UPDATE! I know, I know. It's been a long time. But that can be good. That means that Lulu is healthy. But what is not healthy is our health insurance issues. Here's an update on what we have been dealing with lately. When Lulu was diagnosed in August of 2005 of primary care provider felt that she needed a specialist and sent her to have her tumor removed at UCI with CHOC doctors. Awesome. Succuss. CHOC wanted to keep her (who wouldn't) and admit her right away but our insurance contracts with The City of Hope. This ended up being the best option for Lu. So since then Lu has continued care with City of Hope and Dr. Anderson. It will be almost 4 years now since diagnosis. Well, in Novemeber Lulu's primary care network decided that she was healthy enough that they could take care of her from now on and that they can handle her cancer screenings from here on out and they want her to see their in-house oncologist, the same doctor who referred her out on the first place. WRONG!!!!!! As a parent I am not inclined to hand over my daughter to the very doctor who handed her over to someone else. I don't feel confident in their ability to care for her medical needs. They do not know her at all. She has been nothing more than a chart. A paper that he just signs. He has never even met her.
I'm not sure if they are starting to feel thing economic crunch and want their money to stay in house but they better pick someone else. You don't decide 3 1/2 years later that you can just take a child away from the doctor and nurses that she has become so comfortable with. It took 2 years of psychotherapy to get Lulu to be able to walk into the City of Hope and not have a panic attack and now you want to just to rip her away from that. Yeah...not happening on my watch.
So we have gone around and around with them on this. We have appealed and appealed and been denied. It's so frustrating as a parent. On one hand, I am beyond blessed to have a child that is healthy...right now. On the other hand, they couldn't diagnose her when she was sick, why would I want her care in their hands again. AAAAHHHHH.
So, we are trying every option that we can. This week we are trying a new pediatrician all together. This pediatrician's office came highly recommended from the City of Hope for referrals and should be easy to work with. They don't even have an in-house oncologist so that should make it much easier. Please be in prayer this week that this doctor would be willing to take on Lulu's case and refer us out so that she can continue to receive the highest level of care. Also, be in prayer for our friend Charlie. She is having this same problem. Same network in Riverside. Same patient at City of Hope. Way different cancer. Her case is much more severe and she having WAY worse problems then we are.
We see this new doctor on Thursday. I'll try and update again.
WE STILL MISS OUR DEAR SWEET TIMMAREE
