In light of a recent change in the wonderful state of Indiana's Medicaid Rules, as of Jaspers next recertification for his nursing hours, he will no longer be able to attend public school with his nurse. The new rules state that the school is responsible for providing "adequate" nursing supervision.
Ok, so what that means for us is that the teacher will have to take care of his feeding and toileting needs. As some of you know, Jasper eats by a g-tube. He does eat some by mouth, but I just do not let very many people feed him because of how risky it is if you do not know what you are doing. So, back to the g-tube feedings. It is administered by a pump and not really that big of deal if you know what you are doing. IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!!!! If you don't, and you just so happen to leave the feeding pump stuff attached to his belly and let him out of his chair and he POPS his feeding tube out of his belly you are left with a hole that needs to be immediately replaced with either a temporary tube or a real tube. Again, this is not a big deal for me or a nurse to do. So heres the deal, teacher and school nurses are not allowed to do that. Which I agree with, but what that leaves them doing is calling me to drive 30 minutes to his school and then have to take him to Riley to have a new one put in SURGICALLY, in the event that his hole has closed. Awesome. So his tube could get caught on something and get tugged out of his little tummy at any time of the day and no one in their building would have the rights to put it back in. Sure, I would love to leave my kid there with no private nurse. Nope.
Oh, hows about I get started on the fact that he is non-verbal and I would NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS leave my Jasper in a situation where I do not know that he is being taken care of. Its not that I don't trust the schools have his best interest at heart, I know the teachers do. But how can one teacher, and 2-3 teachers aides adequately take care of him in the case of emergency or in countless other situations and tend to the other students. He needs one on one care. Not quite fair to any of the parties involved.
So, Teacher Friends(special needs or not), tell me your thoughts on this. Would you want to have the liability and responsibility of dealing with this? His current emergency plans revolve around his nurse carrying him or getting him in his wheelchair. She does all his diapering needs, helps with all of the chair transitions and helps him use his walker. He has to have hands on assistance use his walker. He does a great job with the walker, but he is not steady all the time and even on my watch has fallen. How can we ask a teacher to also be a nurse? I refuse.
With all that, what I am left with is the need for solutions. I was a little pissy about all this yesterday to say the least. I am sure I could write a lovely letter to the lawmakers, but I could also write one to Santa asking for a new Mini Van (a Toyota, 2014, 7 passenger with leather seats). Then I realized that today is just today. I can look up all I want about homeschooling, playgroups, and trying to fix all my problems as fast as possible, but I don't have to do it all today. I can not do it all today. Probably not even tomorrow. But it will get done, and I can make it work. I can make anything work. I just may need chocolate, time to go kill a spin bike at the gym and possibly Channing Tatum dancing in my living room. Life will go on and its really not that big of a deal, just an annoyance. I want to freak the heck out and cuss (a lot), and be mad at the assholes that think this is a good idea. But I won't. Whats the use?? This is about money to them, not about my child or what is best for him, his teachers and peers. Money. So I have to take it in my hands to do what is best for him and just hope that they see the light eventually. Or get an STD. A bad one.
Oh, so I just had to relay all of this to Ryan by phone. That was super awesome. I love him.
Ok, I should switch to something less crappy.
Ryan comes home in less than a month.
This secret unnamed baby comes out shortly after that.
Maybe I will elaborate on why I did not want to talk about being pregnant in a few days. Maybe.
Heres a cute pic to lighten this bitchfest up...
Woo, sorry that was a wordy one. Yikes.
With all that, what I am left with is the need for solutions. I was a little pissy about all this yesterday to say the least. I am sure I could write a lovely letter to the lawmakers, but I could also write one to Santa asking for a new Mini Van (a Toyota, 2014, 7 passenger with leather seats). Then I realized that today is just today. I can look up all I want about homeschooling, playgroups, and trying to fix all my problems as fast as possible, but I don't have to do it all today. I can not do it all today. Probably not even tomorrow. But it will get done, and I can make it work. I can make anything work. I just may need chocolate, time to go kill a spin bike at the gym and possibly Channing Tatum dancing in my living room. Life will go on and its really not that big of a deal, just an annoyance. I want to freak the heck out and cuss (a lot), and be mad at the assholes that think this is a good idea. But I won't. Whats the use?? This is about money to them, not about my child or what is best for him, his teachers and peers. Money. So I have to take it in my hands to do what is best for him and just hope that they see the light eventually. Or get an STD. A bad one.
Oh, so I just had to relay all of this to Ryan by phone. That was super awesome. I love him.
Ok, I should switch to something less crappy.
Ryan comes home in less than a month.
This secret unnamed baby comes out shortly after that.
Maybe I will elaborate on why I did not want to talk about being pregnant in a few days. Maybe.
Heres a cute pic to lighten this bitchfest up...
Woo, sorry that was a wordy one. Yikes.