Paperwork Chase

I know that it has been a little over a week since my last writing, but life is getting busy around the Andrews' house and it isn't even spring yet! Kyle had his band concert tonight. I watched him walk to his seat with all the other 7th graders and can't believe how tall that boy is. He looked like one of the high schools kids. Parent/Teacher conference are going on and I have talked with 2 of the 3 kids teacher(s). There were no surprises as to how the kids are doing. I have to say that I am proud of all of them. They all try so hard to do their best. I know they each have their own struggles in school, but it is great to see them work so hard and then it's like it just clicks (the light bulb goes on) and that is the rewarding part.

Now on to Tom's progress: Tom is doing about the same as last week. I know that he is trying to stay focused on the things he can control. We talk about April 1st and what it could mean, but I think that I am the one dwelling on the possibilities (at least I am the one who will admit it anyway). The main comment that Tom will say is that he hopes he does not have to wait to have the results from the procedure any later than April 1st. He wants to get on with life! I hope that is what we hear in April also.

I have made traded phone calls to find out what office to begin pushing so that the papers get to the appropriate people and that Tom's scan will be approved. I found out that Tom's primary Dr's office had faxed paperwork to the insurance company in regards to the scan. However the insurance company is questioning why this type of scan instead of the iodine scan. Tom's primary office has to defer that to the Specialist at the U of M. So, by the end of this week I plan to call the nurse at the U of M office and see if I can get a confirmation that they have submitted the supporting documents. At least they are not saying a definite "no" at this point. I do not expect any fast answers, having already had that experience with the Pet scan last July. I hope that you will remember to keep us on the "prayer list" as we go about our busy days.

Insurance

Another blustery day here in Michigan. Last night I woke a few times to hear the rain hitting the house. When I finally rolled out of bed, I realized that it was not just rain, but feezing rain, as the weather forecasters predicted. Next we will have a snowy mix that should make for an interesting commute for Tom tonight and myself on Monday. The kids are on their Mid Winter Break, as if they needed one. They are now counting how many days they need to go in the summer time!

Tom is doing ok. Thanks for so many inquiries and continued prayers for improvement. Tom has some hair growth in the back of his neck, it is not even yet but I told him to be happy it is growing in black and not that "other" color! His facial hair is growing father down than the Dr. anticipated. His back right shoulder seems to be itchy much of the time but other than one small circular patch of red skin, his back looks normal. Tom continues to have labored breathing all night and is up many times a night. His is glad to be back to work and I think it keeps his mind off the future test and results.

Speaking of future tests, we received a letter from our insurance company stating that they are inquiring about the Octreotide test. They have not approved the procedure and want "Supporting documentation that the Octreotide test is helpful for Thyroid Cancer." The Regents of the U of M have 45 days to respond, which brings us to March 31 which is after his testing dates that we have set up at U of M. It also stated that if the "patient" proceeded with the test prior to receiving the authorization letter, we may be responsible for the entire cost of the service. I sure hope that these companies work together and get this approved so that we can continue with Tom's progress. I don't think we could afford this test. We just got the bill for Tom's blood work from U of M, $$$. I can wait to see how much our consulatation cost. Let's just say that with all of Tom's procedures, the bills add up to 1 1/4 the price of our house! I'm grateful that we have such good insurance and hope that whoever is making the decisions for approval really put the quality of life as a considering factor.

So here we are again, waiting for the powers that be to make up their minds about what will be done for Tom. Until December I had all the confidence in our insurance to approve what was necessary for Tom's health. The unapproved prescription bill was not a big thing and we could afford to pay out of pocket. This time I am hopeful that they will get this resolved in the next month as we can't handle it the same way. Prayer Warriors: Please pray that this be resolved and that we (I) do not become to "anxious" while we wait & please pray that Tom can sleep at night.

Energy?!

Tom has been on his new Thyroid medicine and says that he is finally feeling more energy than before. However, it still does not compare to his pre-sickness levels. I hope that he will continue on this path until he feels at a comfortable level. He is amazed at how much better he feels compared to pre-surgery. He said that he really stuggled at work and now realizes how sick he truly was with his cancer. He was a little nervous going back after being off work for so long, but he said that it just clicked once he got back. I think along with so many things, Tom has a new "perspective" on life.

On Monday around 8:00 I sat the kids down to talk with them about their dad. For those of you that do not know how our house is layed out, we live in a multi-level with open stairs leading to the uppper/lower levels. When I have something serious to tell them I always lead them to the stairs to have our talk. Well last Monday was no different. I told them I had something to say about dad. They all walked over to the stairs to sit and listen. I don't really know how this started but it tickles me that they sit in birth order: Kyle at the top, Cody in the middle, and Katie at the bottom couple steps. I told them that the doctors have not said dad is cancer free. I told them that was why in March we would be gone for a few days. Cody looked realived when I said that are not confirming he still has his cancer, but the tests will tell us for sure. I also explained what the blood test that dad has done tells the doctors. They had a bunch of questions which I tried to answer to the best of my limited ability. Then I told them that people are praying at 8:00 every Monday for dad. I suggested we do the same. I prayed and told the kids that they could say something if they wanted. Katie had a few things to say. They boys were quiet and Katie looked up at them like "Say Something!" I said that it was ok to say things from their hearts that it was sometimes hard to say it out loud. Once we finished, they agreed to do it again every Monday.

Thanks to so many of you who are keeping our family in your prayers. We appreciate your words of encouragement and your willingness to help. I hope that you will join the Andrews family in prayer each Monday.

Back to Normal?

It was Tom's first week back to work. I think it was a little harder than he anticipated, but he made it through. It did not help that our children were off due to snow days and the house "buzz" is always louder with kids running around. Tom braved the cold and turned on the fan to drown out some of the noise. Kyle did a great job watching his younger siblings and loved his end of week reward. I hope he thought it was worth it.

I am fighting yet another bug. This hacking cough is enough to drive a person crazy! However, there is no rest for the weary and I can say that I'm glad it's Friday! Thanks for all the words of encouragement this past week. I love the anonymous comment about the calcitonin prayer. I will be one to stop at 8:00 this Monday and say a prayer for my loved one!