into a shiny new meeting room, with a round table to sit at - nice, since I was expecting a desk. There was plenty of room to spread out my documents, and since J had a notepad to take notes, I got one out of my satchel too. I felt like it was a very comfortable and respectful meeting :)
I showed him the CPAC form, which I had filled out how I believe it should have been in the first place, and he checked through it carefully. He mentioned that he had re-read my letter several times. The letter turned out to be a good idea, because I didn't have to waste time telling all my story, we could just concentrate on talking about what was wrong, why it went wrong, and how to fix it.
We discussed the maternal instinct and how you can't just switch it off. How his father remarried and had his (J's) brother when the father was 55 - so I felt he was understanding and compassionate to our case with mine and hubby's age difference (did you follow that?). We talked about health funding, and I mentioned that infertility is recognized as a disease by the WHO. I said how I felt that if it was just my husband being scored, then maybe yes, it would be fair, but for me, who has never had a child, it's not fair, thus it's not fair for us as a couple to be treated like this. He wanted to make sure that he understood that we did not have unexplained infertility, and asked it waiting 3 years would help out case. He could easily see that it wouldn't! I felt reassured to see he also could not see the logic in it all. I made sure to say how we suspected the Hamilton Clinic of Fertility Associates had artificially lowered our score, andI felt they were now giving our complaint the brush-off. I must admit to taking only minimal notes, and I was doing a lot of the talking, so I don't have a verbatim record of our conversation.
But...
then he asked "how would you like me to help you?" How good is that? I had a copy of my letter, and I said "well, I wrote a wishlist in my letter for you!" I said that ideally, we would like to be treated fairly and that to us, that would mean having our scored changed from the 60 (fail + false) to the 68 (pass + how it should be!!), as well as having our time on the waiting list back-dated to the point of our consult with the fertility specialist, since that is when all this palava started. I also made sure to say that it felt like I might as well ask Santa, since I knew that he probably couldn't just wave a magic wand and make that happen - oh, and for us to be put on the waiting list, someone else might have to be bumped back or off it! Awful!
He thought for a minute, then said he would ring the Ministry of Health, to ask for their advice on our next steps.
I said I would contact the Hamilton Clinic again and this time, ask for a copy of my CPAC form, my ACTUAL form, which they refused to give me a copy of at the consult. As a patient, I'm legally entitled to see it. I can't wait to see where they think they took the 8 points! Honestly, even using all sorts of permutation on the form, I could not get it to spit out a 60! :S
He also said that, if I was comfortable, he would like it if I could keep him up-to-date with anything relevant to our case. So now I'm on a first-name + email basis with my MP. Cool.
I must say I left the office feeling quite light and positive. I never expected it to go so well.
- - - - - -
My apologies if this whole post is a bit shoddily written. I pretty tired. Apart from the nerves I had before my meeting, I had a full day at work too!
As soon as I got into work one of my colleagues (the one who called his father in Christchurch and got cut off) asked if I could help out with transporting students to a field trip later - he had booked an institute van, but then extra students had enrolled into his class that morning (that's art students for you!) but it wasn't enough students worth renting a bus for. So I drove 3 students in my personal car, which was nice, as it meant I was able to go with one of the new students, who I'd just transferred into the class when she turned up at the office nearly in tears because she was afraid the level of course she had chosen was too hard. I got her fixed up and finished all the change of programme paperwork, then introduced her to her new classmates and travelled with them to the field trip. We visited 3 galleries in quick succession. I found a simply gorgeous bird bath by a local ceramics artist that will be fantastic in our back garden. Oh! I'm so naughty, it was a bit expensive. I pick it up tomorrow and will post pictures for you to see :)
The stress of the day made me go quite high, but I was super-worried about over-bolusing, especially when I was driving students around the place.
After lunch, and the meeting with the MP, I went back to work and did a couple of hours research into eBooks (I'm helping out the e-learning department here at work) and had a couple of intense discussions with the colleague on the other side of my desk... whew!
I picked up hubby on the way home from work (his kidney stones are better, for now, he passed a MASSIVE one! Blood tests were pretty good but showed slightly raised blood pressure so we are modifying our diet a bit and hubby is increasing his exercise by walking to work which is cool. He also had a CT scan, but hasn't yet got the results back) and then we went to see my Mum and have a cuppa tea. Little sister turned up too, which is cool as sometimes I don't get to see her as often as I'd like.
I am sooooooooo glad it's the weekend!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Christchurch Earthquake
Yesterday a massive earthquake stuck one of the main cities in New Zealand: Christchurch. They had a big earthquake back in September 2010, and this one is technically an aftershock. Although the reading on the richter scale is 6.3 (smaller than the Sept quake) it was shallower and centred right in the city. These people have suffered 6 months of aftershocks, with over 5000 tremors, only to have another big shake devastate their city.
