Nu? (And you?)

So, what's new? Same old same old here. My thoughts are more tangential than whole, more suitable for Facebook than a blog post. Things on my mind:

1. Called in a prescription refill, which my insurance wouldn't cover because they only cover one pill per day, and my doctor had increased it to one and a half pills per day. I know, the nerve of doctors, increasing prescriptions! So I called my insurance, and they said I needed prior authorization from my doctor. So I called my doctor and a snippy nurse took a message, but wouldn't take the number of the prior authorization phone line that the insurance company had given me. So I emailed my doctor the additional information. Then I went to pick up my prescription, intending to pay for it out of pocket for this month until things got worked out with my doctor and my insurance, minus a AAA discount the pharmacy told me about when I returned their call initially. So last night I go work out at the gym (by myself with no trainer, no class, nothing) and then stop by the pharmacy's drive-thru. After the tech finds my medication, I hand him my AAA card and my debit card. He asks me if I want to run an errand, because it is going to take some time JUST TO RUN THE AAA CARD. Since my experience at this pharmacy is less than optimal (they regularly lose or my prescriptions), and there is some potentially interesting television on, I decide to screw it and pay for it without the AAA card.
2. Sam has been using a voice output device by a company called Dynavox at school. It's a older version, but he's picked it up pretty quickly, and it has been great for helping him to interact with the kids in his typical first grade classroom. Unfortunately, it is a loaner (we are "renting" it to try it out prior to purchasing) and the lease is up in less than a week. The school has told me that the plan is to "try out" a couple more devices to see which one works best, and then make a recommendation to purchase something. The delay means he will be transitioning a few times, each time after he gets comfortable with a device and then has to get used to a new one. Plus, the first type has been working well, and I heard through the grapevine that device number two is crap. So it sounds like several months of wasted time just to figure out that we liked the first one and then have to jump through all the hoops required to try to purchase one (they are several thousand dollars). Financially and administratively, I see the benefit of trying different rental devices and then making an educated decision, but as the parent of a child who doesn't tolerate change well, and is already having success with the first device which will soon be returned/exchanged, I am torn. I want it all for him, and I want it now!
3. Plus, we had a series of six appointments set up with a speech therapist in Children's Hospital's Augmented Communication program. The appointments were supposed to start today, and Sam's one-on-one teacher, Mrs. H, was going to come, so we could all get help on how to best support him in using technology. I was particularly excited to show the speech therapist the work Sam and I have been doing at home on the computer. In addition, there is some software we bought through the program at Children's that we need help in setting up, and i had intended to bring it with us today. Yesterday we got a call that they FORGOT to get the prior authorization required by insurance and so we would need to cancel our appointment and reschedule. Mrs. H told me she even wore non-jeans! The worst part is that M and I have plans to attend an autism symposium next week where Temple Grandin is one of the keynotes, and won't be able to do the speech appointment then either.
4. So, in conclusion, Sam and I have been doing a bunch of work, but I need help in expanding on what we are doing, and the delay is frustrating. I had a conference today with Sam's (typical) first grade teacher, and she said how well Sam is doing, thanks in part to the device, which she calls The Box.
   

Well, I guess I had more to say than I thought. The Little Person has been, as one of his teacher describes it "ornery" this week, not to mention tired. Welcome to my world. The good news is that Pop will be out of town and so The Little Person is having a sleepover this weekend at Gram's! In spite of it all, I have actually gotten a few things done this week, so I'm feeling okay. Looking forward to a date night with M and The Lovely Neighbors...go Bruins!