Holding Fire
I had an idea for a funny post.
Then I got a call that made the idea of writing something funny impossible.
So I wrote an angry post.
Then I talked with a person I trust at work who said maybe I should hold up on publishing that angry post, because gears are in motion and maybe my angry post would stop those gears.
So I’m holding fire, for now.
But there’s still no way I could write anything funny right now. It’s been years and years since I’ve been so angry.
I’ll write again when I can. Not sure when.
PS: For those of you who follow me on Twitter, yes, it’s about this and this.
Comment by Susie H | 07.23.2012 | 10:35 am
So, so sorry, Elden…
Comment by Doug (Way upstate NY) | 07.23.2012 | 10:37 am
Yikes. Hope it improves quickly.
Comment by blair | 07.23.2012 | 10:37 am
preeeeetty sure this isn’t about frank schleck
(oh wait. can i still be funny?)
Comment by Brian in VA | 07.23.2012 | 10:38 am
Never email, blog post, or shave when you’re angry.
This PSA brought to you by Edge shaving gel.
Comment by Mark J. in Dallas | 07.23.2012 | 10:43 am
Someone’s got a case of the “Mondays”
Comment by K | 07.23.2012 | 10:45 am
need a hug?
Comment by Janet B | 07.23.2012 | 11:00 am
I hope those gears keep moving in your favor.
Comment by GenghisKhan | 07.23.2012 | 11:01 am
Ah, dealing with insurance… If we had a nickel for every story we had to tell, we could start our own insurance company. (Hmmm…)
Good luck and definitely go for a ride! Perhaps you can channel energy into a Strava KOMof Clark’s?
Comment by Jouni | 07.23.2012 | 11:07 am
Hang in there man…http://www.27bslash6.com/sad.html
Comment by Luc | 07.23.2012 | 11:14 am
Hi Fatty,
I also blasted Cigna on twitter last week. I can’t understand that such a large insurance company would be so concerned about dollars that they’d be of no help to their customers when these customers are fighting a battle against cancer.
And I’m even more baffled by the fact that Cigna doesn’t even take good care of its own employees. Their corporate wellness and fitness department is so ineffective, it might as well be non existent.
Regional managers shouldn’t have to use their own money to pay outside fitness consultants to give their employees health and fitness advice, and to put together a program to get employees to move around the office.
On a lighter note, yesterday was my grandma’s 97th birthday. We kicked ‘butt’ at the gym together, but I did all the heavy lifting.
Comment by centurion | 07.23.2012 | 11:25 am
As a parent, all I can say is don’t give up, keep fighting.
Comment by Fat Cathy | 07.23.2012 | 11:25 am
There is nothing on this planet more maddening than dealing with a health insurance company. Strength to you, my friend.
Comment by mhm | 07.23.2012 | 11:29 am
Sad that profits now take precedence over healthcare. Keep fighting the madness knowing many of us are doing the same.
Comment by Kent E | 07.23.2012 | 11:40 am
That Sucks!, Sorry Fatty.
Comment by Joel H | 07.23.2012 | 11:43 am
Sorry to hear. It is for reasons like this that my wife does all the dealings with insurance companies. I simply cannot tolerate it; I go from 0 to ballistic in milliseconds.
It is a good thing she is a better person than I.
Hang in there.
Comment by Bill G | 07.23.2012 | 11:44 am
Let’s fight this disease as hard as we fight cancer (fighting both is very important) and maybe the dopes at the insurance company will see depression as the very real disease that it is.
Comment by Gillian | 07.23.2012 | 12:09 pm
I also have Cigna. There is nothing good about Cigna. But yeah – it’s a good idea to hold your post a day. I think you, in your position, have the potential to say some real things about health care in this country – both because you have a wide audience, and because you have experienced way more health care ups and downs than anybody should. If you do it with a cool head, it’ll be way more strategic and effective, and could have real impact. If you choose to leave it lie, and focus on what you normally do, then it won’t serve. And if you later decide you deserve an angry rant, at least you’ll have slept on it.
Thus endeth my Words of Wisdom. And also- I’m sorry. I’ve had this fight more times than I can count – with Cigna, United, all of them.
Comment by Superstantial | 07.23.2012 | 12:25 pm
Health insurance companies are complete crap when it comes to mental health care. This is where the the problems of a for-profit health provision system crash right into our continued bias against treating mental health seriously.
Good luck, and, while I’m sure it doesn’t count for much, I hope you know there’s lot’s of people out there hoping for a good outcome.
Comment by BamaJim | 07.23.2012 | 12:38 pm
Praying for a good outcome….
Comment by Kari | 07.23.2012 | 12:41 pm
My own battle with the same disease was answered by my own medical coverage with the equivulent of “here, have some drugs but you get nothing else.” Anyone who has everdealt with the disease know that, like most cancers, it requires a multi-faceted treatment plan and such plans are never One Size Fits All. Hang in there and know that you are not alone in this.
Comment by Kari | 07.23.2012 | 12:48 pm
…Even if all we can do in the immediate moment is offer a sympathetic ear and let you vent whenever you need. I hope everything shifts in your favor very soon
Comment by Heidi | 07.23.2012 | 12:52 pm
You’re a great dad, Fatty.
Comment by a chris | 07.23.2012 | 1:19 pm
Wish I could say or do something helpful. Hoping the wheels are turning in the direction of progress.
Comment by Bo-be-wan-kan-o-be | 07.23.2012 | 1:26 pm
More of us understand than you can imagine, which is a sad statement in itself. My 21 y.o. son battles paranoid/schizophrenia and the mental health facilities and insurance are for C**P. He’s “covered” (and I use the term loosely) by Blue Cross/Blue Shield, who, I will point out, were outstanding for me through cancer surgeries, radiation and chemo. I used to think poor mental health services was a North Carolina problem only. But find our country has slim to none real mental health concerns and serious treatment. I know your pain and that of those who suffer the maladies of these illnesses. Cigna is just one of many (all?) health insurance cos. who give short shrift to mental illness.
Our heart is out to you, your family and especially to your child.
Comment by Kukui | 07.23.2012 | 1:49 pm
I’m sorry, Fatty.
Insurance companies are the devil… especially when it comes to mental health issues. But, that’s okay because they’ll pay buckets to temporarily fix the erectile disfunction of the guy sitting next to you!
I know my mom had the damnedest time getting my depression treated, and it finally came to us just “winging it” which was not fun. For anyone who came within like a mile of us.
I wish I could offer more advice/support than that. :( ::hugs::
Comment by eclecticdeb | 07.23.2012 | 5:06 pm
My Mom suffered most of her life with depression, to the point of being committed twice (in those days it was called “nervous breakdown”). Each time she was miraculously cured and deemed okay to go home, on the same day the insurance coverage ran out for her treatment.
My son has addiction issues stemming from his ADD that aren’t covered. But if he chose drugs or gambling as an escape from his ADD, he’d receive intensive treatment not only for the addiction, but also for the ADD. Now? Not so much (other than a bottle of pills).
I feel so badly for you, but even worse for your son. Good Luck, and know that there are lot’s of people sending positive vibes your way.
Comment by Laura S | 07.24.2012 | 9:03 am
So sorry you and your family are going through this Eldon! In this day and age, doctors and patients are, many times, at the mercy of the insurance companies, whose sole motive is increasing profits. Keep fighting. One of these days, we will get the political will together to change this system to one where the priority is health care rather than profit taking.