The damage is extreme, with massive high-rise buildings collapsing into themselves, killing many people (death toll currently sitting at 75, there are still 300 missing). Rescue workers are currently searching desperately for survivors. Liquefaction has appeared, with the soil turning to soft grey sludge swallowing cars. Roads have been torn up. Power has been cut, because the sub-stations have sunk into the mud. There have been landslides with boulders and rocks the size of houses squashing buildings. Cars in the central city have been crushed by falling bricks and building facades. Sewer lines are broken and water supplies too, so there is no fresh water. It's unbelievable. I'm watching the extended news coverage showing image after image of terror.
Learn more at the links below, or Google "Christchurch earthquake".
You can also donate to the New Zealand Red Cross here.
Image slideshow of quake damaged Christchurch
News article, most damage in the CBD of Christchurch
Aerial video of damage in Christchurch district
A map of the Christchurch earthquake and aftershocks
New Zealand is a small country and this disaster has just been declared our first ever National State of Emergency.
 |
| Christchurch Cathedral, before and after the earthquake. |
Learn more at the links below, or Google "Christchurch earthquake".
You can also donate to the New Zealand Red Cross here.
Image slideshow of quake damaged Christchurch
News article, most damage in the CBD of Christchurch
Aerial video of damage in Christchurch district
A map of the Christchurch earthquake and aftershocks
New Zealand is a small country and this disaster has just been declared our first ever National State of Emergency.
Monday, February 21, 2011
I tried so hard, but my BG just wouldn't behave!
Ok so today was always going to be stressful and unpredictable: it was the first day of semester, welcoming students and the start of orientation week.
I woke up an hour early to make sure I had time to get dressed and looking presentable, make a tasty packed lunch (smoked warehou fish, green grapes, one plain slice of dark rye bread) and get to work in time to get a good spot at the welcome ceremony. (more on this later).
I was put in a foul mood by having a hypo in the night, and finding that I was sky high in the morning. I though I only ate a tiny bit of emergency food. Perhaps I should have just waited it out?
The commute to work usually takes me 7 mins. Today it was an unholy 28 minutes. I swore. A lot. I was late for the welcoming ceremony...
Here in NZ it's called a powhiri, and it's usually a very touching and moving event, one that makes you feel special to be a part of it. It's led by the Maori elders and the people attending split into two sides: those being welcomed (students) and those doing the welcoming (tutors and faculty staff). There is speech-making in both Te Reo and English, and karakia (songs) are sung by both sides. It's all about ensuring the proper spiritual protocols are followed, and when it goes according to plan it's beautiful. The students get welcomed onto the sacred learning space :)
Well. Nothing was technically wrong with the ceremony but four people fainted and had to be taken away by the first-aiders due to the heat! At 8.30am!!
Stress put me even higher, hitting 19mmol/L directly after the ceremony. And I had been clutching a fruitbar in my sweaty palm - just in case I went low!! Lol better to be safe...
I bolused twice during the morning, and only came back below 10 in the mid afternoon. Thankfully I had no classes to teach today, so it was just lesson planning and office work.
We had a special welcome for the art department students, and it was good to see all their bright nervous faces!
I then had to wait around for my teacher training class (in which I'm a student) which started late afternoon and ran right over dinnertime. D'oh! Luckily hubby had cooked me a tasty dinner when I finally got home.
Felt like I had the day of disaster blood sugars licked.
We popped round to see hubby's parents after dinner, cue tea and biscuits :) nom!
I had a shower, and I find showers either make me high or low afterwards, nor sure why, the heat maybe? Well, I scored a 24.9mmol/L
W.T.F!?
Oh. Yeah. That's right, you're supposed to take insulin with your dinner! Dumbass! Oh what a waste of all that work!
So now it's nearly midnite and I'm sitting up, testing every half hour to check I'm in fact coming down, and not going low. I'm exhausted, just want to go to sleep. Thought I would blog and let you know that you're all helping me stay awake and get my BGs back on track. Pat on your back :D
P.S. Please please please let my BGs behave tomorrow for my first class teaching of the year!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I woke up an hour early to make sure I had time to get dressed and looking presentable, make a tasty packed lunch (smoked warehou fish, green grapes, one plain slice of dark rye bread) and get to work in time to get a good spot at the welcome ceremony. (more on this later).
I was put in a foul mood by having a hypo in the night, and finding that I was sky high in the morning. I though I only ate a tiny bit of emergency food. Perhaps I should have just waited it out?
The commute to work usually takes me 7 mins. Today it was an unholy 28 minutes. I swore. A lot. I was late for the welcoming ceremony...
