Finally! The Day has Arrived!

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I took photos over the weekend, sitting at the pool bar hidden from view of my bird buddies. This is a mourning dove. Good news! I had two Red and Mrs. sightings over the weekend. They are back, but I wasn’t quick enough for photos.

While you’re reading this, most likely I’m in a surgery center finally having a procedure done on my left foot. I say finally because I originally scheduled it for May 2025. But when I went in for my pre op appointment, I had an ACE bandage on my right ankle. The surgeon said she’d like to x-ray it — because many times women my age have breaks rather than sprains. Yes, wouldn’t you know it, she was correct. She had me in for surgery two days later because the fibula had a break and was bowed.

So much for my little bunion procedure. After months of recovering from ankle surgery, I finally wanted to move forward with surgery on my left foot. I scheduled it between taking care of my daughter’s shoulder surgery, her pug Waffles and our Hawaii trip. However, the first night I was taking care of my daughter, my son ended up in ER. I waited patiently to find out if he needed surgery. His was scheduled the same week as mine!

So, more delays for me. Then I rescheduled for today. Last Wednesday I had my pre-op appointment and my surgeon told me insurance denied the procedure. They said it wasn’t medically necessary. I said sure, I can no longer take my daily walks and can’t wear shoes. But hey, it’s not necessary!

The good doctor got me approved after a peer-to-peer meeting with the insurance company and right now I’m “under the knife!”

Here are more photos I took over the weekend:

The bully of the birdseed block: Curve-Billed Thrasher.

Another Mourning Dove.

House Sparrow at the birdbath.

Quail!

Have you had any issues with medical insurance?

Which photos do you like best?

70 thoughts on “Finally! The Day has Arrived!”

  2. Glad you got the go ahead EA, and best in your recovery. So good to hear you’ve seen our special birds once again. Hopefully lots of chances to get some picks of the duo while you recover 🙂

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    • Thanks, Deb. The surgery went well. I’m on the sofa elevating and icing. I’m so thrilled to finally have this done. It will be life changing for me. My walks were getting shorter and shorter and stopped altogether. I had to cut a hole in the side of my tennis shoe in order to put it on!

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  3. You know I’m voting for the quail. Adorable!
    I hope your surgery goes smoothly and the pain is manageable. I admit I’m going to pay close attention to your recovery and results as I suffer with bunions myself.

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    • I thought that quail photo was cute, too. Their personalities are so fun. Although my bunion was huge and a mess, the surgeon and I decided to go a conservative route with a small incision and removing the arthritic jumble. I’m already weight bearing with a boot on day one! The other option would have had a longer recovery time and more pain. It’s fusing the big toe to the foot after removing the mass of arthritis. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

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      • Everyone I’ve talked to who’s had the surgery has regretted it. So much pain for so little relief. Glad to know there’s a less awful option.

      • I put it off for years. When it was affecting my daily walks and I was down to wearing flip flops and my tennis shoes I cut a hole in, I felt I didn’t have a choice. You can imagine how hard it was going out to dinner and figuring out which were my nicest flip flops in the winter! I have heard it’s painful, too. So far with a block from surgery, I’m not feeling anything….

      • That’s great. Hope your recovery is quick and smooth.
        I have them on both feet, though the left is worse. I wear sneakers, boots and flip flops as well. If it’s not made of soft material that will stretch, I can’t wear it. Goodbye cute flats, high heels and strappy sandals.
        I’m not quite ready for surgery … but I can see it on the horizon.

      • I totally know the shoe issue. I was down to one pair of black flats that had stretchy fabric, plus my flips flops and tennis shoes with a hole for my bump! I’m curious if I’ll back in my other shoes soon.

        I am feeling no pain today. I felt some throbbing around 6 a.m. so I took a pain pill. So far, so good. I’m weight bearing, wearing a boot, and will go for a short walk today.

        I put my surgery off for five years. I was seeing a podiatrist for cortizone shots. That doctor said he’d do the surgery to remove my big toe, clean out the ball of arthritis and fuse it back on my foot. I ran out of there. My orthopedic surgeon, who discovered my broken ankle, made one tiny incision on the arthritic ball, shaved it down and gave me two stitches! What a difference.

    • I’m back home and already weight bearing with my boot on. I’m fortunate to have such a good doctor. She said she has to deal with delays and denials all the time. I’m glad you enjoyed my photo.

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  5. Medical insurance feels like such a scam sometimes; I’ve certainly had my fair share of denials we couldn’t get overturned. I’m so glad your doctor advocated for you, worked their magic, and are able to proceed with surgery. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery!

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    • She’s a fabulous surgeon for feet and ankles, if you ever have the need! Young, smart, and proactive. They said surgery wasn’t medically necessary because I didn’t have moderate arthritis in the toe. The surgeon showed me where it was spelled out in her diagnosis to them that I had advanced arthritis along with the x-rays!

