Care Managed

Returning to normal after surgery. For the most part I feel better now than I have in months. Compared to how I felt during chemo—I have no complaints. There are still restrictions on how much I can move my arms, but I’m learning to deal because I know that this is temporary and that I’ll be back to 100% soon.

As much as I am not feeling like a patient anymore, my health plan still views me as one that needs some extra monitoring. So, as of last week I have my own nurse care manager. A care manager is someone who monitors the more “complex” patients to make sure they are getting the care the need, and cynically, not costing the system too much. My first job out of grad school was at the Care Management Institute at Kaiser Permanente. Back when I was figuring out how to help KP manage their complex patients, the thought did not cross my mind that I would need this same service for breast cancer at 46. Chris is always working with his students on understanding irony. I believe we just found a good example for him to use.

One thing I’ve been able to do a lot of this week is work. As much as that might not sound like good news to some, it makes me happy to have energy and the mental wherewithal to get my work done. One wrinkle in my plan to be completely productive is Josie. We are working on her ability to sit nicely next to my desk while I work:

Unfortunately, her favorite spot is more like this:

We have some work to do.