Just for the record....

Day Zero was a heck of a lot better than Day 1. Trish felt pretty good most of yesterday. She was petty sleepy last night, but she didn't feel bad. Today is a whole 'nother story. You may want to hold up from calling her today. She is nauseous. Can't eat because they will do a bone marrow biopsy today at 4pm - but with the nausea probably doesn't want to eat anyway. She began receiving chemo today at 8am, that lasted two hours, they wait two hours and start another chemo drug, then two hours later do the bone marrow with conscious sedation. A lovely day. Our friend MarcO from Germany called today while I was in the room and Trish spoke with him she smiled her big warm cheshire cat smile while she talked to him. Barbara and Bethany from work called too and she tried to offer her help, but they could tell she really wasn't up to it and said they would call her later.

So begins the not so fun part of this experience.
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Health care in America sucks! It's not the care givers, it's the system. We allow monopolies in utilities because we can't do without reliable power for our lights, businesses, homes, computers. But we segregate Americans ability to receive quality healthcare and we do so in such a way that it is a random matter of who the haves and have nots are. That is it is not about money, but who you happen to work for and who they happen to pick to either administer their healthcare or provide it. This sucks! Our country desperately needs a better healthcare system, it doesn't need to be nationlized or socialized per se, but I shouldn't have my healthcare determined by who I choose to work for. Thank God that the Clinton's got HIPPA passed -- it has it's issues, but at least there is some guarantee of coverage -- just not enough. Because of HIPPA I can seek another job and still have Trish covered with a new employer. That's an advantage, but I'd have t o leave a job I like to keep her covered -- this is the American way?! We should be ok insurance wise through her transplant, it's after that that I am worried, but we will line up all the right options to make it work and know that the right folks here at Hopkins will help us through it.
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Ok so, that wasn't much of a tirade, but why did I even bother posting that today? Last night at about 5pm as Trish was still groggy from the conscious sedation of he bone marrow, some bone-head from Hopkins admitting/finance dept called her room and asked her for payment of the co-pay and out of pocket expenses -- on the phone! She had them call me and the first thing the lady says is this is a collection call! She wanted me to rip out a credit card and pay. I told her I never heard of any such thing, last time we were invoiced and paid our bills within 10 days of receipt for everything we were responsible for. If they wanted a co-pay n advance I would need an invoice -- I wasn't about to give her my credit card number.

I later spoke to the Bone Marrow Transplant finance nurse and she apologized profusely. Apparently, they have a new VP of Admissions or something and this is their new policy. She and others have been working to stop them from calling oncology patients, but apparently it hasn't worked yet. Shortly After I spoke with this lady the Director of Nursing came by Trish's room to apologize.