Well, my friends didn't listen, so they are still going full speed ahead with a party for me tonight. We are starting with pictures at 6:45pm, followed by a cheesecake. I think Freckles is bringing me a fruit salad, because she knows it's what I want. ha. I'm not really going to say "goodbye" to anyone, I still have two more days and a wake-up, but we will just sit and enjoy each other's company, perhaps watch the big kickball game happening on the field (until the humidity says I should go inside).
Tomorrow will be my last day of having email and phone. They turn them off as part of the merry-go-round I'll have to do on Tuesday. I'll dress in my khaki's for one last time and go around with a slip of paper to every major office on the compound, getting signatures, saying I'm "released" to go. I hear they just throw away the forms, so I don't know why the ritual is so important, but I'll do it. Others tell me they won't. I'm still a rule follower - at least most of the time!!!
I just had my last "laundry war," as I did my last load while I'm here. Someone moved my clothes to the dryer early and then tried to take my stuff out of the dryer before they were dry. Luckily, I caught them in the act, and my clothes stayed in. Someone I know will wash my dark greys on Tuesday, so I can wear them to R&D on Wednesday and also have them for pj's on Wednesday night in the halfway house. I literally used my very last scoop of Tide. At least my pillow case will smell fresh for my last couple of days here.
I'm about to go to the rec center and meet up with Freckles. We will do a Jillian Michael's workout. We did a beginner step workout yesterday - I prefer the Michael's workouts more. I may also do "Pilate's for Dummies," which is a good stretch and shape as well. There are like 194 videos to choose from - a good amount of different types of workouts. For me, I stick to the beginner and low intensity level, I can't jump, run, hop, etc.
So, it'll be a good day. I am still smiling. My last weekend day in prison. I hope everyone I hurt can see that I've paid my consequences. They wanted me in prison. I did prison. I hope everyone lets the past go and moves forward with their lives.
Showing posts with label federal medical center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label federal medical center. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2014
Sunday, May 4, 2014
From Dragonfly: Special Olympics
This weekend features the Special Olympics of Carswell. About fifty participants, all in wheelchairs, are participating in a variety of challenges - such as being run around the track by an INA, basketball, strength challenges, wheel chair decor/theme, and so much more! Yesterday was the opening games - with a highlighted speaker who happens to be a single leg amputee. On Monday, at the closing ceremonies, we will hear from a double legged amputee who was allowed to RE-ENLIST in the military! With so many amputee's at Carswell, the messages of hope are going to the ears of those who need it most.
Yesterday, a parade of wheel chairs, headed by a fake train, made it's way down the main corridor of the compound. The streets were lined with onlookers, all cheering for their favorite 'athletes' and their favorite decorated chairs. There was the "flower child," who wore a crochet flower lei across her head and had her chair surrounded by a cardboard decorated sign saying "convertible of flowers." There was the "lollipop girl," who had two huge lollipops sticking up the sides of her chair. So many fun wheelchairs. All the chairs have fun designs in their wheels, so as the women roll or are rolled around the grounds, the glittered designs sparkle in the sun's rays. While such decor would be contraband any other time of the year, for this weekend, they can keep their chairs decorated, even in the chow hall.
Participants were young and old - 20's through 80's, but this is not a competition that looked at age. It was about fun, and fun was had by all. More than 30 volunteers helped move the participants around to where they needed to be, and ensured the safety of everyone. By 2pm, the festivities were done for the afternoon, leading many in their chairs to take naps from the exhausting schedule of events. In the clinic, participants who needed injections for various ailments, could be seen sleeping right in their chairs as they waited to be called to the back by the nursing staff.
Many offices around campus closed, so that staff and inmate workers had the opportunity to attend the festivities. The library and education were closed for the afternoon. There were dozens of Carswell staff present for the parade and opening speakers. The support for the participants was huge.
The Olympics will run all weekend. From what I can tell, not even the participants are aware of everything going on - they are just told the next place to show up, and they do. On Monday, the closing ceremonies will take place. There will be prizes for the top three winners. Bragging rights for being the compound's top wheelchair athletes will last for a year, until next year someone else, perhaps, takes the prize.
