New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Fails

When I was hit with the news of my diagnosis, I had a lot of decisions to make, and they needed to be made quickly.

I went through an intense period of  paperwork for both the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board and New Mexico Retiree Health Insurance, the latter of which has been assessing fees from the salaries of education employees since the 1990s so that the monies of current employees could help retirees.

When I made my last visit to the office of the Educational Retirement Board in Albuquerque, hand carrying papers from a previous employer that they had delayed telling me I'd need in addition to those from the school where I was then employed, I specifically asked if those were all the papers they needed. I asked if there were more forms I'd need to complete. I was assured that was all and that my first retirement check would be deposited February 28.

That was absolutely untrue.  I've now received notice that additional documents must be completed and returned to them--by this past January, although they didn't send notice of that until February, and I did not receive the mailing until this weekend when I made it to the post office.

I did speak to a supervisor, but was told there is no way I can receive a payment before March 31, 2018.  He admitted that perhaps the ERB Retirement Board employee had been inadequately trained, but payment cannot be expedited because "the checks have already been cut."  Given that the deposits are electronic, that statement is also false.

I also learned they've not yet uploaded the papers I did submit in January.  Am I to infer this is a very busy time because of all the teachers retiring right now?  Actually,  I know most retirees wait until the end of the school year.

A couple days before I retired I received a phone call from someone named Linda who identified herself as legal counsel for the ERB.  She said my pension funds could not be released because they were being contested due to my divorce.  I told her that was very interesting since I've never been married.  She said she would take care of it.

The point of this post is to advise New Mexico education employees planning to retire that the Educational Retirement Board will not necessarily relay accurate information even when asked directly and that the Board will take advantage of opportunities to delay payments.

My next chemo appointment is Thursday, unless my blood tests results are inadequate.

I really, really need things to go smoothly. and this latest development has been the biggest downer of my cancer journey so far.  I definitely did not need this, and it's hard not to feel discouraged.

Dora

Adventures 2 & 3

Adventure 2:

Day ten:
Saturday, February 1:
The day was just fine despite the oncologist's warning that it would be the most difficult.  I did pretty much stay home and take it easy.

Adventure 3:
Day 14:
I'm still pretty much piddling around, cooking things that last more than one meal, and taking one or two naps if I feel like it.
The adventure came as I prepared to head to church.
I brushed my hair and filled the hair brush three times.  The downside of that was not only that I thought I'd keep my hair longer, but also that this is the first time since childhood that my hair has been anywhere near waist length.
Compared to the fact that I'm living, losing my hair isn't as bad as I would have expected, at least not yet, but it did bring back a lot of mean things that were said to me as a child, including by family members, such as, "Well, really, your hair is the only thing you have going for you."  That was not true, but I took it to heart.  Time to let that old hurt go!!

I do believe it's time to go shopping for Queen Elizabeth hats!

My Awesome Adventure

This was my view the first few days after I was home from surgery:



The only symptom of my approaching adventure was that my sacrum kept locking up.  I was in physical therapy for both a knee injury and back issues. It took months to get into an orthopedist for backs, despite the referral from my knee orthopedist. In the meantime, the physical therapist declared that my combination of back and knee issues made no sense and dismissed me from therapy.

Once I saw the back orthopedist, whose clinic had lost so many orthopedists that it had been difficult to see new patients, my insurance required weeks of therapy before approving an MRI.

In November I was offered a teaching job at a new school and accepted it, although my former school did not want to allow me to leave, so I was able to work at the new school for only one week before winter break.

When the MRI results were returned to the back orthopedist, he phoned me and told me what the MRI showed, which is some deterioration of my lumbar spine and a mass that raised concerns for ovarian cancer.  He used his influence to get me into an oncological surgeon acceptable to my insurance company, and who scheduled surgery for December 29.

We prayed that the DaVinci Computer Surgery would become available.  It didn't, and that too was a godsend because the tumor, which looked to have been growing for quite a while, had grown around my ureter, making the surgery trickier.

I had totally amazing care at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque.

Following surgery, pathologists performed multiple tests on the tumor because it still wasn't clear if it was ovarian or colon cancer.  The final results showed ovarian cancer of the endometroid form at Stage IIb.  Of the seven samples sent to pathology, only the tumor and the "belly wash" showed cancer cells.

The oncologist had said it would not be unusual to need four to six weeks before the pain level would be low enough to return to work.

I went back to work after three weeks, needing to make some tough decisions.  Knowing that six chemo treatments three weeks apart would knock out my immune system, I had to decide if I could risk being exposed to so many sick kids, especially in a year when flu is so virulent. I made the decision to see how soon we could get teacher's retirement to kick in.  When I went in and explained my situation to one of the educational retirement board's employees, she said that if  I could have all the paperwork in to them by January 31, I could be retired Febrary 1--another blessing, since it often takes 60 to 90 days.  My new school gracefully accepted my resignation without the 30 days notice my previous school had insisted upon. Colleagues helped me get all the paperwork in; I set up insurance through New Mexico Retiree Health Care, and was, indeed, retired February 1, with my first retirement check scheduled to arrive about March 1. (I did have to write a big check to NMRHC to cover the first two months of premiums, but my daughter and I have the insurance we need and can make changes when she is covered under whatever job she accepts.)

This adventure has been awesome because it has been filled with blessings too numerous to enumerate.  Some of the most notable:
My sacrum stopped locking up almost as soon as the pelvic mass was diagnosed.  My oncologist said, "I think an angel just kicked you in the butt."
My prayer quilt group presented me with a wonderful quilt in violet and turquoise that I've taken with me to the hospital and chemo.
My colleagues at my new school were beyond kind and generous in their support.  They rearranged my duties so that when I returned to work, I was able to be productive and helpful, but they limited my exposure to sick stdents. Some of those new colleagues even donated sick days to me.--I'm still saddened that I let them down by not being able to work out my contract.
Several former colleagues, in addition to emotional support, provided me with material blessings and even threw a small retirement celebration for me.
Church friends have supported me with prayers, encouragement, and rides to and from port implantation and chemo.
Another church member gifted me with a handknit violet colored scarf that is perfect in the collar opening of my pale teal terry cloth robe that I wear daily.
Old friends get in touch with me with phone calls and cards of encouragement.
One of our church's fabulous cooks prepared twelve generous sized containers, two each of six different kinds of soup, for days when I'm not up to cooking.
My neighbor, who is a registered nurse, checks on me frequently and has brought me things I've needed from the grocery or pharmacy.

As one of my church friends confirms, cancer sucks, but we've been so blessed that the few negative experiences have been minimized by the blessings that just keep coming and coming.

I'll continue to post to this blog so that the people who want to keep up with my unexpected awesome adventure can continue to do so.  I'll announce updates and post links on my quilting blog and on Facebook.

Blessings to all,
Dora