Wow, so yesterday was just absolutely crazy! I was anticipating my appointment with the rheumatologist so I could get started on treatment for my fibromyalgia and update my EFMP paperwork and *finally* get my part of the letter to request the one-story housing on post. I was going to leave as soon as Bubs's teacher got here, though I was dreading the drive to the particular hospital for my appointment because I despise driving downtown. Plus I've been a little light-headed from not having been able to take my Zoloft. Hubby went to pick it up at the pharmacy, and they were out! I finally got some more today!
Well, luckily, I ended up not having to drive to the hospital because Bubs's teacher was sick, so she didn't come over yesterday, so we all went downtown. That means hubby drove. :) Getting out of the house tends to be a bit hectic as it is, but for whatever reason it seemed even more so yesterday morning. We stopped at Burger King to get a bite to eat, and they messed up our order so bad we just said forget it and left, so I didn't eat until after my appointment! I was starving!! I managed to only be like 5 min late, though, and that's like a record for me for any appt at that hospital. We already learned to just have hubs drop me off at the door instead of trying to find parking. That is a nightmare!!
So hubby decides to just drive around post with the kids while I have my appt. I wasn't in the waiting room very long, so overall things were going well. I honestly wasn't sure how they were going to approach things since I had just found out I was expecting because that would obviously limit any medications they may prescribe, but my PCM told me the rheumatologists at this hospital are better despite the drive downtown, so I trust him. But wow, was I ever disappointed!! Maybe some of them are good, but the particular gentleman I saw was basically insesitive to Fibromyalgia, fairly ignorant about the condition, clueless about EFMP or applying for one-story housing (all I needed was the paperwork filled out a letter saying it's hard for me to go up and down the stairs all the time!), and here's the kicker - not even a rheumatologist yet!! So he takes all his findings to his superviser and says yes, you have Fibro. I already know I have it because my PCM already diagnosed it! Well, he said his job was to confirm the diagnosis, and now I should do everything else with my PCM. How frustrating! I drove all that way for him to tell me what I already knew!? And he wouldn't even fill out the stinkin EFMP paperwork! When I asked him about the letter, he said he'd leave that up to my PCM as well because he doesn't think having Fibro should qualify anybody for one-level housing since it doesn't actually do damage to their joints. Ok... but there are still days I can barely walk, and that's ok!? I have done my research on Fibro, and from what I understand some people that are no longer able to work full-time are considered to have a disability! So how is that not important!? He basically feels it's just a "collection of symptoms" a handful of people have, but that it's not very "real." Then he proceeds to tell me I'm going to have pain for the rest of my life. Ok, so why am I going to have pain for the rest of my life if I have a condition that isn't "real?" I seriously just wanted to cry because of my frustration.
Obviously, I was prescribed no medication due to the pregnancy, which is another thing he knew nothing about. This was obviously a young, single guy with no kids. I should have guessed this would be interesting when I saw the bottle of liquor in his office! So his recommendation? Go back to my PCM and let him take care of everything. Exercise almost every day... even though I explained I can't afford childcare to go to the gym. He said I should just take a walk and put the kids in the stroller... which is fine when the kids WANT to be in the stroller, which is rare. Aurora particularly hates it. But there was no sense in explaining that anymore. I even tried to explain my situation of having one child that has special needs and constantly having to deal with his behavior (and the stairs for his time-outs), and that was pointless, too. So, I still don't have a letter for housing as to why we need one-level housing on my end. *Sigh*
That being said, I DID turn in paperwork from Bubs's counselor saying why she recommends one-level housing for our family due to his nature to not always comprehend "reality" and the dangers he poses to himself and the little Princess (and me, even) when he has one of his aggressive tantrums. So we decided to check on it to see where it is in the process. We called up to our neighborhood office because apparently they are the ones that deal w/it first. Well, the lady said the manager was out of the office and would be back later. We call again shortly before closing time because we want to get this done. We're then told she is out of town for a couple of weeks! (Yeah, well, we just saw her posting a sign in the neighborhood this morning, so whatever.) So, we go straight to the main housing office where it is discovered that our paperwork has been lost. No surprise. That's why I made a copy! So now we're handling it directly with them. They've processed it mostly at this point and are just waiting on updated DEERS info from us, so I'll make sure we have that by Tues! I'm even going to see if they're open tomorrow! The pregnancy poses an interesting situation because we *can* qualify for a 4 bedroom, but we could also accept a 3 bedroom if that comes available first. Since the kids will all be close in age, I don't see a big deal with room sharing anyway! So we'll just see how it all goes. I'm just putting it in God's hands! I don't even have medical proof of the pregnancy yet because my first appt isn't until June 4th, but hopefully if it's necessary, we can at least run in there to get the bloodwork and print-out done for that.
So yeah, exhausting, frustrating day yesterday. I do feel like I'm in a world that people don't understand. I'm sure you can guess we're getting raised eyebrows about having another child. Honestly, are people expected to just stop having children because one of their children has special needs or because they have a medical condition that *can* be managed with the right help? I'm already limited by my heart history! I'm not supposed to have children after I turn 30. That's only a couple more years, so more than likely this baby will be our last! So I'm already limited! Yeah, I know some people think 2 is enough, so surely 3 is enough, but admittedly, I'd like 4. Maybe we will adopt a 4th in the future. I don't know. I enjoy so much the blessing and miracle of conception through birth, and I admit I do somewhat feel robbed. I'm already robbed by the c-section thing! But it doesn't make it any less amazing! And having high-demand children may be trying but doesn't make you love them any less. I'm EXTREMELY happy that we'll be having another blessing, and I'm just praying for a healthy pregnancy!
And now, I must tend to the kiddos and get dinner ready! I'm pretty hungry, too! hehe Still not sure what we'll eat, though...
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