Yesterday, a parade of wheel chairs, headed by a fake train, made it's way down the main corridor of the compound. The streets were lined with onlookers, all cheering for their favorite 'athletes' and their favorite decorated chairs. There was the "flower child," who wore a crochet flower lei across her head and had her chair surrounded by a cardboard decorated sign saying "convertible of flowers." There was the "lollipop girl," who had two huge lollipops sticking up the sides of her chair. So many fun wheelchairs. All the chairs have fun designs in their wheels, so as the women roll or are rolled around the grounds, the glittered designs sparkle in the sun's rays. While such decor would be contraband any other time of the year, for this weekend, they can keep their chairs decorated, even in the chow hall.
Participants were young and old - 20's through 80's, but this is not a competition that looked at age. It was about fun, and fun was had by all. More than 30 volunteers helped move the participants around to where they needed to be, and ensured the safety of everyone. By 2pm, the festivities were done for the afternoon, leading many in their chairs to take naps from the exhausting schedule of events. In the clinic, participants who needed injections for various ailments, could be seen sleeping right in their chairs as they waited to be called to the back by the nursing staff.
Many offices around campus closed, so that staff and inmate workers had the opportunity to attend the festivities. The library and education were closed for the afternoon. There were dozens of Carswell staff present for the parade and opening speakers. The support for the participants was huge.
The Olympics will run all weekend. From what I can tell, not even the participants are aware of everything going on - they are just told the next place to show up, and they do. On Monday, the closing ceremonies will take place. There will be prizes for the top three winners. Bragging rights for being the compound's top wheelchair athletes will last for a year, until next year someone else, perhaps, takes the prize.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Getting Out of Prison...If you are a Care Level 3 at Carswell:
On March 22, 2014 I wrote that I would share the 6 handwritten pages that I wrote about the process of getting out of prison one you are above a Care Level 2 in federal prison. I am posting it later and through the magic of "blogger" I am able to have this post as of 3/23/2014. However, I am actually typing this up from the comfort of the lanai at my mother and step-father's home in Southern Florida, where they moved in late 2015.
1. 17-19 months prior to your exit date, your case worker should start the process for halfway house/ home confinement.
4. If you are only qualified for home confinement, the prison requires you to be able to prove you have health insurance prior to approval.
7. Even with health insurance, sometimes the out-of-pocket expense for our medications can be quite high. Please have someone go to the medication website and look up "financial support" options for people who have low income. Often the manufacturers have assistance, secondary to your insurance, and ensure you will have a low/no copay.
1. 17-19 months prior to your exit date, your case worker should start the process for halfway house/ home confinement.
- If you arrive with under 17 months of incarceration remaining, this process should begin at your first team meeting (30 days maximum after arrival.
2. If you are needing a case transfer from the district you were sentenced within to a different district in which you actually will be going to or live in within the U.S., this process should start as soon as possible. Your case worker will need to do a little leg work to find the appropriate office in the state of transfer, and will submit paperwork on your behalf. You will need to sign these documents before they are sent.
- In order to transfer your case, the best case scenario has you having a home address you plan to live at once released (even if going through halfway house first. A probation officer in the new district will visit the new address within 45 days of receiving the paperwork, will interview people living there, and will approve the new home. They will then send a letter to your case worker saying the transfer is complete.
- If you do not have an address yet, you can still try for the transfer based on the halfway house you will be going to, but there may be additional hoops you will have to jump through.
- As of my time in prison, there was only one person who could do this, and her last name was a favorite day of the week. Only she could complete the paperwork and she started in her position in January, 2014. She, also, has several steps to her process - the most important being a request to your assigned doctor to write a simple declaration stating what community confinement programs you are "Medically Appropriate" for. You must be medically cleared for this process to occur.
- As a medical level 3, the doctor can recommend halfway house, home confinement, both options, or neither. Medically, some people are forced to MAX out their time.
