Life update

It has been suggested that I try to personalize my blog a bit more--"too technical" was one of the terms used. I agree that my blog does contain some medical jargon, but it's my attempt to educate the populace about a disease that can be very confusing to even those of us who must cope with the symptoms every day. The more we know, the better equiped we are to ask the most appropriate questions of our family physician or rheumatologist, and the more empowered we are to self-manage the disease. Knowledge is power, is it not?

On the other side, I want to also appeal to my audience, so I will try to soften the posts a bit without detracting from my overall intention: to educate using subjective and objective material.
So...something more personal....Hmmm.

Well, today I got great news: I received a long-awaited phone call indicating acceptance into an intermediate position in my organization. It's a new role at a new location in the heart of Toronto. I will be working with an amazing team of health analysts--one of whom I graduated with in 2006. He was thoughtful enough to send me the posting for this single position, so it looks like I'm taking him out for drinks. I felt quite confident during the interview, and he had indicated that the members of the interview panel were very impressed with my performance. One of the perks to this position is that it comes with health benefits, which means that I can return to taking Enbrel.

Lack of health benefits has been stressful. Blue Cross--the only insurance company that would provide the converage needed to afford monthly Enbrel--recently declined my coverage citing a diagnosis of AS as the reason for my ineligibility. I sent a letter and email challenging their decision, but they stood firm. What a blow! Pre-exisiting illnesses, even if you're asymptomatic, preclude people from acquiring access to needed medical insurance. From a financial standpoint I can understand their stance, but without assessing each applicant individually, I find it insane that your circumstances can be generalized--despite age, gender, severity of symptoms, and prognosis--and your eligibility is automatically determined. I am investigating further to learn of available options. Stay posted.