My doctor’s office called this morning – great news!
The insurance company approved the appeal and I am allowed to participate in the drug trial. I am SO thankful! What a cost savings for ALL parties involved! YAY!
I will be stopping by my doctor’s office today to pick up the imatinib so that I can start it today.
YAY! Thank you for all of the prayers, well wishes, and good thoughts.
erin
Today my doctor learned why insurance denied my admittance into the trial. My company is self-insured and uses the insurance company to administer the insurance. They wrote a clause into the insurance that specifically states that the insured are not allowed to participate in medical trials. Why? Because trials can cause more harm than good, and insurance companies don’t want to be on the hook for what might come after.
That being said – my trial arm is the SAME drug I will start NO MATTER WHAT. And, to add to that, I will be monitored more closely and the pharmaceutical company pays for the drug – really, a win-win for the insurance company.
Today I also learned why I love my doctor so much. His immediate response was to appeal the insurance company, show the cost benefit analysis for why I should be allowed into the trial, why it’s a benefit for the insurance company, etc. I’m SO thankful to have such wonderful advocates for me at the Rocky Mountain Cancer Center.
I should know by next Monday or Tuesday; if the appeal is rejected, potentially I could appeal myself or simply choose to start the drugs. I really hope I don’t have to make that choice, but we’ll see how it goes!
Anna’s official nickname at 14 months old: Bubby. Even her big sisters call her that now. Very cute. And she acknowledges it. Love.
Anna is 14 months old today. Tonight we sent her to bed with a sippy cup; she was very mad and fell asleep as far away from it as she could – girlfriend loves her bottle, but school is moving her to the next room in a month and we have 30 days to transition her from a bottle to a sippy cup. I wish babies understood. I wish daycare was more flexible with our more lax way of transitioning our kids from one milestone to the next.
I rocked Anna tonight for a while; the hot tears fell heavy on her head. It is hard for me to accept that she is my last baby – the last baby from my womb – and that she’s already 14 months old, and I want her to be a baby a little longer. My heart is broken into a million pieces right now – I thought I had come to terms with not having more children, but every time I see a pregnant woman or a new baby, my heart breaks all over again. Broken, broken, broken. At least I will say, Anna was a good last.
(Note: I say this because I want to be open with my feelings; not so that others tiptoe around me or shut news and life away from me to shield me. Very excited for the babies that my sister-in-law and sister are expecting; at least I will have ones to snuggle!)
About Anna at 14 months old:
Look: Blond hair (curls at the nape of her neck), blue eyes, but going the way of her sister, Raven (more steel / gray / green)
In her mouth: 12 teeth. TWELVE.
Favorite food: Strawberries (recently ousting bananas)
Favorite snuggle toy: Owl blankie
Loves to: Dance, go up and down stairs, snuggle with mom or dad, be chased by big sisters, color with chalk on the kitchen floor, sit at the “big girl table”; crawls like a banshee – she can really move!; pick on Raven (someone in our family FINALLY has the ability to pick on Raven); get in her big sisters business.
Current sizes: 2T/24mo (YES, ACK), size 5 shoe (the 4s decided not to fit this weekend!); can fit into 18 month around the waist, but dresses are too short; size 3 diaper
Word: Uh oh. Still nothing new out of her, though she babbles up a storm.
Loves anything her sisters love; scared of anything her sisters are scared of. Tonight it was the fly. I don’t think Anna ever SAW the fly, but the second the big girls started screaming, she immediately decided whatever it was was tear worthy.
Similar issue with dogs. The big girls are handling small dogs much better now, but they have instilled a fear in Anna. And all animals, really. *sigh*
As started to throw tantrums. Full out, flailing on the floor. They are quite a site. She is giving Raven a run for her money in “expressiveness.”
So glad that this little gal is part of our family – I think when it comes to kids, you never know what you’re missing, until they are in your life. Six years ago I couldn’t imagine my life with three kids; now I cannot imagine my life without them.
Love you, baby girl!
erin
Shout out to the in-laws for the card that drove the theme of today’s post. And a shout out to everyone who has sent cards, emails, FB messages, gifts, etc. – your love is amazing.
Things I do know:
- Anna is 14 months old today. And she shouldn’t be. (Har.) I want to write a post just about her later.
- I was admitted into the drug trial. YAY! When I start, I have been placed under the imatinib drug arm. It is good to know what the drug is and what the potential side effects may be.
