Health Insurance Switch: Where Will it Lead Me?

This week has been a very tough one. Through a series of errors and miscommunications, I found out I was going to have to switch health  insurance coverage at the end of the month - which was only ten days away!

I’ve been with the same HMO since I was born. I’m not so much loyal to them because of the incredible quality of service they provide, but because how I have things set up. I have an incredible internist I deeply respect who is quick to respond and always willing to let me try a treatment or get a referral. I have a medication regimen that has been working well for me (there are always flare-ups which upset the balance of things, but not so often as in the past).

I’m scared and a little freaked out. How am I going to find another doctor who is even half as good as my current internist? What will I do if that new doctor will not agree to prescribe the pain medications I am on, or not let me stick with all the other meds I feel are working for me? What if I don’t feel trust or feel comfortable with him/her? How do I pick a new doctor from a list when I am leaving such a great relationship with the one I’ve got now?

Not only am I contemplating those questions, but I only have ten days to try to gather all the health records I need from two different hospitals so I can give them to whichever new doctor I choose in order to get my next prescription refills on time. No physician is going to give me meds without seeing the appropriate records. It’s confusing figuring out where to go, which forms to fill out, deciding how many years back I need from my records, what x-rays and other scans, and then figure out how much it will cost and how long it will take to get it all together.  

On top of all this, in December my pain specialist who had treated me for eleven years with monthly acupuncture, fantastic support, and medical guidance accepted a position at Dartmouth University. I was in such shock; she knew my body better than I did. For a brief moment, I considered following her across the country to New Hampshire. How was I going to manage my pain without her monthly care?

All this is making my head spin. I have to keep telling myself to take a deep breath and try to focus on something positive in this scary situation. Could this be a ‘Godwink’ in disguise? (You can read about what a Godwink is here: Follow the ‘ Winks’ along your Life’s Path) 

Maybe this crazy situation is leading me to a better place that I would not have chosen to go on my own. Is this the right door opening to a new direction in treatment of my chronic pain? I have to hold on to the hope that the answer is ‘yes’  and that there is a great doctor waiting to take on the challenge of treating me.

All I can do is continue along this path and see where it leads. 
To be continued... wish me luck!