Weekly gripe post, 5.2

kboydbowman

This replaces both the Monday bitchfest and the WTF Wednesday posts.

pangolindrome

It is Teacher Appreciation Week, but basically only if your intestines function according to the norm.
Crumbl cookies and muffins? Yeah. Thanks, my celiac ass wouldn’t have adored literally an apple or something as allergy courtesy.
I also just remembered that I forgot to bring my mandarin slices to work. 

I wish I wasn’t in a more emotional section of preggo right now. This all makes me feel very sad. It’s usually upsetting since it’s my fourth goddamn year here and I usually get included, but… it feels worse with the hormones. 

To top it all off, even my high-performing students haven’t STARTED last week’s creative writing assignment. Eff it. I’m ditching what we’re doing this week. 

/sad sack 

mamamoomoo12

Its school auction week and of course this week the office secretary got covid- so on top of all the auction madness my department has we now have to take on the roll of school secretary, (not to mention we already have to do lunch duty). Its going to be wild and I am already planning on calling out sick on Monday!

lucyg00cy

Both of our scheduling coordinators have now put in their notices, our back up coordinator in Europe is about to leave for maternity leave for 6 months- not to mention she doesn’t have bandwidth ti handle all the US hiring anyway. There’s been no applicants to fill the roles so now in addition to sourcing, interviewing, reeling resumes, generating pipeline reports, and creating hiring plans with our stakeholders we have to start scheduling everything too. I work for a large tech company and we have hundreds of interviews a week, it’s going to be madness for the next few months until we get new coordinators. The two coordinators could hardly keep up and their entire roles were just scheduling, nothing else 😩

dsmith211

I hate health insurance. It’s really a shame I can’t actually see who I need to take care of my issues bc I need the right doctor (one I’ve never actually seen) to send in a referral. Especially when my midwife is more familiar with my case, had run all the labs, etc. This process is absolutely mind blowing.

If I follow the process they want I won’t even be pregnant by the time I see the ‘right’ doctor. If I somehow manage to change to another doctor it’s going to be at minimum 1.5 months to be seen, not counting when I’m finally treated. 🙄

kboydbowman

So there's this BIG MAJOR PROJECT that I'm one of the key players in that kicks off tomorrow.  Although I will be running BIG MAJOR PROJECT, on paper I can't officially facilitate it because I have not had the specific class needed to be the facilitator (classes have been on hold for more than two years because of the Beer Virus).  There has not been a BIG MAJOR PROJECT at my prison in several years, so pretty much no one on my team (which I put together - complicated, but it has to be a bunch of different people from different disciplines who are considered "subject matter experts" but cannot have been directly involved in the incident that caused us to have to do BIG MAJOR PROJECT in the first place) has ever participated in a BIG MAJOR PROJECT.  Learned this morning that the person who *does* have the experience who is going to serve as our official facilitator is out today and will likely be out tomorrow (i.e., for the first BIG MAJOR PROJECT meeting).  So I've been scrambling all day basically trying to teach myself enough about the BIG MAJOR PROJECT procedures (which are HIGHLY structured and specifically prescribed) to be able to run the meeting by myself if I have to.  Gah.

Also stressful is the fact that my 2 week vacation happens during the course of BIG MAJOR PROJECT, which is due on June 16th (my vacation is from 5/28-6/11), which means that one of the meetings we will have to have for BIG MAJOR PROJECT I won't even be here for, unless I decide to Teams in for it (which I could do, but....vacation?).  And I'll have exactly 4 days after I return from vacation to put finalize all the paperwork for BIG MAJOR PROJECT.

jhysmath

@dsmith211 can your midwife not be your pcp? My insurance allows for midwife/obgyn to be pcp if so chosen. I also haven't seen a pcp since getting pregnant  with my first. Though my firsts pediatrician was my pcp and anytime I was in for her appointments she'd ask if I needed anything and would call in whatever orders/tests I needed. 

