my aching back ... and other updates

my back twinged again, so i am breaking down and calling my insurance company. i found some chiropractors on their website, and they're "in network" but i want to know if i need a referral before i go see one. (and somehow i doubt a gyno could refer me to a chiro, so i'd need to go see a primary care doc first i suppose.) so far i've been tolerating the physical pain in my back instead of undertaking the pain-in-the-a** that is the h/c system, even with decent-ish insurance.

but now, a week and a day of pain in my back, which has waxed and waned, ebbed and flowed, came rushing to a head - well a back - when it twinged again. it's not as bad as it was at the start of last week but definitely worse than it was yesterday (in which i could lay down and feel A-OK, and in which i sat through The Dark Knight without back pain).

i dial the 800 number and manage to confuse the automated voice-recognition system (I stated my birthday as numbers, which may have made it explode)... I'm put on hold (to some very nice swingy music), and when a lady comes on, she tells me that the system is down and they'll need me to call back in an hour. dur - i hope it wasn't my birthday input that caused the system to fail... wouldn't that just be my luck?

i went ahead and asked my question anyway, in case it's a blanket policy: "do i need a referral to see a chiropractor?" unfortunately (or fortunately) it depends on the type of coverage you have. hrm. so now, i'm "waiting" patiently...to call back and be put on hold in the HOPES that they can just answer the question. then tomorrow, pending the response, i'll call the appropriate health care professional and get the ball in motion.

As promised, here are a couple photos from our CP adventure this weekend. PERHAPS the exercise and physical exertion in the early parts of the day helped my back from cramping up/tweaking/hurting in the late afternoon this weekend. If that's the case, I should definitely excuse myself from work in the mid-morning for a quick stroll around the park. But as my back feels at this moment, i don't even want to stand. yikes.

Isn't Shawn a DOLL? I mean, could he BE any cuter in that top photo? Nevermind the gross green algae water - he just looks so good in that T-shirt (score at the Danville JCP ... one of its door-buster sale items that we stumbled upon a couple weekends ago).

And with that, I think I'll go have a lie down before I'm faced with the prospect of making dinner (we have all the essentials, as FreshDirect delivered today and our larder is no longer empty)...

~Mari.

Update: The answer is no, I don't need a referral. So I called a doctor on the "in-network" list and have a 2:30 pm appointment... New entry with results of visit later today...

Update, 2: The doctor is out of network - apparently the insurance co's web site is a year out of date. She said something about $125 for first visit, $75 for each after (which appear as $300 on the insurance toward my deductible), it would take me several visits to get to the $2500 deductible... THIS is part of why I hate h/c and insurance so much. NOW I have an appointment for tomorrow with a different doc, and god willing she is in network like the UHC website says. I got fully dressed today for nothing. I should go walk it off.