Here in NZ it's called a powhiri, and it's usually a very touching and moving event, one that makes you feel special to be a part of it. It's led by the Maori elders and the people attending split into two sides: those being welcomed (students) and those doing the welcoming (tutors and faculty staff). There is speech-making in both Te Reo and English, and karakia (songs) are sung by both sides. It's all about ensuring the proper spiritual protocols are followed, and when it goes according to plan it's beautiful. The students get welcomed onto the sacred learning space :)
Well. Nothing was technically wrong with the ceremony but four people fainted and had to be taken away by the first-aiders due to the heat! At 8.30am!!
Stress put me even higher, hitting 19mmol/L directly after the ceremony. And I had been clutching a fruitbar in my sweaty palm - just in case I went low!! Lol better to be safe...
I bolused twice during the morning, and only came back below 10 in the mid afternoon. Thankfully I had no classes to teach today, so it was just lesson planning and office work.
We had a special welcome for the art department students, and it was good to see all their bright nervous faces!
I then had to wait around for my teacher training class (in which I'm a student) which started late afternoon and ran right over dinnertime. D'oh! Luckily hubby had cooked me a tasty dinner when I finally got home.
Felt like I had the day of disaster blood sugars licked.
We popped round to see hubby's parents after dinner, cue tea and biscuits :) nom!
I had a shower, and I find showers either make me high or low afterwards, nor sure why, the heat maybe? Well, I scored a 24.9mmol/L
W.T.F!?
Oh. Yeah. That's right, you're supposed to take insulin with your dinner! Dumbass! Oh what a waste of all that work!
So now it's nearly midnite and I'm sitting up, testing every half hour to check I'm in fact coming down, and not going low. I'm exhausted, just want to go to sleep. Thought I would blog and let you know that you're all helping me stay awake and get my BGs back on track. Pat on your back :D
P.S. Please please please let my BGs behave tomorrow for my first class teaching of the year!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Tough week
I didn't realize how tiring his week had been until hubby pointed it out to me.
Apart from the obvious stress of having a sick husband (kidney stones) who is in intense pain, this week also saw our office in the mad rush that happens the week before semester starts. Oh my. Tonnes of paperwork and course documentation to get ready for the new and returning students. An orientation week to plan. Lesson plans to write. Oh yeah, this was also the first week I was studying on my tertiary teaching diploma - I have homework! Heavens! I haven't had homework to do for nearly a decade! :P
Our institute also hosted many guest speakers on Wednesday for a academic staff training day, which was interesting and intense, but cut into valuable class prep time.
I tried to organize to get a GP appointment with hubby, but it didn't work out.
So yesterday I got busy on the phone and called hubby's GP (who I am strongly considering switching to, since my GP of 28 years has recently decided to turn into an inconsiderate a-hole) and I made an appointment for next week so I can meet the hubby's GP.
My diabetes endocrinologist emailed back saying he had phoned the same FA Hamilton clinic manager who I spoke to. He didn't get an overly positive response, but it's still fantastic to have a doc willing to help out like this. He asked if I'd been to see the local MP yet, so I stopped procrastinating and booked a time to meet with him too.
Next week will be busy too.
Perhaps this explains why I have bought 3 pairs of shoes in 2 weeks! Ha! All completely necessary of course! Lol.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Apart from the obvious stress of having a sick husband (kidney stones) who is in intense pain, this week also saw our office in the mad rush that happens the week before semester starts. Oh my. Tonnes of paperwork and course documentation to get ready for the new and returning students. An orientation week to plan. Lesson plans to write. Oh yeah, this was also the first week I was studying on my tertiary teaching diploma - I have homework! Heavens! I haven't had homework to do for nearly a decade! :P
Our institute also hosted many guest speakers on Wednesday for a academic staff training day, which was interesting and intense, but cut into valuable class prep time.
I tried to organize to get a GP appointment with hubby, but it didn't work out.
So yesterday I got busy on the phone and called hubby's GP (who I am strongly considering switching to, since my GP of 28 years has recently decided to turn into an inconsiderate a-hole) and I made an appointment for next week so I can meet the hubby's GP.
My diabetes endocrinologist emailed back saying he had phoned the same FA Hamilton clinic manager who I spoke to. He didn't get an overly positive response, but it's still fantastic to have a doc willing to help out like this. He asked if I'd been to see the local MP yet, so I stopped procrastinating and booked a time to meet with him too.
Next week will be busy too.
Perhaps this explains why I have bought 3 pairs of shoes in 2 weeks! Ha! All completely necessary of course! Lol.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Saturday the 12th
Today my husband was diagnosed with kidney stones.
It was also the day of my great-aunt's funeral, and it is my Dad's birthday.