foreveronyourside

@kboydbowman Do you mind me asking what triggered BMP? I find your profession fascinating 

kboydbowman

@foreveronyourside
I can't get too specific because of patient privacy stuff, but short version is that through a series of mistakes and oversights by nearly every discipline involved (custody, mental health, medical, etc.), a patient nearly died, and it likely could have been caught much, much earlier.  When a major error(s) like that happens, we do this thing called a Root Cause Analysis, which is a formal way of trying to identify and fix the systemic problems that contributed to the errors so that hopefully similar mistakes don't happen in the future.  A large part of my job is "figure out why shit went wrong and tell us how to best fix it," so any time there is a Root Cause Analysis, I will be one of the leaders.  However, this is the first one that has happened since I've been in my position, so it's a big learning curve.

jhysmath

Ugh... So it looks like my husband will likely be getting the other job. He interviewed Friday and the principal called said the only person they need to contact is our current principal and he hasn't been able to get a hold of him (he was out today I guess). So now comes down to when he meets with the super there, will we have insurance to cover us between June 30th when ours ends and 9/1 when the other district picks us up... So here comes my vent. My husband doesn't see the need to insure or family at the cost that it is. He says we should only get it on me, and get it through the market place. Cobra would cost $2k/month and we'd still have a $4 max out of pocket during those 2 months. When I looked at the market place for our family it would likely be $1.5k per month for our family with a higher out of pocket. We have 2 kids, we're doing a huge reno, we have a freaking atv he uses all summer. But no we don't need insurance because nothing will happen over the summer that could leave us with catastrophic debt. I'm so annoyed that he doesn't get it right now. He says when he looked on the market place it was $300 to insure just me. I assured what the deductible she oop looked like and the he was like I don't know?! My due date is 9/9 there is definitely a chance I would deliver before 9/1 though I doubt it. What happens when we get hit with a $35k c-section bill on 8/30 and have to pay the total out of pocket of possibly $18k????

Eta our current principal just asked and said they're going to submit my husband's name for the position. 

foreveronyourside

@kboydbowman I take care of a fair amount of FMC patients and it always amazes me the condition they are in for getting all their care so close to our health system….. I could definitely see how a “sentinel event” could reach the prison. Also, I feel weird taking care of them because I don’t know why they are in jail. (Edited to say federal prison and also I always imagine the worst possible thing)

kboydbowman

Haha based on your terminology seems like you're familiar with the RCA concept.

There is an expression here that most inmates are 20 years older than their chronological age would suggest.  Most of them have lived hard.

dsmith211

@jhysmath I actually checked and apparently my insurance is terrible and will not allow me to designate anyone at their office as a PCP. The practice itself is covered and I can see them without a referral bc it’s considered womens health, but none of the individual midwives classify as a PCP. 

My son’s pediatricians office is technically a family practice so I was trying to get in there since they know me, but they’re phasing out to just be a pediatric practice so they can only ‘see what they can do’. I literally even offered to drive in tomorrow and sit all day if I had to and then just deal with the insurance on my end and it was a no, so I’m not hopeful. We did ask if his pediatrician could do it, she would be violating some agreement apparently bc she can’t see patients past a certain age.

I’ve called the person currently assigned as a PCP and while it says he’s accepting new patients it’s a 5-6 month wait, no exceptions, and they won’t do a referral without a full appointment. Which means probably 2 appointments just to get the referral. Other places are less, but not by much… like 3 months. And the same requirement to just get the stupid referral.

