Theater of the bizarre

Not half an hour after writing yesterday's post, I got a letter in the mail from my health insurance company contradicting what I had been told over the phone about the rate at which my surgery will be covered.

I was told that the surgery would be paid for at the out-of-network rate. Yesterday's letter said it would be paid at the in-network level. Well, at least I have something in writing, although the letter contains a loophole allowing the insurer to change this status if circumstances warrant.
Of course.

Breathe deeply. One. Two. Three.

My little voice tells me everything will work out OK in the end. I just have to get through the floor show.

*******

On a different and extremely important note, I URGE any visitors to my blog who may be battling a serious illness (or who may have a family member who is) to STAY OFF the Internet.

It's perfectly natural to want to understand the challenge you or a loved one may be facing. But the Internet is the wrong place to seek answers, unless your intention is to scare yourself witless.

Years ago, I called the American Cancer Society for information on my parathyroid cancer. An allegedly registered nurse took the call and proceeded to read to me verbatim from a decade-old textbook (she told me the year of publication) whose information was woefully outdated and made no references to advances in treatment that I was later to learn of through an endocrinologist.

It took me days to calm my fears after that call.

The Internet similarly is rife with misinformation about serious illnesses.

Let doctors and nurses (whose qualifications you have checked) answer your questions. You wouldn't medicate yourself, so don't educate yourself, either -- by consulting questionable sources.