Poor hubby, he's in so much pain. It started last weekend where he checked with Dr Google and decided he had prostate cancer and was dying. Then it went away. It came back with a vengeance on Thursday night when he was visiting his parents. He said he was in so much pain he couldn't get off the couch. He agreed to book in with his GP for Friday....come Friday, he was fine again so didn't get to the doctor.
Of course, today it was back again. So he duly went to the emergency clinic while I travelled with my Mum to my great-aunt's funeral. She was 82, one of my late-Nana's sisters. It was good so see the remaining 3 sisters :)
After lunch, Hubby had a nap because the painkillers were making him dozy. I popped into town to pick up a card and present for Dad (and some "sensible" shoes for work - once I start teaching classes again I will be on my feet for a good portion of the day).
Hubby perked up this afternoon so we decided it would be ok to go to my Dad's birthday dinner. After all, it was at our FAVOURITE restaurant in town! Mmmm lurve Italian food!
The restaurant was very full and service was running slow. We had waited an hour and a half for food. My sister was looking a little seedy too as she has been recovering from a tummy-bug type illness. I looked over at Hubby and he was looking ashen all of a sudden. I took him home before the food arrived, because he was in pain and not having fun. I got back in 10 mins, and the food still hadn't arrived!
Dinner was great, Mum and Dad had a great night, and overall it was fun. But then my sister started feeling unwell, so we skipped dessert and went home.
What a day!
- - - - -
Oh, I went to the pharmacy (my GP did end up granting me the script) and asked for all my stuff:
- test strips
- Lantus
- Humalog
- 2 x glucagon kits
...and the pharmacist said "our records show you still have some of this, do you need it?"
"Yes, as you can imagine, I like to hoard this sort of stuff!"
"Oh, it's just that if you get it today there is a $2 after-hours surcharge on each item, being a weekend and all. But you can still get them if you need"
After-hours surcharge = dumb
Kind pharmacist who advises me of it, and lets me know that I can just pop in on the way home from work = good
I like my pharmacy :)
It was also the day of my great-aunt's funeral, and it is my Dad's birthday.
Poor hubby, he's in so much pain. It started last weekend where he checked with Dr Google and decided he had prostate cancer and was dying. Then it went away. It came back with a vengeance on Thursday night when he was visiting his parents. He said he was in so much pain he couldn't get off the couch. He agreed to book in with his GP for Friday....come Friday, he was fine again so didn't get to the doctor.
Of course, today it was back again. So he duly went to the emergency clinic while I travelled with my Mum to my great-aunt's funeral. She was 82, one of my late-Nana's sisters. It was good so see the remaining 3 sisters :)
After lunch, Hubby had a nap because the painkillers were making him dozy. I popped into town to pick up a card and present for Dad (and some "sensible" shoes for work - once I start teaching classes again I will be on my feet for a good portion of the day).
Hubby perked up this afternoon so we decided it would be ok to go to my Dad's birthday dinner. After all, it was at our FAVOURITE restaurant in town! Mmmm lurve Italian food!
The restaurant was very full and service was running slow. We had waited an hour and a half for food. My sister was looking a little seedy too as she has been recovering from a tummy-bug type illness. I looked over at Hubby and he was looking ashen all of a sudden. I took him home before the food arrived, because he was in pain and not having fun. I got back in 10 mins, and the food still hadn't arrived!
Dinner was great, Mum and Dad had a great night, and overall it was fun. But then my sister started feeling unwell, so we skipped dessert and went home.
What a day!
- - - - -
Oh, I went to the pharmacy (my GP did end up granting me the script) and asked for all my stuff:
- test strips
- Lantus
- Humalog
- 2 x glucagon kits
...and the pharmacist said "our records show you still have some of this, do you need it?"
"Yes, as you can imagine, I like to hoard this sort of stuff!"
"Oh, it's just that if you get it today there is a $2 after-hours surcharge on each item, being a weekend and all. But you can still get them if you need"
After-hours surcharge = dumb
Kind pharmacist who advises me of it, and lets me know that I can just pop in on the way home from work = good
I like my pharmacy :)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
You know that I wasn't feeling too flash on Monday, but yesterday was far, far worse.
I knew that the clinic manager from the Hamilton branch of Fertility Associates (FA) was going to email me after she had reviewed our case, so I decided not to check my email until lunchtime. This meant that I could go home and have lunch and read the email in peace and privacy.
Trouble was, it hadn't arrived by lunchtime. The suspense was killing me - oh the nerves!
But what had arrived in my inbox instead was a hope-inducing email from my diabetes endocrinologist.
To give you a synopsis, he offered to: edit the letter I sent to the MP and make it more powerful, write a second letter of support for our case, perhaps phone FA directly, and you gotta love this:
"If the are misusing the CPAC for then I have an ethical obligation to challenge them, and they have to explain. Doctor's rules."
