Goodbye Kaiser, Hello Sutter Health...

I haven't blogged in weeks and I apologize for that. I've been depressed over a few things and haven't been in the mood to share. Now that things have smoothed over a bit, I'm ready to let you all in. A couple weeks ago I received a phone call from Kaiser informing me that I haven't had insurance since January 1st. WTF?! I couldn't believe my ears. I was under the impression that since I was on a Medical Leave of Absence, DMV was paying for my insurance. Well, apparently they only pay 26 weeks and that was up a long time ago. It was news to me. I would like to have been informed when the insurance ran out! They did, however, offer to let me continue on with coverage for the entire family at a low cost of $1358.71 a month. Again...WTF?! I'm on state disability for heaven's sake, that's not gonna work! So, John got on the phone and switched us over to his insurance, however, his company doesn't offer Kaiser. I was crushed. I couldn't imagine having to change health plans in the middle of chemotherapy treatment! How was I going to say goodbye to Dr. Hui? And the wonderful chemo nurses? Well, like I said, things have smoothed over a bit and I have heard fantastic things about Sutter Health, including what awesome Oncologists they have. So, as of May 1st, we'll be a part of Sutter and I will continue on with my treatment through them. My last visit with Dr. Hui is tomorrow and since my white blood cell count was too low for treatment last week, I will have my final chemo this coming Friday. Although it'll be hard (like change usually is), I'm willing to do it because I know that everything will work out. At first it was hard for me to accept, but I know that it'll be okay.

As for this Saturday, if you're in the area, I would LOVE for you to stop by Ettore's European Bakery & Restaurant where we are putting on a fundraiser to help raise money towards fighting breast cancer. I'm a part of team RAC-PAC that walks in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on May 7th. If you'd like to read about it or see the write-up about ME, then check it out at http://www.ivegotabeefwithcancer.com/ and click on the WHY tab. Jordan and I will be working the door from 3-7 p.m. (or as long as I can handle it considering I'm having treatment the day before). There's a special "pink" menu and if you order from it, 100% of the proceeds go towards fighting the cause!! Special props go out to Sonia for all of her hard work that she puts into it 24/7. You're awesome Sonia, thank you for all you do.

Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie

Top Ten Reasons You May Want to Go Bald...

First of all...I don't know why I'm having such trouble lately with this layout, but I spend a great deal of time going over it and the blog is just squeezing it all together :( Sorry! If you're considering cutting your hair, you may want to read over the ten top reasons I feel that you should go bald instead... (10.) You never have bad hair days! (9.) Never have to worry about covering up the gray! (8.) Save money by using absolutely no hair care products whatsoever (7.) No more bed head (6.) No more hat head (5.) You can put the top down on the convertible without worrying about your hair (4.) No more tangles (3.) No more brushes or combs (2.) You can look like Demi Moore in G.I. Jane! And the top reason for shaving your head...(drum role please)... (1.) You can leave the house with just a little lipstick and sunscreen! Here's to another beautiful day out there! Don't forget your lipstick and sunscreen :) Peace to you all ♥ Love, Genie

Frustration...

John and I went out to lunch with my sister-in-law Monica today and had a wonderful time. I wish I had "moments" like that all day, instead they're scattered throughout my week. When we got home I guess my stomach thought I'd overdone it and decided to bring my lunch right back up :( What a waste of money! If only we could get refunded whenever that happened! But just spending some quality time with Monica was well worth it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The other day I got a notice in the mail from EDD saying that they were giving me my final SDI check because they had been informed that I was no longer disabled. WTF?! Excuse the expression, but are you kidding me? They were kind enough to include a page stating that if this was perhaps not the case, that my doctor would have to fill out this form and turn it back in. As if that's not enough, we're trying to figure out the paperwork for Disability Retirement and if you've ever done that before, you know what a huge headache it is. It's not just a little form to fill out, it's doctor's forms, work forms, tons of questions relating to beneficiaries, etc. and it's SO confusing. We're going to walk into CalPers and hopefully they'll be able to help us with all of our questions. Just because I go and get this horrible disease and cannot work as much as they want me to I have no choice but to be out on a Medical Leave of Absence (MLOA). Well, in order to pay for my benefits (which I obviously need) they're "loaning" me money by setting up an Accounts Receivable at work. When my MLOA is over, then I'll have to pay it all back! Since we're not made of money and there's no way I can just continue on like that, we've decided to go with the Disability Retirement option. Of course they don't make anything easy and now I've got this crap to deal with. I'm sorry, I'm just a little frustrated at this point. I'm not the one who ever wanted to stop working in the first place and now it's as if I'm being punished for having cancer :( Not fair. Okay, I'm finished. No more whining. Together we'll figure it out and get the paperwork filled out and turned in. But in the meantime, if anyone happens to have a magic wand, I would love to borrow it :) Peace to you ♥ Love, Genie