- If you are approved for halfway house, it is UP to your team to decide how much time to request. Some people are recommended for one month, some up to 12.
- If you qualify for the second chance act to receive up to one year halfway house (drug/alcohol treatment during prison, etc.), that process should begin at the 17-19 months prior to your exit date, if at all possible.
- If you are approved only for home confinement, you must do some more work on your own to get your exit summary approved.
- You will need to to to Social Work in the psychology offices.
- Working with the social worker, you will need to show that you are financially capable of supporting yourself (or you have someone at home who is going to help support you until you can get back on your feet) and your healthcare needs can be taken care of financially while on home confinement:
- Early in your incarceration, is possible, have a spouse/partner/parent send in a NOTARIZED letter saying that they agree to help you financially and medically upon release sent to your case worker. Have a copy of the letter sent to you so that you have the copy in your personal records (just in case).
- Even if you cannot get such a letter, you can also show proof of employment, your financial plan, or proof that you qualify for government financial assistance (i.e. social security, disability, etc.). You have to have someone do this work for you on the outside or you have to do this work for yourself BEFORE you turn yourself in, because NO ONE can do it for you and you can't do it for yourself once you are on the inside. There's no way to find the answers and no access to the internet.
- In order to show proof of health insurance, you have several options - THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT:
- obtain a copy of your current insurance card with a phone number so the social worker can verify you are covered and/or will be covered upon release
- show proof of medicaid/medicare from the past and some proof that you will requalify. Provide a phone number to the local office if possible. Important to note that you are NOT QUALIFIED while incarcerated, so your benefits are cut-off while you are/were in prison.
- If your state is an "extended medicaid" state un the Affordable Healthcare Act (i.e. Obamacare - like the law or not, it brought a lot of healthcare rights to ex-prisoners), bring in proof that your state approved the extension, what it covers, and the application process. If you did not do this research before going in, have someone look it up for you and send it in to you asap.
- Some states allow you to apply while still in prison, some will not. For me, I had to apply after I was released, but was approved immediately for medicaid and paid $0/mth. I was asked to reach out to the Social Workers at FMC Carswell and tell them about my experience so they felt more comfortable about having people use Obamacare if in an extended medicaid state and they actually wrote me back and thanked me for letting them know my experience.
- Have a family member go to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) website and find what other health care plans may be available to you due to low/no income. Under the ACA, a plan can start at as little as $9/month.
- Once the social worker feels you have health insurance and support and/or are likely under the ACA to obtain medicaid, they will send an email to Medical Services to say they have verified everything. At that time, Medical Services can complete your exit summary.
7. Even with health insurance, sometimes the out-of-pocket expense for our medications can be quite high. Please have someone go to the medication website and look up "financial support" options for people who have low income. Often the manufacturers have assistance, secondary to your insurance, and ensure you will have a low/no copay.
- For me, this was one of my requirements, I had to show that I would still qualify for the Enbrel financial support card that ensured my co-pay was never more than $5 whenever I was not on medicaid. Medicaid paid 100% so it was not an issue during that time.
Friday, December 6, 2013
From Dragonfly: Chasing Enbrel
Writing earlier today, I had no idea what my day would bring. Well, now that the day is nearly turning to evening, I can tell you. It involved "chasing enbrel" all day long. As you know, I am on a medication called Enbrel (an injection that assists me in my autoimmune issues). It is important that I keep it at its regular schedule (I get a shot every Monday and one every Friday). Since the clinic was closed today, due to the ice outside, I decided to follow the advice of a nurse from last week. The nurse told me that if the clinic is ever closed on my injection day, I should go to "Med Surge" which is the real hospital floor at Carswell. After breakfast, I took the elevator to the 4th floor for the first time since I've been here (we are not allowed to wander around the hospital, we must have a reason and talk with C.O.'s in the process).