He also suggested putting a complaint to the DHB (District Health Board), the Minister of Health, the Human Rights Commission, the Women's Rights Commission, and the Health and Disability Commissioner (The HDC, which I've already contacted).
"...raise as big a stink as you possibly can. The only thing that influences politicians and government bureaucrats is fear of public exposure."
And lastly he mentioned going to the women's magazines and current affairs mags, which I have thought of, in fact, if I did go public with my story to somewhere like women's day, perhaps the money I get could pay for fertility treatment. ha! (not sure if I'm ready to go uber-public like that yet - it doesn't just affect me and hubby then, it's all our family, the kids, coworkers, employers etc).
"It seems to me that FA (with a near total monopoly for the entire country) are not using the CPAC form honestly - probably to make more private profit. THis is what private medicine does - all the time, [it] doesn't even need to be investigated. It does need to be pointed out to the responsible officials however...it disgusts me to see [people using illness to make money], instead of using money to treat illness."
So that was pretty darn awesome to find this email yesterday. It changed my whole mood and stopped the insatiable anxiety from totally consuming me.
Unfortunately, the afternoon got pretty crappy.
At work (at the local college where I lecture) we are busy preparing for the start of the teaching year. We had a big meeting with our newly formed faculty and new Head of Faculty. Very formal. At about an hour into the meeting, my lips started feeling weird. It took a few minutes to click that I was going low :( but I was too low to get myself up, out from between the hundred-odd tightly packed chairs, and out the door with any grace, let alone up the four flights of outdoor stairs and along the 3 corridors to my office, through the security door, and to the juice in my purse. No. I know it's stupid, but when I go low, I never want to cause a scene, especially not in front of my new coworkers, boss, HoF, and Faculty members!
I waited until the end of the meeting, and then just got up and surged out the door and up the stairs in the flow of people. I don't remember most of the meeting - people were talking about it today and it was like remembering a dream - and as I walked zombie-like back to my office another tutor was talking to me but I couldn't hear him. Loss of hearing is an advanced symptom of mine, even worse than tingly numb lips. So I knew this was a bad one.
Luckily, by divine intervention, I got back to my office ok, and unnoticed I hope. Into 2x packs of juice with a meusil bar chaser, and a test reveals that I've come back UP to 2.2mmol/L
I was stunned and useless for the next 30 mins. Luckily everyone was packing up to go home, so I pretended to work/surf the web, and it just looked like I was being virtuous and working late. Not waiting for "normal" vision to return so I could drive home.
I check the email before leaving work. The email from Fertility Associates was there. I didn't read it...
...until I got home.
I knew that the clinic manager from the Hamilton branch of Fertility Associates (FA) was going to email me after she had reviewed our case, so I decided not to check my email until lunchtime. This meant that I could go home and have lunch and read the email in peace and privacy.
Trouble was, it hadn't arrived by lunchtime. The suspense was killing me - oh the nerves!
But what had arrived in my inbox instead was a hope-inducing email from my diabetes endocrinologist.
To give you a synopsis, he offered to: edit the letter I sent to the MP and make it more powerful, write a second letter of support for our case, perhaps phone FA directly, and you gotta love this:
"If the are misusing the CPAC for then I have an ethical obligation to challenge them, and they have to explain. Doctor's rules."
He also suggested putting a complaint to the DHB (District Health Board), the Minister of Health, the Human Rights Commission, the Women's Rights Commission, and the Health and Disability Commissioner (The HDC, which I've already contacted).
"...raise as big a stink as you possibly can. The only thing that influences politicians and government bureaucrats is fear of public exposure."
And lastly he mentioned going to the women's magazines and current affairs mags, which I have thought of, in fact, if I did go public with my story to somewhere like women's day, perhaps the money I get could pay for fertility treatment. ha! (not sure if I'm ready to go uber-public like that yet - it doesn't just affect me and hubby then, it's all our family, the kids, coworkers, employers etc).
"It seems to me that FA (with a near total monopoly for the entire country) are not using the CPAC form honestly - probably to make more private profit. THis is what private medicine does - all the time, [it] doesn't even need to be investigated. It does need to be pointed out to the responsible officials however...it disgusts me to see [people using illness to make money], instead of using money to treat illness."
So that was pretty darn awesome to find this email yesterday. It changed my whole mood and stopped the insatiable anxiety from totally consuming me.
Unfortunately, the afternoon got pretty crappy.
At work (at the local college where I lecture) we are busy preparing for the start of the teaching year. We had a big meeting with our newly formed faculty and new Head of Faculty. Very formal. At about an hour into the meeting, my lips started feeling weird. It took a few minutes to click that I was going low :( but I was too low to get myself up, out from between the hundred-odd tightly packed chairs, and out the door with any grace, let alone up the four flights of outdoor stairs and along the 3 corridors to my office, through the security door, and to the juice in my purse. No. I know it's stupid, but when I go low, I never want to cause a scene, especially not in front of my new coworkers, boss, HoF, and Faculty members!
