Button, Button, Where is the Button?

Honestly. How hard can it be to get a mic-key button that your doctor ordered for your child? And formula and a pump when your child is failure to thrive?

Very, very hard.

I called our surgeon's office to see about the status of the Mic-Key button, since Nolan has been stuck with a full g-tube for nearly 2 weeks and is prohibited from gym, has horrible skin ulcers from the tape, and is getting granulation tissue from the pulling/rubbing of the longer tube.

Insurance, of course, put every roadblock in the way. The doctor's office sent over all of the weight data and medical information. It was finally approved, so the home healthcare agency (a new one, since our old one was useless when it came to g-tubes) is in the process of getting everything together.

Of course, insurance will only pay half of the cost of the formula, mic-key button, and pump. Health insurance is really only for healthy people, not for those who actually need medical care (despite having paid premiums forever). Half is better than nothing, but with all of Nolan's issues, the cost of his care is difficult. We're looking at new hearing aids ($4,000) and glasses (relatively cheap - $100) over the next couple of months. Not to mention several visits to specialists with a $40 copay each time.

In any case, I called the HHC this morning and no one answered the phone. I called a little bit later, and someone finally did answer the phone. They sent us to the person in the pharmacy, who handles deliveries. She said she didn't know about our status, so she was going to send us to the person who handles Nolan's case. Except that the person who handles Nolan's case is on vacation until Monday.

And the back-up person is on lunch. She might call me back if she feels like it. She might not.

I'll call back again this afternoon. The nurse said they were planning a delivery on Thursday, but I doubt it since his HHC "person" is out on vacation.

It has been 2 months since Nolan was diagnosed as failure to thrive. Two months and STILL no treatment due to our lovely medical system.

I will call back this afternoon in a dogged determination to get something done for my son. In the meantime, I have ordered a button online. Just like I did with his C-Pap masks. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.