Author |
Message |
Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 10:10 am
RN I am mad! My middle niece will be starting kindergarten in a few months and just had her check up and rounds of shots for it. Sis called to tell me they finally got her a referral to see the ENT dr because during the hearing test, she heard a total of three beeps. Dr said that kids her age are often uncooperative during hearing tests, however, anyone who knows my niece will tell you the kid has significant hearing loss. Reason I'm mad is this poor kid has had dozens of ear infections, ruptured ear drums several times and been thisclose to getting tubes about five times now and each time the insurance co comes up with some reason she can't have them yet (not enough ear infections in the amount of time, dr waited too long to get the referral, etc.) Sis has told dr repeatedly niece can't hear well and still no referral to the ENT. These problems started when she was an infant and have never shown signs of getting any better and only now are they bothering to give her a referral.
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Hermione69
Member
07-24-2002
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 10:22 am
Right now, people who think they know it all really yank my chain. Right now, I just read your post, Wargod. I'm so sorry. I hope this is the start for her to get the help she needs. It's hard enough to go through life with a hearing loss in any case, and much worse to go through it and get no help whatsoever.
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Nyheat
Member
08-09-2006
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 10:34 am
RN that's terrible, Wargod. A child shouldn't have to suffer like that, ever. I had about six ear infections last year and wouldn't wish that on anyone--except those who are denying your niece insurance for the tubes!!! If they had to suffer even one acute ear infection, they would be begging for those tubes.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 10:50 am
RN: My DD wouldn't even have her hearing checked. They tried to put the headphones on her and she said no and shied away from the nurse, who didn't force her.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 11:12 am
With my kids, they didn't use headphones. They put me and Abby (and Ryan when I did it with him) in a special little room with some toys and they had these special speakers in each corner. Not sure how it worked, but the hearing specialist could see us thru a window and talked to us as well as made special sounds/tones...
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Rissa
Member
03-20-2006
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 11:24 am
Julie, I think my dd had the same test as you. DD sat on my lap and they told me to look straight ahead no matter what. Then they played a sound in one of the two spkrs and just watched to see if DD turned her head towards the sound indicating that she had heard it. When she was older they used the headphones and she had to lift her hand on the side she heard the sound on. Wargod, that's infuriating!! Just editted myself half a dozen times. LOL
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 12:44 pm
RN, Caleb did the hearing test ok, Dakota refused to raise a hand though she did put on the headphones. We all knew that she could hear just fine. With my niece though, we knew she had a hearing loss about a year ago. Before that we weren't sure if it was that or just inattention on her part. When sis called to tell me about it this morning and told me she missed most the beeps and they were referring her to an ENT I actually sat here for a minute waiting for her to finish because I couldn't believe the dr was surprised she had a hearing loss. I'm just furious about the whole thing and so is sis. She was on the phone yelling at Kaiser when I got there that it's taken them so long to do this.
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Hermione69
Member
07-24-2002
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 12:51 pm
Right now, Wargod, I absolutely hate to tell you this, but insurance, at least in Virginia, is very bad about helping with hearing issues. I have to pay for my hearing aid myself, they don't give me a dime, and it has always been that way. Every hearing aid of mine was paid in full by myself or my parents. Insurance will help with the ENT visits, but not the actually machinery that gets me hearing. Your sister might need to brace herself. I'm so sorry. 
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 12:59 pm
RN: A guy (hispanic) just came in my office and asked me if I celebrated Cinco De Mayo. I politely said no, that I do not, and he wanted to know why. I explained to him that I was not of Mexican decent, nor is anyone in my family, and it's not an American (I meant to say national) holiday, so therefore I do not celebrate it. He got irked at this and sneered, yeah Well, I'll bet you celebrate St. Patrick's day, now don't you." I didn't respond, because I didn't really want to further the conversation,(I may have rolled my eyes and looked away) but it made me laugh at the audacity of him to actually get a bit put off by my, the palest freckly, reddish haired white girl ever (who's last name used to be O'Currie (prev. generatiosn removed the O part when they came to America) until I married a Swedish man), not celebrating Cinco De Mayo. <100> ETA: Wargod, I smell malpractice. I'd see an attorney if I were your sister)
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Mocha
Member
08-12-2001
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 1:28 pm
Rn Happy Cinco de Mayo and margaritas for everyone!!!
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 1:39 pm
RN: *Sigh* I forgot about the excuse to drink.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 1:42 pm
Right now, I'd love a margarita.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 1:42 pm
RN Hermi, that's what I thought. I've been trying to deal with this with my aunt and her medicaid and it's just as bad there. According to the woman I talked to last week, it's going to take six months to even get to the point where they order a hearing aid and they'll only pay for one I'm not sure what Kaisers policy is but judging by the hoops they've had to go through to get the referral, I'm thinking it won't be too good.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 1:49 pm
RN: I miss margaritas and would like to have one. But if I were to have one, I'd have one for the sake of having one, holiday or no. 