I waited until the end of the meeting, and then just got up and surged out the door and up the stairs in the flow of people. I don't remember most of the meeting - people were talking about it today and it was like remembering a dream - and as I walked zombie-like back to my office another tutor was talking to me but I couldn't hear him. Loss of hearing is an advanced symptom of mine, even worse than tingly numb lips. So I knew this was a bad one.
Luckily, by divine intervention, I got back to my office ok, and unnoticed I hope. Into 2x packs of juice with a meusil bar chaser, and a test reveals that I've come back UP to 2.2mmol/L
I was stunned and useless for the next 30 mins. Luckily everyone was packing up to go home, so I pretended to work/surf the web, and it just looked like I was being virtuous and working late. Not waiting for "normal" vision to return so I could drive home.
I check the email before leaving work. The email from Fertility Associates was there. I didn't read it...
...until I got home.
Dear [Kaitake]
Thank you for your phone call yesterday, and for conveying your concerns regarding CPAC scoring for publicly funded treatment.
From reviewing your records I understand that [hubby] had a vasectomy 7 years ago. As you know, the duration of infertility is one of the eligibility criteria for publicly funded scoring. After sterilisation (vasectomy), duration is measured from the time that the couple approached a health professional asking for help to become pregnant. You reported to Dr R that you first approached your GP in 2009 to enquire about conception options. Accordingly, Dr R advised that in September 2012 you will count 3 years of duration (from 2009), which will give you the minimum required score on this criteria to be eligible to enrol for publicly funded treatment.
If our records do not accurately reflect the date you first consulted a Doctor on fertility options, please send us the record / evidence of consultation and we will amend your scoring accordingly.
I hope this information is helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information or assistance.
Kind regards,
Clinic Manager
Bah. This sucks big time :(
And so the fight continues... wish me luck! Any ideas you have too :)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Panic attack
I sit here typing this with manic fingers, on my unmade bed, as I have a panic attack. My heart is bursting and thumping and I have the shakes and I'm crying a bit too.
I've just called Fertility Associates. I asked to be put through to the right person and told the receptionist that we had been dealing with the Hamilton clinic and had some concerns over how we'd been treated. (no sense freaking the receptionist out, I figure).
So she doesn't put me through to Auckland clinic like I ask, like the HDC Advocate suggested, no.
She transfers me to the clinic manager at Hamilton. And this is where I started to freak out. Majorly. It's taken me a week and a half to gather the necessary courage to make this phone call.
The receptionist hears the anxiety in my voice and asks "I'll just transfer you now, is that ok?"
"Yes," I say - meaning NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO I want to talk to ANOTHER CLINIC and find out if Hamilton has done things by the book or not!!!
So anyway, clinic manager in Hamilton picks up. I ask her to repeat her name, and I'm writing everything down. Damn, should have put the phone to speaker-phone and recorded it all with the iPhone. Sigh.
So anyway, this is what happened:
I told her, very quickly, what was wrong. VERY quickly, like, so fast I didn't even get time to mention the cause of our infertility. Just that we did not meet the minimum CPAC form score to get funding, and that our appointment with the doctor had ended in tears. I also happened to mention that we were in the process of contacting my MP and an advocate from the HDC... and as the HDC advocate suggested, this did indeed seem to speed things along a bit. Good. I like being taken seriously.
I said how all along we had been led to believe (by GP and OB/GYN) that we would qualify for publicly funded treatment, so it was a complete shock to be told that we don't qualify. She responded that it all depends on the duration of the infertility.
The clinic manager asked if I would like her to review our case: Yes!
She said that the CPAC form is nationwide, so there should be no difference between Auckland and Hamilton - this seemed to unnerve her quite a bit that I kept bringing it up. Don't particularly think she likes the fact that her clinic may have a bad rep!
I mentioned that I thought our CPAC form had been done incorrectly, and there was nothing on it to indicate that we should have to wait for 3 years. I didn't get a chance to say why I thought this as she talked over me a one point, and I gather she was not happy to get this call, but overall it took a turn for the better, I hope.
She promised to review our case and get back to me tomorrow. I asked her to email me, because I can't have that sort of emotionally-charged phone call happening at work in a shared office. That's fine, she says. "I will review your CPAC form to see if there's been an error or something, or if we can be lenient"
Holy [curse]!! "Lenient" This does not compute! Not with the way their doctor treated us at our one and only never to be forgotten consultation! :P
I can't remember how I said goodbye, only that after putting the phone down everything went swimmy and I fell sideways on the bed. I had made sure to have a couple of biscuits (cookies) before making the call, as stress can make me go very low very quickly. As I type now, at the end of my post, I feel much better, hopeful even. Can't wait to hear back from her tomorrow that's for sure...
p.s. sorry this post is a little garbled - can you imagine what it's like in my head right now? :P
I've just called Fertility Associates. I asked to be put through to the right person and told the receptionist that we had been dealing with the Hamilton clinic and had some concerns over how we'd been treated. (no sense freaking the receptionist out, I figure).