The Med Surge officer told me that I need to go back to my unit and have my officer call over and then they will let me come back for my shot. So, I bundled myself back up with my two shirts, sweatshirt, and jacket, and made my way back to my unit. My friend Lola took that trip with me and I knew that she would not want to venture out into the cold again... Anyway, I get into my unit and see an officer. I tell him what Med Surge said, and he tells me to go next door to 1 North (I live in 1 South) and wait by the officer's office and he will call for me. Turns out that the officer supposed to be on 1 South today couldn't make it in due to the weather.
So, I enter 1 North for the first time ever. It looks a lot like our unit, but I like the color of their columns more (ours is a dull pink, theirs is a bright turquoise). They also have decorations hanging - signs made by some of the inmates who are doing "programming" like Life Connections (a Christian program lasting 18 months to help women build self-esteem, find god, and make healthier decisions).
Anyway, the officer starts to call medical, when his "replacement" officer came into 1 North and so the first officer handed my id off to the second officer. And, so it goes. That officer says that I should go back to my unit and he will come tell me what he learns. It is now 8:15am.
About 9:15am, the officer finds me and tells me that Med Surge was not set up to give injections for the clinic today and that he passed my id off to the new officer that just arrived in 1 South and that I should check in with him at 10am. At 10am, I go to the officer, who has no idea why he is holding my id. I tell him that I'm supposed to get an Enbrel injection today, but since the clinic is closed, I need to go to med surge, however, med surge needs a Physicians Assistant to call them so that they can get all the supplies. The officer calls the P.A. on duty and then tells me to come back at 11am.
At 11am, I go back to the officer, he says that Med Surge will be ready to give me my injection after lunch. I take my id back and make myself and Lola some tuna roll-ups for lunch (it's Friday, so it's fried fish sandwich day in the chow hall). I don't do that kind of fish. I will eat tuna, though. I know, I'm weird. After lunch, I bundle back up in all my layers, and make my way back to the medical building. I go to the back elevators and go back to the 4th floor.
This time the C.O. allows me further onto the floor, to the nurses window. Since this is my first day ever on the floor, I need to say - whoa, it really looks like a hospital!!!! Except, of course, the nurses station has glass all the way around it protecting the nurses from the patient (inmates!). Inmates are in single or double rooms, with bathrooms. They have medical beds. They have their own television. So, I guess it's good to know that the really ill here are cared for. Also, the nurses there are nice... or at least they seemed like it!
Anyway, back at the 4th floor nurses window, I talk with a very friendly male nurse who looks at a list and informs me that I am not on it. I explain that I get my injection every Monday and Friday, and he looks on his computer to see my medical file. It does show my enbrel, but that the prescription "expired" yesterday. My doctor quit and left this place in November, so lots of stuff hasn't been done - including renewing prescriptions apparently! So, the nurse tells me that he needs to reach a doctor and to come back in an hour. I'm getting used to this.
I must say that this Enbrel story is kind of like getting anything done here. We wait, wait, hurry up, and then wait, wait...
So, I bundle myself back up and walk to the housing unit. Everyone asks if I got my injection and I make a negative thumb sign. At that point it is 12:45pm and all I've done is "chase enbrel" for the entire day. I lay down in my bed for a little rest and get up 45 minutes later. I sit with some friends in the atrium and then the hour has passed and I bundle myself back up and walk back to the medical building and go to the back elevators and make my way up to the 4th floor for the 3rd time today. The nurse is busy giving the other people needing injections their shots. We all know one another, because we stand in line together every week. One woman has severe MS, another severe rheumatoid arthritis, there are several with autoimmune issues, others that just need B12 shots. Every person has a story. Many of them are on walkers and in wheel chairs. I'm glad that I'm still walking (albeit slow).
The nurse sees me and says, "I still haven't reached a doctor." He starts to tell me to go back to my unit, but sees my face, and tells me to sit on the blue bench instead. I mention blue bench, because all the benches we have are a blue wire weaved bench. They are not at all comfortable. There are not a lot of benches indoors - just in the medical waiting areas, and then the ones you never want to sit on - those outside the lieutenants office (for people in trouble!). So, I sit on the one blue bench in med surge. There is a woman from my unit, who shares my real first name, and is in a wheel chair all the time, also near the blue bench. We have never spoken, but like in any waiting room, we find ourselves talking to new people about our ailments.
