Make Me Wanna Holler

To recap: My oncologist felt something hard in my left breast (the one currently being treated with radiation everyday for breast cancer) on January 15. I had an inconclusive ultrasound last Friday, January 25. The doctor on staff at the imaging center left a message for Dr. Kuan, recommending an MRI.

On Monday, my oncologist's nurse tried to get the authorization in for the MRI, but was told that my surgeon had to request the authorization. Why? I don't know why. But she was attentive to my needs and tried to pass it on to the surgeon's office and have them get the authorization.

Someone in that office told her that I needed to come in to the office before they could do that. I was somewhat outraged by that and called the surgeon's office, explaining that I had been in to see Dr. Broderick-Villa for a follow-up in December and I didn't see the point coming in to see them just to have them say, "okay, we'll request this authorization." Dr. Broderick called back that afternoon/evening and expressed his total agreement. He was very nice and said he'd get the request to the scheduler the next day (Tuesday).

Tuesday came and went.

At the end of yesterday (Wednesday), I called the surgeon's office and asked to speak to the scheduler. She didn't expressly state it, but it sounded like she did not get the request sent to Alta Bates Medical Group (my gatekeeper for Blue Shield) until that day (Wednesday). Furthermore, she said it typically takes ABMG 15 to 20 days (!) to approve MRIs. I expressed my surprise and she said that everything changed last summer and it just takes a really long time. And if they (the surgeon's office) mark it as urgent, to try to speed up the process, it gets stuck at the bottom of the pile and takes even longer.

Out of frustration, I called Blue Shield. I expressed my dismay and the woman agreed that, indeed, 15 to 20 days was an egregiously long time. She very nicely gave me the number to file a grievance, and suggested I talk to ABMG, to verify that they could/would/might take that long.

When I get this mad and/or frustrated, I cry. It's how I'm made and I don't like it, but there it is. So, weepy and mad, I called ABMG. The woman there was very nice (*you* try being mean to a woman with breast cancer who is crying at you on the phone--I dare you) and, while she wouldn't say it never taken that long, that was the exception and she would expect that, given my history, etc. I should have approval in three to five days. She told me that the request was not yet in the system and that I should call back the next day (today) to ensure that they had received the request.

And here we are. I called ABMG today and was told that the request was entered in to the system at 1:45 p.m. today. This is four days after the ultrasound, mind you. <sigh>. The kindly gentleman told me it could take up to five to seven business days for approval. (And then we get to try to schedule something. I wonder how long *that* will take?)

If I don't hear by Wednesday of next week, I'm calling to see where it is. And then, depending on how angry I am, I'll call Blue Shield or the surgeon's office or both. (I think the scheduler at the surgeon's office has too much to do, quite frankly. I think she could have turned this around a bit faster. Which is not to take any of the pressure off ABMG. But she really didn't need to scare me into thinking I wasn't getting an MRI for another month while obfuscating the fact that she had that request for a full day before she sent it in.) See how ticked off I am?

But honestly? For all you caring, wonderful people out there, who keep emailing me or trying to "not bother me" out of love and empathy--please know that for the most part, I'm somewhat Zen about this. It is what it is and I'll find out just what that is sooner or later (looking like later right now, isn't it?) And while I don't want to talk about this bit of the unknown, that doesn't mean I don't want to talk or that I'm fragile or anything. When we know something, be sure that I will let everyone know, right away.

In the meantime, life goes on and I have completed eight of 35 scheduled radiation treatments. Yay! I've written numbers 35 through 1 on my whiteboard at work and I'm crossing off each treatment. It's extremely gratifying. :-)