So she doesn't put me through to Auckland clinic like I ask, like the HDC Advocate suggested, no.
She transfers me to the clinic manager at Hamilton. And this is where I started to freak out. Majorly. It's taken me a week and a half to gather the necessary courage to make this phone call.
The receptionist hears the anxiety in my voice and asks "I'll just transfer you now, is that ok?"
"Yes," I say - meaning NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO I want to talk to ANOTHER CLINIC and find out if Hamilton has done things by the book or not!!!
So anyway, clinic manager in Hamilton picks up. I ask her to repeat her name, and I'm writing everything down. Damn, should have put the phone to speaker-phone and recorded it all with the iPhone. Sigh.
So anyway, this is what happened:
I told her, very quickly, what was wrong. VERY quickly, like, so fast I didn't even get time to mention the cause of our infertility. Just that we did not meet the minimum CPAC form score to get funding, and that our appointment with the doctor had ended in tears. I also happened to mention that we were in the process of contacting my MP and an advocate from the HDC... and as the HDC advocate suggested, this did indeed seem to speed things along a bit. Good. I like being taken seriously.
I said how all along we had been led to believe (by GP and OB/GYN) that we would qualify for publicly funded treatment, so it was a complete shock to be told that we don't qualify. She responded that it all depends on the duration of the infertility.
The clinic manager asked if I would like her to review our case: Yes!
She said that the CPAC form is nationwide, so there should be no difference between Auckland and Hamilton - this seemed to unnerve her quite a bit that I kept bringing it up. Don't particularly think she likes the fact that her clinic may have a bad rep!
I mentioned that I thought our CPAC form had been done incorrectly, and there was nothing on it to indicate that we should have to wait for 3 years. I didn't get a chance to say why I thought this as she talked over me a one point, and I gather she was not happy to get this call, but overall it took a turn for the better, I hope.
She promised to review our case and get back to me tomorrow. I asked her to email me, because I can't have that sort of emotionally-charged phone call happening at work in a shared office. That's fine, she says. "I will review your CPAC form to see if there's been an error or something, or if we can be lenient"
Holy [curse]!! "Lenient" This does not compute! Not with the way their doctor treated us at our one and only never to be forgotten consultation! :P
I can't remember how I said goodbye, only that after putting the phone down everything went swimmy and I fell sideways on the bed. I had made sure to have a couple of biscuits (cookies) before making the call, as stress can make me go very low very quickly. As I type now, at the end of my post, I feel much better, hopeful even. Can't wait to hear back from her tomorrow that's for sure...
p.s. sorry this post is a little garbled - can you imagine what it's like in my head right now? :P
Friday, February 4, 2011
A response from the MP : )
Today we received a personally typed letter from the local MP. We had sent him a letter explaining our situation and asking for his help.
Here's the letter we got back:
Typed version:
Dear [Hubby's name] and [Kaitake]
I have received your letter today regarding public funding for fertility treatment. I can understand this is a very difficult journey you are on, fraught with many frustrations as you have mentioned; you are subject to others decisions over something deeply personal that ought to be the decision of the couple concerned. Advances in medical science create many such anomalies where what is possible medically is not always possible financially - and this in turn creates deep disappointment, anger and many questions.
I would be very happy to meet with you both to talk through this more. Please contact my office and a time can be arranged. My office number is...
Kind regards
MP for [name of City]
Cool eh!?
So here's my plan:
call the MP and organise an appointment time for Hubby and I to go and see him
phone the Auckland fertility clinic, as so far the Hamilton one has been a bust. Ask for someone to help us, and for our case to be reviewed as we have serious concerns about how we've been treated.
Yup, so that's the plan.
Here's the letter we got back:
Typed version:
Dear [Hubby's name] and [Kaitake]
I have received your letter today regarding public funding for fertility treatment. I can understand this is a very difficult journey you are on, fraught with many frustrations as you have mentioned; you are subject to others decisions over something deeply personal that ought to be the decision of the couple concerned. Advances in medical science create many such anomalies where what is possible medically is not always possible financially - and this in turn creates deep disappointment, anger and many questions.
I would be very happy to meet with you both to talk through this more. Please contact my office and a time can be arranged. My office number is...
Kind regards
MP for [name of City]
Cool eh!?
