Things have straightened out with the insurance company but not without me making about 3 hours worth of calls to various involved parties. As it turns out, the medical reviewer who denied the surgery when Children’s Memorial called didn’t have all the PAPERWORK! The problem is that there are too many people involved due to our lovely, efficient health care system! I didn’t know what paperwork had been sent b/c Dr. Marcus’ office takes care of all that and when Dr. Patel called me from Chicago he made it seem like a lost cause with “Who should I send the skull model to? Do you want it?”. That was an alarming question just a few days before the surgery! So we are gearing up for our trip and thinking about how the surgery will affect Ella.
Also, we’re wondering how hard it is going to be trying to manage with Netta while Ella’s recoverying. Ella is doing very well now. Making progress walking and much of her vocalizing has returned. She so easy going and so happy. It’s hard to think of her being in pain. Hopefully, any pain, difficulty and setback will be worth it in the long run. I really hope the surgery makes a difference for her. I guess I’ve resigned myself to the fact that she will never look completely normal. The most we can hope for is less assymetry and no regrowth. I think those are tall orders with her condition.