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Landileigh
Member
07-29-2002
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 2:21 pm
right now, war it all depends on what they have for DME. i have complete DME, so if i needed a hearing aid, it would be completely covered.
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Texasdeb
Member
05-23-2003
| Monday, May 05, 2008 - 4:48 pm
RN I'm feeling for War's little niece. My 2nd DD had ear infection after ear infection & thank goodness, we had a very good DR. She got tubes @ 13 months. We were told that she prob. would be only slightly hearing impaired (she talks loud but, so does her older sister who has no hearing issues LOL). That was back in 1979 & I don't even think we had insurance. I know I was sending medical pmts every month for that child for what seemed like forever.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 1:33 am
RN Deb, and I bet those tubes made a world of difference huh? I have a friend whos daughter got them about the same age and the difference was amazing, before she was sick all the time and after, hardly at all. Landi, if I had to guess I'd say theirs won't cover hearing aids. I'll have to ask sis tomorrow if she knows for sure. I just don't get it. Wouldn't it be cheaper to put in tubes as soon as they realize ear infections are a continuing problem rather than to keep treating them? She's not having 1-2 ear infections a year, she's having 8-12! Each year since she was born!
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Rissa
Member
03-20-2006
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 4:24 am
In my experience it makes a HUGE difference WG. My (now 16) dd did not have chronic ear infections but rather one LOOONNGG one. It lasted about 6 mnths and didn't respond to antibiotics. She would take the meds for the ten days and it would improve but as soon as the course of meds was done it would be right back at full strength. You can imagine how it works... ten days of antibiotics, a week or so until the symptoms are obvious again, doc appt, ten days of antibiobics, repeat ad naseum. She took 3 courses of meds and the doc put in the tubes. The reason was that it was unhealthy to take antibiotics repeatedly, could lead to resistance. She never had another bout of infection in her ears and the tubes fell out on their own after a couple years (in her case). She was about 20 mnths old when she got the tubes in. I would spend a couple hundred to sit down with an attorney and see if the insurance co violated their own policy by not pursuing a more logical course of treatment. I can't imagine how angry and frustrated your family must be.
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Goddessatlaw
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 5:05 am
RN it's primary day in Indiana. I can't TELL you how happy I am that the political hoard of locusts will be moving on after spending the last two weeks stripping the state of its will to live.
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 5:37 am
chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 8:31 am
RN, their policy is six documented ear infections in six months (I think tats the right #'s) to get tubes. Niece has had five and then the sixth just days after the time limit was over several times. This last December, she finally had her sixth ear infection right before Christmas. Dr double checked to make sure and we all did the happy dance. Dr sent in a referral and we waited. Insurance dragged their feet...then denied the referral because by then it was January and a new year. Sis threw a fit, she'd been calling them every few days about it, then threw an even bigger fit because she had had the six infections in six months, but all they'd say was new year.
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 10:04 am
RN: That's when I would have called a lawyer. Basically they told your sister that her daughter had to suffer 6 more ear infections, and be in pain 6 more times in 6 months to satisfy them. That's sick and twisted.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 10:40 am
I have a dear friend in the hospital who's getting tested to make sure he didn't have a silent heart attack. He's been there since last night and they are doing tons of tests on him, he's still waiting for an mri and a stress test among others... Bob's one of my very best friends ever for the past 20 years, and he's my computer guru, and he works with dh, and I just pray he's going to be fine... His wife called and she's a basket-case with worry. He also called. He's been having terrible breathing/gasping problems for days now, and he's diabetic. His tests have somewhat different results compared to those he took last year so they are being extra cautious. I am very impressed with the hospital for putting him through every test imaginable. He sounds soooooo fatigued, but I'm so glad his family doc sent him to the ER.
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Denecee
Member
09-05-2002
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 10:55 am
Rn, Mameblanche, I'm so sorry this is happening to one of your best friends. (((Mame & friends)))
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Tuesday, May 06, 2008 - 11:14 am
RN Thx Denecee. Vinblanche is on his way to the hospital to visit him. I'd go, but it's in another township about 2 hours away by transit at least. DH has the car and works near there. Plus I don't drive. DH bought a couple of books for him as Bob loves to read, and I told him IF he's going to bring food NOT to bring a burger (as dh initially suggested - oy! which is also called a heart attack on a plate! DH means well, but really...) I told him to get Bob a turkey or chicken sub. I forget what Americans call a submarine sandwich... it's on the tip of my brain... it it a hoagie?
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