So here's my plan:
call the MP and organise an appointment time for Hubby and I to go and see him
phone the Auckland fertility clinic, as so far the Hamilton one has been a bust. Ask for someone to help us, and for our case to be reviewed as we have serious concerns about how we've been treated.
Yup, so that's the plan.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Don't you just love doctors receptionists?
No. Not really. I don't love them much when they call me at work from a blocked phone number and won't take the hint when I reject the first 3 calls because I'm in a meeting. I don't love it when they keep calling anyway, so I answer just to make it stop!
I don't love it when the doctors receptionist is a newbie who's just read the "office policies and procedures manual" and feels it necessary to tell me, as a type 1 diabetic, that I need to come back and pay for an appointment with my GP because my "circumstances may have changed"
I don't love it when I have to tell this silly ditz 3 times that, no, I've not suddenly been cured, and yes! I still will need the prescription for insulin and test strips and all that other fun stuff we diabetics like to hoard.
I don't love it when I get told that "you've had a good run, it's not our policy to give more than one prescription without seeing the patient" duh. Diabetes ain't goin nowhere! You just want to make $40 off me!
Also, please believe me when I say that this is NOT the way my GP's clinic normally works, well, not for the last 28 years I've been goin to him anyway. I email my doc asking for a script, he or the nurse faxes it thru to pharmacy, I pick it up and pay $3 per item. Easy. But not right, according to miss uppity receptionist lady! Bah!
I told her twice that her request was ridiculous, and that her call was really upsetting me.
I said that unlike many other conditions where the doctor strictly controls the medication, in diabetes the diabetic is making daily choices about their insulin. And besides, my endo is the one who actually advises me on what insulins to use, I just get the paperwork done thru GP as it's much cheaper that way.
But silly receptionist didn't understand. And I gave her an earful. And she relented and said she would talk to my doctor and see if she could just fax my script to the pharmacy like normal. We'll see if that comes to fruition or not over the next couple of days.
Besides, why on earth would I want to see my GP? He obviously doesn't care for me, or else he wouldn't have behaved so appallingly last year when we told him we'd been denied fertility funding.
Speaking of which, I got busy with the whole crusade on Friday, posting our letter to the local MP, and also contacting an advocate at the Health and Disability Commission. The local HDC advocate called back this morning and she sounded really supportive and sympathetic to our case.
Although she said we are not a clear cut case where making a complaint to the HDC was appropriate, she still said she'd be happy to help us in any way she can. She suggested contacting a branch of the fertility clinic in another city, as the original one we got referred to "was known to them" - sounds ominous!
She recommended we ask for a review of our case, and gave me some good words to use.
So that was a little bit of hope to stop a crappy morning from caving in on me. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
I don't love it when the doctors receptionist is a newbie who's just read the "office policies and procedures manual" and feels it necessary to tell me, as a type 1 diabetic, that I need to come back and pay for an appointment with my GP because my "circumstances may have changed"
I don't love it when I have to tell this silly ditz 3 times that, no, I've not suddenly been cured, and yes! I still will need the prescription for insulin and test strips and all that other fun stuff we diabetics like to hoard.
I don't love it when I get told that "you've had a good run, it's not our policy to give more than one prescription without seeing the patient" duh. Diabetes ain't goin nowhere! You just want to make $40 off me!
Also, please believe me when I say that this is NOT the way my GP's clinic normally works, well, not for the last 28 years I've been goin to him anyway. I email my doc asking for a script, he or the nurse faxes it thru to pharmacy, I pick it up and pay $3 per item. Easy. But not right, according to miss uppity receptionist lady! Bah!
I told her twice that her request was ridiculous, and that her call was really upsetting me.
I said that unlike many other conditions where the doctor strictly controls the medication, in diabetes the diabetic is making daily choices about their insulin. And besides, my endo is the one who actually advises me on what insulins to use, I just get the paperwork done thru GP as it's much cheaper that way.
But silly receptionist didn't understand. And I gave her an earful. And she relented and said she would talk to my doctor and see if she could just fax my script to the pharmacy like normal. We'll see if that comes to fruition or not over the next couple of days.
Besides, why on earth would I want to see my GP? He obviously doesn't care for me, or else he wouldn't have behaved so appallingly last year when we told him we'd been denied fertility funding.
Speaking of which, I got busy with the whole crusade on Friday, posting our letter to the local MP, and also contacting an advocate at the Health and Disability Commission. The local HDC advocate called back this morning and she sounded really supportive and sympathetic to our case.
Although she said we are not a clear cut case where making a complaint to the HDC was appropriate, she still said she'd be happy to help us in any way she can. She suggested contacting a branch of the fertility clinic in another city, as the original one we got referred to "was known to them" - sounds ominous!
She recommended we ask for a review of our case, and gave me some good words to use.
So that was a little bit of hope to stop a crappy morning from caving in on me. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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