A Day in my Life

6 a.m.
I actually don’t have to be up until 7 a.m. but this is when Bryan’s series of alarms start. He needs the repeated alarms to get out of bed every day. The first one rang at 6:00, he hit snooze and the second alarm came at 6:05. He hit snooze again. Sometimes he might get up on the third alarm but usually, it’s not until the fourth. I laid there wishing I could sleep until my alarm goes off at 7:00. His legs ache every morning. He is stiff so he has to move around through the series of alarms until he drags himself out of bed.

He showered while I threw a pillow over my head to try and drown out the sounds. I am not a morning person. My alarm finally rang and Bryan brought a cup of caffeine to my bedside table. I smile every morning when he brings it because he is doing something sweet for me - a huge step for someone with TBI/PTSD. We met in the kitchen where he ate breakfast and I watched him pour out his pills and take them.

He has another sinus infection and a horrible cough so today he took another pill that isn’t in his normal collection. He develops bronchitis every three to four months now. Before his injury, he rarely became sick.
Bryan has been having some issues with his PTSD so we were off to the doctor. He needed to be seen, soon. I was surprised they worked him in since he called several months ago to talk about these issues and the earliest appointment was months later. The VA is always so backlogged that you can’t expect a quick appointment. It was comforting that they worked him in so quickly.

We arrived at the VA outpatient clinic at 7:45 for his 8:00 and checked in.

They asked about his job and insurance carriers. They copied his Tricare and Medicare cards. We thought this was strange since the VA should cover his care and not worry about what other insurance he has.

We headed down to the purple team hallway after a series of lefts and rights. Bryan reminded me that it was confusing the first time he came because he couldn’t remember how many lefts and rights he was supposed to take. I made a mental note to e-mail his case manager later to remind her of this and suggest that they post signs on the wall to direct the veterans.

We sat in the waiting area and talked.

Once we were called in to the psychiatrist’s office, we realized we were not seeing Bryan’s normal doctor since it is a last-minute appointment. She spent about five minutes going over his symptoms and told him to go up on one of his meds and in two weeks go down on another. She refilled his meds and sent us home with instructions for the new dosages.

Noon
I returned home and received flowers from a friend of mine. She is so thoughtful. She knew we were having a rough week and wanted to cheer me up. I am so blessed by the amazing women that support me.

I opened my computer and responded to a few emails for Operation Homefront’s Wounded Warrior Wives.

I checked the Wounded Warrior Wives facebook page and responded to some of our amazing caregivers and posted a new topic. I watched as they responded and shared information with each other. I am blessed with the opportunity to work with the most amazing women.

I received an email from Healing Heroes Network. They are a great organization that helps wounded warriors with treatment needs that aren’t covered by the VA or other insurances. I needed to email back a HIPPA release and a copy of the large statement we received from the University of Tennessee that my husband and I are currently appealing with Tricare for non-payment.

7 p.m.
Our dog Trixie was at the window, waiting for her daddy to come home. Trixie and Bryan have a special bond and she is very healing for him. Bryan always wanted his own dog so we adopted her the day after he was medically retired.

8 p.m.
I finished our day with a healthy meal and Bryan retreated to the basement with Trixie. I worked on my computer and watched some TV. Bryan coughed so much through the night that he slept in the basement in an upright position to help with the congestion.

At the end of every day, I reflect on what a wonderful support group I have. Even though they don’t live here, they support me from afar. I always try to find a way to melt away the stress from a large hospital bill looming over my head or when I see my husband in pain. I think some days it is hectic and hard to stay positive but I know that I am blessed my wounded warrior is still here with me today.

Another Battle

We have entered another battle.

Bryan has been using hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to help treat his TBI. The therapy administers high pressure oxygen to help the blood flow in his brain. And, it’s working.

Bryan has better memory function, fewer PTSD episodes, less impulsiveness and better brain function. Still, his improvement does not seem good enough to justify the insurance companies paying for it.

Medicare denied the $9,0000 claim for HBOT. Now, Tricare is denying the claim as well even though they said they would pay once Medicare denied it. The hospital has appealed it as far as they can and they told us that the patient needed to appeal it now.

I’ve mailed his appeal paperwork but we are still receiving bills - $9,000 worth that is due now. We have another $20,000 in outstanding bills from the therapy. We don’t have that kind of money lying around. I know for a fact that Tricare paid for this same treatment for another wounded warrior. Why are they discriminating against my husband? Why are they making us fight? I am so tired.

This is our first appeal with Tricare and luckily another wounded warrior wife who has done this many times before is helping out. We couldn't be more thankful for the guidence.

What I don’t understand though is that even though my husband has three insurance companies covering him not one wants to pay for a therapy that works? The HBOT gives him gains that he has never made with pills or therapy.

I just hope we can get this worked out as soon as possible. I am so stressed over this and it isn’t healthy. I know it is stressing Bryan out too even though he doesn’t really have to deal with the paperwork issues.

I feel that the insurance companies want to cause families stress. I feel that they don’t want these warriors to make gains by thinking outside the normal box for treatment. I feel they want to waste time and money in appeals and make it a difficult trying process for families.

If Tricare does not pay for these services we could be in long term financial ruin. I need prayers, hope, the will to keep pushing, and patience. Luckily, I don’t give up so easily. So now, I will put on my proverbial boxing gloves and get this taken care of.