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a good news/bad news sort of morning
+ It turns out the zapping-with-electrodes machine that was so miraculous in the TMJ-pain-relief area a few weeks ago at the dentist is indeed available (in a smaller and simpler version, of course) for home use.
- My insurance does not cover it as Durable Medical Equipment. My insurance does cover DME, mind you, but the zappy machine (technically a TENS unit) is specifically excluded.
+ It seems that the cost of such a thing is not up around $600 as my dentist suggested, but more in the sort of $75-$100 area.
- I thought I had new, very very stompy, upstairs neighbors (my old, extremely-quiet, I-only-know-they-have-a-dog-because-I-can-hear-its-claws-on-the-hardwood neighbors having stealthily moved away a few weeks ago).
+ But it turned out it was just the painters and refinishers or whoever they are taking away what I assume is the last of their spackle and primer and things, because how long can it possibly take to do the between-tenant work on a smallish two-bedroom apartment with no carpets in it?
? I have a blind date (side note: should there not be a better term for this?) tonight, for the first time in [years (date)|possibly ever (blind)]. You'd think a person would know if she'd ever been on a blind date before, but here's the thing, I know there was some talk about a friend of mine setting me up with another friend of hers in high school, and I just don't remember if anything ever came of it. Obviously nothing long-term, and given that it was more than fifteen years ago, it probably doesn't matter if anything short-term came of it either. So I'm not really sure how it's done.
- The special bite guard the dentist says will sort out my jaw and make my TMJ issues a thing of the past is not covered at all by my dental insurance. This is a bigger letdown than expected, even, because the dentist's office called yesterday to say they'd spoken to the insurance, who had said they covered 100% of "normal and customary" fees but wouldn't tell them what was "normal and customary" for this appliance, i.e. how much I'd be on the hook for; and when I spoke to the insurance they clarified that "normal and customary" is PPO language and I have the HMO, so they'd be happy to look up my co-pay, which ... yeah, that thing isn't an eligible benefit at all. Worst of all, it's not actually the insurance's fault - there are plans under which they do cover it, but my employer, the great State of Maryland, has specifically excluded this thing that I need.
- Yesterday was an okay TMJ day but a very bad TMJ evening. About half an hour after I got home my head started to hurt and then kept hurting badly enough that I called off rehearsal - too late, of course, for them to know about it beforehand, but hopefully my section leader will get my e-mail today and I'll be excused - which may cost me a solo, not that I think I was a serious contender for it, but now when I don't get it I'll never know if it was because I wasn't there last night, when I was too miserable to drive, much less sing.
- - - While it's nice that the $600 zappy machine might actually be as little as $75, this is more than overbalanced by the fact that the bite guard, for which I will now be paying out of pocket, as one does when something one needs is not covered by one's insurance, is $1900 (that is not a typo).
Fuck it. I'm going to a meeting.
- My insurance does not cover it as Durable Medical Equipment. My insurance does cover DME, mind you, but the zappy machine (technically a TENS unit) is specifically excluded.
+ It seems that the cost of such a thing is not up around $600 as my dentist suggested, but more in the sort of $75-$100 area.
- I thought I had new, very very stompy, upstairs neighbors (my old, extremely-quiet, I-only-know-they-have-a-dog-because-I-can-hear-its-claws-on-the-hardwood neighbors having stealthily moved away a few weeks ago).
+ But it turned out it was just the painters and refinishers or whoever they are taking away what I assume is the last of their spackle and primer and things, because how long can it possibly take to do the between-tenant work on a smallish two-bedroom apartment with no carpets in it?
? I have a blind date (side note: should there not be a better term for this?) tonight, for the first time in [years (date)|possibly ever (blind)]. You'd think a person would know if she'd ever been on a blind date before, but here's the thing, I know there was some talk about a friend of mine setting me up with another friend of hers in high school, and I just don't remember if anything ever came of it. Obviously nothing long-term, and given that it was more than fifteen years ago, it probably doesn't matter if anything short-term came of it either. So I'm not really sure how it's done.
- The special bite guard the dentist says will sort out my jaw and make my TMJ issues a thing of the past is not covered at all by my dental insurance. This is a bigger letdown than expected, even, because the dentist's office called yesterday to say they'd spoken to the insurance, who had said they covered 100% of "normal and customary" fees but wouldn't tell them what was "normal and customary" for this appliance, i.e. how much I'd be on the hook for; and when I spoke to the insurance they clarified that "normal and customary" is PPO language and I have the HMO, so they'd be happy to look up my co-pay, which ... yeah, that thing isn't an eligible benefit at all. Worst of all, it's not actually the insurance's fault - there are plans under which they do cover it, but my employer, the great State of Maryland, has specifically excluded this thing that I need.
- Yesterday was an okay TMJ day but a very bad TMJ evening. About half an hour after I got home my head started to hurt and then kept hurting badly enough that I called off rehearsal - too late, of course, for them to know about it beforehand, but hopefully my section leader will get my e-mail today and I'll be excused - which may cost me a solo, not that I think I was a serious contender for it, but now when I don't get it I'll never know if it was because I wasn't there last night, when I was too miserable to drive, much less sing.
- - - While it's nice that the $600 zappy machine might actually be as little as $75, this is more than overbalanced by the fact that the bite guard, for which I will now be paying out of pocket, as one does when something one needs is not covered by one's insurance, is $1900 (that is not a typo).
Fuck it. I'm going to a meeting.