Heroes In Panama & Prayers Needed

I'm back in Tampa! The flight home was pretty much uneventful. We left on time and landed early. I was quite nervous on take-off and landing, of course. Upon landing in Tampa I had the headset on that they give you on the plane. You can choose different radio stations and I had been flipping through various genres and as I was landing I came across the Celtic Women singing "How Can I Keep From Singing". Watching the lights of Tampa, knowing I was almost home, knowing my husband was on this mission that I just can't understand how he's been moved to do to help my sister, and hearing that angelic voice.... it just brought me to tears. It was a good flight.

Chris brought Julie up to the Twelve Oaks Recovery and things there have not gone so well. Her insurance, Tricare, now wonders if Julie's problem is Psychiatric or Substance Abuse. Twelve Oaks program is for Substance Abuse. I think Julie's problem is a good mix of both. Undoubtedly she abuses medications. But, does she do so because she is mentally ill? Or is her mental illness much worse because of the massive doses of medications? Who's to say really?

All I know is that Julie abuses medications like nobody I've ever seen. She doctor shops. She takes medication to sleep, to wake up, to poop, to stop pooping, to feel happy, to stop feeling so happy, she takes medications that makes her hands shake, then medications to stop making her hands shake. Taking Tylenol or Advil never crosses her mind when she's got access to Percocet or Morphine. Even the doctors have told me that she abuses medications. Those same doctors have turned around and given her medications. Funny.

What was supposed to happen was Chris and Michelle were going to drop Julie off at Twelve Oaks and come home. When they arrived however, they were told that they needed to wait an hour until Julie underwent "pre-certification". They talked to Julie for an hour or so to get a "history".

After this history, Twelve Oaks called Tricare and this is when Tricare told them that they didn't think she met the criteria of a substance abuser.

This is when Chris really stepped in. He could probably tell this story better, but I'll try. Chris goes in to talk to the people. He wants to know how it's possible that they could possibly feel this way. He said, "Jeez, she snuck Ativan into Memorial hospital because she needed a fix there, isn't that abuse?" The admissions person said Julie didn't tell them about that.

Then Chris said "What about all of her overdoses? I mean, how can she take 500 prescription pills and nobody think that she has a prescription pill problem??" They said... "She overdosed??"

It became apparent that Julie had not been truthful with them in her meeting.

I should point out here that Julie is not the same Julie that was at my house a couple weeks ago. Dr. Vijapuri has her medicated again, and he has her on TWENTY DIFFERENT PRESCRIPTIONS a day again. Not pills, prescriptions. Every day. She is slurred, unfocused, and just not herself. She slept 7 hours in the car on the way up to Twelve Oaks. Poor thing. Again, I don't think this is Julie's fault. This doctor always medicates her TREMENDOUSLY. Then she gets addicted and can't function without pills.

So, Chris presses Julie further about what she did and didn't tell them. He said, "What about her Ativan? How many a day did she tell you that she takes?" Well, Julie told them that her bottle said to take 2 a day and sometimes she takes 3. Nobody believes that... She takes way more than 3 Ativan a day. She admitted to that.

Then he said "What about her Xanax?" They said that her bottle said to take "As needed" which means she can take them whenever she thinks she needs them. Not good. So, you can't abuse this medication?? Chris said to Julie: "Julie, how many BOTTLES of Xanax do you have in your home right now?" Julie said "Fifteen". FIFTEEN??? Then he said: "Of those 15 bottles, how many different doctors prescribed them?" Julie replied: "Four". But... Julie doesn't think that's a problem, you see. Fifteen bottles. Four doctors. Not a problem?

Chris told them that he really felt that Julie was in denial about her problem and that any history that she gave them would have been inconsistent with the truth. The truth is: Julie has a problem. She abuses medication. She doesn't know how to cope with problems without popping a pill or cutting herself.

They had asked if any of Julie's abuse was documented and Chris told them about my blog. They asked if he could print it so that they could read it. He told them it would be too many pages and many pages would be irrelevant to Julie's prescription problem. But he told her that she could pull up the page (gave her the address) and just do a search on the page for key words such as "Overdose" or "slurred" or "Slurring" or "Medication" or even "Ativan or Xanax or Percocet". She agreed to try and pull up some history from the page. This might help convince Tricare... Who knows.

Julie's mental illness has opened a door that has allowed doctors to come in and overmedicate her and has allowed her easy access to medications that she otherwise probably could never have been given. I understand Tricare's hesitation at not wanting to put a label on this whole thing as "Substance Abuse". I totally get that. But - it's a piece to a big puzzle. For sixteen years Tricare has been dumping hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars into treatment that has NOT WORKED for Julie. Why continue to do the same? As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Julie's prescriptions and hospitalizations have cost Tricare upwards of a million dollars over the years. Maybe if they get her OFF all of the addictive medications she can then clearly focus on getting herself better. Which of course means saving money in the long run, right?

Oh geez. You know what? Now I feel really bad. Julie had asked me if I thought she should go to Memorial Hospital back when she was doing so well. She wanted to get in and get some treatment that she had put off back when she had refused it. I told her it was a good idea. Now.... Now she is back with Dr. Vijapuri on massive doses of medications which have robbed her of her clarity and her mental focus. And I told her I thought she should go. Geez... I really hope Twelve Oaks keeps her and can make her better.

Oh, continuing that story....

So, they wondered if Julie was in denial. They are going to do a medical work-up on her today and call Tricare again and try to talk them into approving treatment. This threw a wrench into a lot of things.... Chris and Michelle had to get hotel rooms to stay over and wait to see if approved and they could come home today without Julie or she was denied and they take her home today. Chris misses another day of work today. Also, Amanda and Gene were to come over today to celebrate his birthday (their day off) but since he won't be here till late tonight, they cancelled. Michelle had a training day today and she had to cancel that trip as well.

All this comes at a time when we really can't afford it. Literally. Chris's birthday, Thanksgiving next week is at my house and I'm supposed to be cooking dinner. Christmas is in a month. Oh Lordy. Two days off work and an unplanned stay in a hotel is not what we need. The last thing we need actually. I'll probably going to end up doing a payday advance before this week is over. I HATE those things. They just stick it to you, ya know?

And I hate even typing that I'm worried about this kind of thing. Chris and Michelle are absolute ANGELS - angels without wings who drove Julie all the way up to Pensacola. They are heroes, who have put her needs above their own.

I'd like to ask for a favor please. Could you all please say some strong prayers today? Say bigtime prayers for Julie... That she will be able to get treatment at Twelve Oaks. That is the most important prayer of all. She needs something. And, if it isn't God's plan for her to get into Twelve Oaks, then pray for Julie to handle things okay when she returns home. Just - big prayers y'all, okay? And while you are praying, please say a quick one that things with us go okay financially. I really am quite worried. I should have faith that God will provide. I think I will go pray about that now....

"That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon and all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it's own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Matthew 6:25-34