      My son is fighting through a denial for medicine that would be life changing for him to treat his asthma.

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      • Amazing! I’ll keep that in mind. It’s so hard to find good doctors.

        I’m so sorry for your son. I had heart medication denied in 2024 and, while it ultimately wasn’t a good fit, it took 8 months after my doctor prescribed it to have the opportunity to try it. It really had how many people need to suffer needlessly due to corporate greed. I hope your son’s new med gets approved, and that it help!

      • I can say enough good things. Her name is Dr. Mira Pandya if you want to hold on to her name in case you ever need her.

        As for my son, he now has a primary at Stanford Medical Center who is excellent. The new asthma drug would take him off steroids inhalers and other drugs. It’s such a shame he’s not approved automatically.

  6. Beautiful photos, Elizabeth!! I hope your surgery goes well, and I find it offensive that an insurance company decides what is medically needed. Pure rubbish! They have no right to decide the direction a person’s life will take. Heal quickly! 🙏🏻😊

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  8. I hope the procedure goes smoothly and you recover quickly dear friend. Lots of love and prayers your way. I’m glad Red and Co are back. ♥️♥️♥️

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  10. Beautiful pictures to accompany the surgery saga. Thank goodness the doctor was able to talk some sense into the insurance company! I hope it all goes well today and that your recovery is quick!

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    • Thanks! The surgeon is very happy with how the surgery went. I should be out walking again in two weeks! It’s a shame how much time doctors waste with games by the insurance company.

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  13. “They said it wasn’t medically necessary.” Um, hello. And insurance companies wonder why they have such bad reputations. Ha, ha, that’s so funny. Glad your doctor got it straightened out. Good luck with your recovery. Red and company can’t wait to see you back up on your feet. They can’t wait for you to help them take their Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom show on the road. Ha, ha.

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    • I’m back on my sofa in my handicap-compliant casita. I found out the casita was an add on for the prior homeowners 90-year-old mother. It’s my new home this year post surgeries. As for the insurance company, my doctor said, “This is the game they play and it ridiculous.”

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    • I am so happy to have Red and Mrs. back. I got my bird feeder out with the video camera and I was looking through the feed and spotted them. I’ve tried to take photos, but they are very flighty after whatever or where ever they’ve been for several weeks.

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  16. Good for the doctor helping you get your approval. Hope it all went well today and you have a swift recovery. Not being able to walk sucks!

    All these photos are so excellent, I can’t choose one or two.

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    • Thank you on both counts! I enjoyed those photos and yes, I don’t understand insurance. We used to have such good insurance without any issues. But that was two decades ago.

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      • Yes, they are getting greedy. There are also a lot of false claims and fraud, which doesn’t help people like us who are trying to do the right thing.

      • Not health care related, but I read that Florida tackled car insurance fraud, which led to reductions in premiums. New York is doing the same. Let’s hope medical insurance is next, so they can provide better service at a lower cost.

      • That’s encouraging news! There’s been fraud in insurance for decades. I remember reading more than 10 years ago that fraud in Medicare is more than the profits of top insurance companies.

      • I believe that. I think that’s part of the reason it’s so expensive. They are trying to recoup their losses. There is no way to get that money back, even if they take people to court.

  19. Hope you’re doing well after your surgery. 🙂

    I myself have been going to physical therapy for a gluteus medius tear. How I got it I’ll never know but presumably it’s degenerative. I had an MRI done on that area, my right hip, and then was told insurance denied it because it wasn’t necessary based on my x-ray findings; and that the facility where the MRI was done was not covered. However, since I was told by a rep before I scheduled the MRI that it was all covered, the decision was reversed. That’s why I make it a habit to call ahead and ask about approval for imaging before I actually have it done. This way the insurance company can review the call if I have any problems. 🙄 This is not the first time it’s happened, that’s why I do it.

    Your pictures of birds are beautiful! I absolutely love backyard birds and these brought me instant happiness vibes. 🥰

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    • Isn’t it a hassle to get things approved. I have a friend who has been told her insurance was accepted and found out it wasn’t. She didn’t have the good outcome you did. She runs her husband’s endodontist office, so she deals with insurance every day. I’m feeling pretty good. Very little pain, but extremely tired.

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      • Yes, it is a hassle. Especially since the agents handling the phone calls do not always give accurate information. When you’re in pain and needing a procedure or whatever else done, the last thing you want to do is be on the phone trying to find out if all of the people involved in your care, and the facility itself, is covered. And then, after all is said and done, finding out you were given erroneous information. 🤦🏽‍♀️
        Thankfully, we’ve never had to pay, thus far, for any of these mishandled incidents.
        Glad you’re feeling pretty good with little pain. I’m sorry about the fatigue. Could be from pain meds if you’re on them.

      • Great comment. No, I gave up Oxy after a couple days. I don’t like how it makes me feel. I think its my body needing rest, plus the side effects of anesthesia. Plus getting old!

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