- My insurance is refusing my admittance into the drug trial. My doctor has decided to hold off on starting me on a drug hoping that a few more days of pestering the insurance company will get them to cave. This was sad news to hear today. I was supposed to start my drug treatment tomorrow; now I am not.
- I have reached my insurance deductible. I am over halfway to meeting my out-of-pocket max for a single person for one year. Now insurance starts covering % of my bills. Yay, this is good, because I received a bill today for $750 and according to the insurance website, another one should arrive next week for $850. Not yay.
- I am loved. Greatly. Thank you!
Things I don’t know:
- When for sure I’ll start the imatinib.
- What side effects for sure I will have. Hopefully I’ll get over my vanity regarding puffiness quickly, especially if that becomes an actual side effect.
- Why insurance would deny my admittance into the drug trial. What do they care? Are they mad they won’t get drug money out of me? (The drug is free to me for up to 10 years.)
- What I need and when I need it. I have come to accept this and am resting in the knowledge.
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That’s all for now. I came home from work early today; I am not feeling well. Mostly tired. REALLY tired. A lot tired. Nine hours of sleep last night and I slept three hours this afternoon. It scares me that the drugs potentially make me more tired, but I am hopeful. Thankful for a boss who is understanding.
erin
My dear mother-in-law made the baptism gown for my girls, so it seemed fitting for me to make one for someone else. A few months ago my sister asked if I would be willing to make a baptism gown for a friend hers using said friend’s wedding gown, and since I’d never done that before, I said certainly, why not?
This is the result.
Very happy with how it turned out; thankful I was able to reuse the majority of the dress and the applique / beading that was originally on it. I only had to purchase a lining for the skirt. I even reused the zipper from the original dress in the back; no zippers or buttons added! Sweet! All in all, it was an awesome “first gown” project; I thought it would be more difficult than it was, but really, you just commit to destroying a wedding dress and hope that something spectacular results.
I used McCall’s 3063 Baby Baptism Christening Gown, Suit, Romper, Bonnet for the pattern. (For those wondering, yes, after a point, I gave up on the pattern and figured it out the rest of the way “my own way.”)
Erin
Before our lawn died due to severe lack of water (thank you, various leaks in and out of our home), we had flowers.
On 7/5, I had the privilege to see my dear friend, Angela, who was visiting family in Wyoming. Angela and I worked together at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and have been friends since 2001. It is always a treat to see her when she comes out to visit her family – so thankful she was willing to drive down to visit me!
We went to the Butterfly Pavilion; originally I had wanted to go for my birthday, but when I asked Adam if I could go with Adam, he said, “by all means”, MWAA HAA HAA. :)
Here is a sampling of the pictures I took – it was an incredibly cool experience. We had no idea how active the butterflies would be while we were there, but there were butterflies EVERYWHERE. They release new butterflies at 12:30 and 3:30 pm; they receive two shipments a week. Definitely worth a trip if you’re in the area!
Grandma and all her granddaughters:
Grandma and her four kids:
Grandma, her four children, and their spouses:
Grandma, children, spouses, and grandchildren (except for one!):
The Rischette Family (my family!):
SCHROEDER Four generations:
Grandma with Uncle Kirk, Aunt Karen, and Cousins Nicole, Collin, and Lindsay:
Cousin Katie and husband John with their two boys:
The Purple Ladies – Aunt Ardith, Cousins Stephanie, Kristin, and Katie:
Uncle Craig and Aunt Ardith’s family:
Sisters Nicole and Lindsay:
Uncle Kirk and Aunt Karen and family:
Uncle Corey and Aunt Dixie:
The Baby Whisperer (Uncle Cor & Anna – the only person she would let hold her besides mom or dad!):
RISCHETTE Four generations:
More pictures – these deserve a post all to themselves – attempting, and failing, to get a picture of all of the great-grandkids with grandma. Ha!
So maybe not a total failure. They ARE all in the picture. 
June was a very busy month, but I don’t have many pictures that show June.
In the first week of June, I flew to Boston for a class for work. I also found out I have CML. And we left for a trip to WI to celebrate my grandma’s 80th birthday.
Adam’s brother visited soon after, and Julia had her dance recital. (Video on FB – can’t upload here, thank you, Apple and Blogger disliking each other!)
I had a number of doctor visits, and then last Wednesday Adam left for Philadelphia for National Homebrewer’s Conference. I stayed home with a sick baby. Adam came home yesterday, the last day of June.
Gone in a flash!
erin
