Update

At 9:20, one of the subs I contacted earlier this morning called me back.  She was available!  She would arrive at the school late, but she was on her way there when we talked!  Hooray!  At least that was covered!

I picked up Samuel & went to the doc at 9:30.  When we checked in, the VERY SWEET receptionist said "are you aware that you have a balance of $62?".  I was aware that we had a balance, but it was $100 last time we checked.....but I told her that yes, I knew we had a balance.  She asked if I could pay it today.  I had NOT been planning on this visit even occuring, let alone adding $62 to my $30 copay.  I explained what had happened w/ the $100 ear wax removal thing.  She laughed about it all & agreed that it was insane to charge that much for that!  But then she said (in a quiet, whispered voice) that our account had a note--- "Pending dismissal if balance is not paid".  I asked her (in an equally whispered voice) "Dismissal from what?".  Apparently the doctor who had frozen our account also marked us as a "non paying patient" & if we did not pay it off, they were going to "dismiss" us from being patients there!!!!!  Ack!  You've GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!  We have children who've been patients there for 12 years now....and you're going to cut me off from having a pediatrician b/c of a $62 balance?!  Good grief!  What are poor people supposed to do for health care????  We are by no means poverty-stricken, but we certainly don't roll in the dough either.  I expressed by shock & disbelief about this little matter & she was soooooo very sweet & gracious about it.  This same lady has been the receptionist for the entire 12 years we've been seeing Dr. H, so she KNOWS us & knows that we're not going to skip out on paying them, even if we couldn't do it right away.  She told me (in that quiet, hushed tone) that she's actually seen the docs in this practice "dismiss" patients for a lesser balance.  Good Lord!

I went ahead & paid the balance just to get it over & done with....but I was seriously ticked off about the whole scenario.  I joked with her that "Samuel's ear had better be infected....I've lost a day's pay & now I'm paying $90 for an office visit!"

Since we were being worked into the schedule, it took us forever at the doc's office.  The appointment was at9:45, but it was nearly 10:40 before we got in & then it we got to sit & wait in the exam room forever.  Thank goodness Samuel's Ibuprofen had kicked in & he was feeling alright.  We played a thousand games of tic-tac-toe on the exam table paper while we waited.

And as it turns out, Samuel's ear was flaming red & his eardrum was bulging when I looked at it before the doc came in.  (Yes, I borrowed the otoscope!)  He confirmed that & gave us an antibiotic (can you say "ka-ching"?).  By the time we got out of Walgreen's & I got him some McDonald's for lunch, it was 12:00 by the time we got home.

Oh, and to make matters worse, Larry discovered fraud on our checking account this morning.

Can you say SPIRITUAL ATTACK?!  Larry leaves in the morning for a mission trip & every member of the group has been attacked.  God must have something HUGE waiting for the team when they arrive.  Feel free to cover all of the team (& their families at home) in prayer!  Looks like we can all use it!