Venting...Medical Leave...

I had a follow up appointment with my doctor yesterday.  I asked several questions to the nurse about the process and how/when I will get a surgery date, etc.  My last appointment for my 6-month insurance requirement will be on Jan. 8th (yay!) and they will submit it the next day to insurance.  The nurse stated that since Jan. is a slow month, sometimes they hear back the next day!  She went on to say that BCBS has been getting back to them within 3-5 days in normal cases.  Although, if they want more documentation, this might cause a delay.  They nurse stated that I might want to go ahead and tell my employer (I am a teacher), so that I can get things in place to be out during that time.

I told my employer that I will be out on medical leave in February, but maybe as early as mid January.  Because it is going to be more than 2 weeks, I will need to get the paperwork together to prepare for a certified sub.  Schools like to have these certified subs in place because they are harder to get.... due to all the new mommies... ( Do not drink the water at an elementary school!  We normally have around 8 maternity leaves in a school year!!)  :)  They asked if I could get a more defined date so they can put a certified sub on the schedule.  A plus to doing this is that it will often be a teacher that knows our school and how it operates, may stop by prior to the leave and get to know students, etc.

With that information, I called back my surgeon's office.  They stated that they will not make a surgery date (not even a dummy date****il I have approval with my insurance.  I explained why and the lady stated, "Don't worry, they will find someone...they always do."  She also stated that I might not even have my surgery until March..."then what will your school do?"

I know that both are just doing their jobs, but I sure do feel like a punching bag.  This is a very stressful time....I have been through almost 7 months with requirements from my insurance (another punch!).  I am at the end of this pre-op process and I just want to be as prepared as possible for work so that I won't have that to worry about when I am recovering.

Thanks for listening!

I am part of a team of three in a specialized hospital department that has no back up. Because of the nature of my job, we always coordinate our schedules to not overlap vacation times or holidays. I purposefully set my surgery date with plenty of time to ensure that everything was covered. I let my employer know in late August that my surgery date was tentatively going to be mid-October. When I had insurance approval in mid-September, I submitted my FMLA paperwork. Just because your surgeon's office can schedule the surgery earlier does not mean that it will work for you. Have them submit to the insurance, and then you will have a limited amount of time (maybe a month?) to schedule the surgery. I would speak with the surgeon directly. It is amazing how they can influence their own staff.

You are stressing yourself out over something that you cannot do anything about.  You cannot control how long it takes for insurance approval (which could be very quick, could be a couple of weeks, or could require an appeal and therefore take longer), nor can you control your surgeon's schedule ((s)he might be scheduling surgeries for only two weeks out from approval right now, but might be scheduling 4 weeks out from approval in a couple of weeks), nor can you control the availability of subs.

Just take a deep breath and relax.  It will all work out one way or another.  If you are really that concerned about making sure the school has an adequate substitute, you could delay your surgery (once you get it approved) to allow them additional time to line someone up.  

Lora

Good luck getting things worked out.  I'm a teacher also (high school), and we don't have any specific paperwork or time requirements for a certified sub.  They just put the word out and see who is interested.  I was out for two weeks and then came back, but that was with teenagers.  Depending on how young your kids are, I would've needed another week or two.

Thank you for your input and allowing me to vent.  

When I started this process, I originally had planned for summer 2014 and then I got hurt and missed one month of insurance requirements.  Then I started the process over again and thought I could schedule it around spring break.  The closer I get to fulfilling the insurance requirements, the more anxious I get.  I want to be on the other side....

I am an over planner and like to have everything to be organized, copied, etc. prior to being out.  If I am going to be out for 4 weeks in late Jan., I need to start now so I can enjoy the holidays....lol.

I asked my surgeon about only taking 2 weeks off and he came back with 4-6 weeks.  He then said to plan on 4 weeks and if I feel better after 3 he will release me early.

Are you having open surgery rather than laparoscopic surgery?  I ask because 4-6 weeks is much more than usual for lap surgery (and the vast majority of people these days have lap surgery).

Lora

I am having lap surgery.  I am not sure why he said 4-6 weeks.  Maybe because my job requires me to be on my feet the entire day??  Not sure?  He did say that if I am feeling well that I can be released by 3 weeks.

Yeah that is odd. My surgeon said 2 to 4 for lap and 6 for open.

I know you're eager to get surgery, but you also have the rest of your life to live as a professional.   I'm a corporate trainer, and understand the need to plan for your absence.  I opted to schedule my surgery 6 weeks out from my approval to take advantage to the optimal time for my absence (winter holidays - impossible to get everyone trained because of time off).  If they are saying that you may not get there until March - why not just plan on having the sub in March?  If they can get you in January - you can still request a March date.  It will keep you in good standing with the school and give you peace of mind.  What's a couple of months in a lifetime of better health?