Honestly just over it and my midwife might just need to get over it, bc at this rate I probably won’t be seeing anyone until baby is here anyway. 🙄

trapperkeeper87

My seasonal allergies are knocking me on my butt, which fine, okay, but I am congested that I can't taste or smell a darn thing. 😩 Negative for covid, and typical of my allergies during this time of year. Combined with the difficult pregnancy breathing, I'm not having a good time. 0/10 do not recommend.

rebornlotus

@kboydbowman dude. I get it. Not only am I a MH person, but DH is a CO. I'm just here to say you got this and sometimes you just gotta do your best when someone's off and let the pieces land. It's a multidisciplinary team for a reason and if the persons off who specializes in that area, well sorry our expert is out here's the best answer I can give you for now. Ya know?

lucyg00cy

@jhysmath that is so frustrating and no one ever plans for any accidents to happen that’s the whole point in having insurance. Hopefully he sees the value in making sure everyone is covered and of course hopefully no one does get hurt at all over the summer. Only fun filled days out on the atv!

side story-  One of my close friends tried to wait to get on insurance. She delivered early, the baby was sick, she had an extended stay herself and they had to then pay for it all out of pocket. $60K in total…they are still paying it off as of today when all it could’ve been was the few thousand in monthly expenses and out of pocket max.

jhysmath

@lucyg00cy those are my exact fears! If we move, I don't know what the new hospital will allow. The big NH one will allow me to go to 42 weeks as long as I don't have gd. A different one with different rules might decide I need to deliver at 38 weeks which is August. A baby that isn't ready is more likely to need more support. When mh was talking to his brother last night, BIL was the voice of reason she was like dude you're an idiot not to have insurance and explained that's the one thing that keeps people at his company longer than anything else because no one thinks about insurance until they want to leave a job. We'll be going to the movies with BIL on Saturday so hopefully he's more influential. My husband did tell BIL that he plans on trying to negotiate his salary to cover cobra for the summer or get them to give us insurance early. He also said if they can't budge either way that he doesn't want to work for a district that would cause a $10k pay decrease and not have insurance. In hoping there's some wiggle room so we don't have to worry about these things. 

foreveronyourside

@trapperkeeper87 I’m in the severe seasonal allergy suffering camp. I never miss a Zyrtec and I have been needing Benadryl and Afrin on top of it for survival. My nose is raw. Being congested in both nostrils and wearing a mask all day while pregnant SUCKS. So does sleeping with your mouth open all night!!! Solidarity. 

rebornlotus

Why am I up at 2:30am and can't fall back asleep! Ugh!

wiseh

@kboydbowman the biggest part of my role is RCAs & I am currently coordinating nearly 40 of them. The biggest thing is to remember that 99.99% of the time a person doesn’t deliberately do the wrong thing and it’s the systems/processes in place or the culture of the team/business that cause that behaviour to occur. By culture I mean, if it’s accepted amongst peers that a certain behaviour is OK even though it goes against policy then people will just do it. 

Good luck though! Sounds like you only do them for absolutely major issues & it’s well set up for them. At least on paper… 😅

newbabymama27

@rebornlotus that’s so annoying!! This week I’ve been waking up at 4 am. No reason, just wide awake tossing and turning until 6:30 am when I need to be up 😒

melyrae

@rebornlotus count me in! Last night was another midnight bath to try to calm my restless legs down, followed by a night on the couch so I don’t toss and turn and wake the hubby up. 

I was nearly asleep on the couch at 6pm last night but by the time 10 rolled around and I tried to actually sleep? No luck !!!!

dsmith211

Called my PCP today to try and plead my case and no luck. They won’t see me until the middle/end of August even though all I need is a referral. Called a few other doctors, same time frame. Called my midwife’s office to ask what they would like to do, no one is currently available and they’ll call back… Honestly just hoping they say leave it be but not holding my breath. I swear the anxiety and stress over this is probably causing more harm than anything.

I’m not terribly concerned bc I’m sure I’ve had this UTI for awhile and it’s completely asymptomatic so I’m sure I’ll be fine, but it’s absolutely irritating that even though I have it no one will treat it for months. Unless of course it becomes an emergency and then I get to go to the hospital instead. Insurance is stupid. 🙄

lalarose22

@dsmith211 that is SO frustrating! So sorry you are dealing with this.

kboydbowman

@dsmith211
urgent care?  or is the midwife insisting you see a specialist?

dsmith211

@kboydbowman they recommended a specialist specifically so I’m waiting to hear back and see what they would like me to do at this point. 

