Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023!
2022 is coming to a close. 10 1/2 months of 2022 was spent pre-surgery. There was a lot of anxiety in those months. Worry about the surgery itself. Worry about taking that much time away from work. Worry about finances. Worry about if insurance would cover any part of the surgery. Worry about if the surgery would be worth it. Worry about pain and recovery.
The last 2 months of 2022 have been surprisingly better than I had ever expected. My pain is virtually gone. I have not had a headache since the surgery. Considering I had two migraines that woke me up and caused me to vomit within the 10 days before surgery, and that I had to take so much ibuprofen and naproxen that I would bruise with even the slightest injury, that is amazing.
I am back to eating solid, but soft, foods. I can probably open my mouth just as wide, if not wider, than pre-surgery. I’ve been singing in church again. Two separate people came up to me and even said my voice is stronger since surgery (a surprising benefit I’d never considered).
At work, I was able to take 4 weeks off. Somehow I still produced more this year than last year even with the medical leave and all the time I took away for continuing education courses earlier this year.
Insurance never did cover any of the surgery. The reason was always the same: “an in-network provider could’ve provided the service.” This was even after I proved that no in-network provider would provide the service. My next option would be to get a lawyer, but my husband and I decided it was not worth the effort. Contrary to some rumors out there, it was not rejected by insurance because this was considered “cosmetic”. Artificial joints are not cosmetic. Breathing is not cosmetic.
The upside to having a ton of medical bills in one year is that the expenses (including travel) becomes tax-deductible. So I’m hoping this means we’ll pull a Donny T. and not pay hardly anything in taxes this year.
Overall, even with all the stress leading up to the surgery, looking back, I am very thankful for this year. It taught me the important lesson about “refusing to worry”. As I look forward to 2023, I take with me that priceless wisdom nugget that is worth more than the financial cost, the emotional cost, or the physical cost that my surgery ever did.