I did call urgent care for fun and I was basically told if it’s asymptomatic they really won’t do anything. I could come in but likely I’ll be sitting for a really long time since I don’t have symptoms and even then they’re just probably going to try what we’ve already done again. Even explaining that I’m pregnant didn’t seem to matter and sitting around all day hopefully to be seen isn’t really an option.

Most people seem to be confused why we’re even bothering with it. My son’s pediatrician even asked why they don’t just leave it be at this point. I’m basically over it, but I’m sure they’ll come up with some other stupid request.

jhysmath

@dsmith211 that's so frustrating. Can you call your insurance and explain this all to them and see if they can give you an exemption? 

My gripe today is subs can't control my naughty class. The last time I was out a kid knocked a big sierpinski type triangle mobile from my ceiling and broke it. That same kid yesterday popped a screen out of my 2 story window and threw at least 2 calculators outside. I locked my windows today and told them they don't get that privilege until someone rats out the person or persons who did it and they go to the office and have consequences. FYI it's like 85 degrees in my room today. I also read the weather for next week and reminded them my wall of 10ft windows really makes it a greenhouse in here so they better figure out who did it. Oh and I have a 504 meeting for the kid this afternoon. 

dsmith211

@jhysmath insurance unfortunately says it’s ‘just a UTI’ and doesn’t warrant a specialist anyway especially since I don’t show symptoms. So no luck on an exception unfortunately. This entire process has just been frustrating and my insurance is apparently garbage.

My midwife said we can try one more round of antibiotics - there was one that did knock it back but we never tried another dose for some reason so hopefully we’ll be trying that. If that isn’t successful they said they would see what they can do in regards to a referral on their end. So at least I don’t have much to worry about on my end now. Just all annoying and sometimes I feel like the stress is doing more harm than just leaving it be.

kboydbowman

@dsmith211
yeah, the only issues is if it backs up into your kidneys (highly unlikely, but slightly more common during pregnancy), but we'd have symptoms, you know?  I totally hear you on the frustration (she says, as she adjusts the little sock over her port for the 800th time today because it keeps sliding up).

dsmith211

@kboydbowman I did finally talk to a midwife today and this is basically what she said. If they felt confident themselves then they honestly said they would just let it go. But bc of the whole possibility of it affecting the kidneys, that is why they wanted a urologist to look and make the determination. 

Thankfully she said I don’t have symptoms, I have time to make decisions on what I would like to do, and they’ll work with what I decide. That and if it did happen to spread to the kidneys I’d obviously know bc then I’d definitely have symptoms. And sadly at that point I’d be going to the hospital for treatment. 

At any rate I’m glad my midwife’s office is actually willing to be slightly reasonable. So silver linings I guess.

laj0217

So unrelated to pregnancy, just annoyed. Sold something on Facebook a month ago. They asked to use Facebook pay as insurance. Sure, whatever. But now, they have the item and they’ve filed a chargeback with their bank, so I still haven’t been paid. It’ll take 75 days to sort it out. So annoying, you scammed me to save $40…really??

mamamoomoo12

Work is crazy busy. We are down a team member and have our auction on Saturday. Having to pick up so much slack. On top of it I cannot sleep at night and was nauseous all last night. The worst

trapperkeeper87

@laj0217 I sell on Facebook fairly often and that would make me so bitter. I really don't like people sometimes.

pangolindrome

I have NO IDEA where my teacher badge and key have gone to. I keep them hooked with a carabiner to my pants at work, then I immediately hook them to my lunch box when I leave work. They must be at home somewhere, but it is really unsettling not to know for sure. Last time, I had wrapped it into my lunch-time nap blanket (my room is cold) but that's definitely not the problem this time.

foreveronyourside

@mamamoomoo12 Second on the over worked and stressed out! On top of it today an RN from the floor opened the scan room door after I explicitly told her to never enter under any circumstances and walk into the room (magnet is always on) I pushed her out with both hands and it was absolutely terrifying!!