She has numerous autoimmune conditions as well - and has been locked up for 20 years --- but she's my age. Currently, her legs are soooooo swollen that they are about 3x their normal size (OUCH!!!). They've gotten worse and worse for 5 days, but the clinic gave her a run around. Now that she's being seen in med-surge, I hope they do something for her. She should be checked for DVT and they must do something to bring down the severe swelling. I'll see what they do when she rolls back into the unit --- hopefully not too soon. I hope they take her to a hospital! She's also really, really sick right now - immunocompromised like I am. Well, I know it wasn't a good thing that they had me sitting next to her for about 40 minutes with her sneezing, coughing and heavy breathing. I washed my hands immediately, but it's taking everything to keep myself healthy in a place like this. So, at 2:00pm, the nurse called me over and less than a minute later, I am done with my enbryl shot. A doc renewed my prescription and I was able to bundle up for the last time today (I am not going to make it back for chow tonight... I will make something in the unit). I unbundled again because I wanted to do email for a bit and the move was "closed." It has just reopened. So, I am bundling back up and heading back to my unit.
Mission accomplished... enbrel injection achieved.
The Med Surge officer told me that I need to go back to my unit and have my officer call over and then they will let me come back for my shot. So, I bundled myself back up with my two shirts, sweatshirt, and jacket, and made my way back to my unit. My friend Lola took that trip with me and I knew that she would not want to venture out into the cold again... Anyway, I get into my unit and see an officer. I tell him what Med Surge said, and he tells me to go next door to 1 North (I live in 1 South) and wait by the officer's office and he will call for me. Turns out that the officer supposed to be on 1 South today couldn't make it in due to the weather.
So, I enter 1 North for the first time ever. It looks a lot like our unit, but I like the color of their columns more (ours is a dull pink, theirs is a bright turquoise). They also have decorations hanging - signs made by some of the inmates who are doing "programming" like Life Connections (a Christian program lasting 18 months to help women build self-esteem, find god, and make healthier decisions).
Anyway, the officer starts to call medical, when his "replacement" officer came into 1 North and so the first officer handed my id off to the second officer. And, so it goes. That officer says that I should go back to my unit and he will come tell me what he learns. It is now 8:15am.
About 9:15am, the officer finds me and tells me that Med Surge was not set up to give injections for the clinic today and that he passed my id off to the new officer that just arrived in 1 South and that I should check in with him at 10am. At 10am, I go to the officer, who has no idea why he is holding my id. I tell him that I'm supposed to get an Enbrel injection today, but since the clinic is closed, I need to go to med surge, however, med surge needs a Physicians Assistant to call them so that they can get all the supplies. The officer calls the P.A. on duty and then tells me to come back at 11am.
At 11am, I go back to the officer, he says that Med Surge will be ready to give me my injection after lunch. I take my id back and make myself and Lola some tuna roll-ups for lunch (it's Friday, so it's fried fish sandwich day in the chow hall). I don't do that kind of fish. I will eat tuna, though. I know, I'm weird. After lunch, I bundle back up in all my layers, and make my way back to the medical building. I go to the back elevators and go back to the 4th floor.
This time the C.O. allows me further onto the floor, to the nurses window. Since this is my first day ever on the floor, I need to say - whoa, it really looks like a hospital!!!! Except, of course, the nurses station has glass all the way around it protecting the nurses from the patient (inmates!). Inmates are in single or double rooms, with bathrooms. They have medical beds. They have their own television. So, I guess it's good to know that the really ill here are cared for. Also, the nurses there are nice... or at least they seemed like it!
Anyway, back at the 4th floor nurses window, I talk with a very friendly male nurse who looks at a list and informs me that I am not on it. I explain that I get my injection every Monday and Friday, and he looks on his computer to see my medical file. It does show my enbrel, but that the prescription "expired" yesterday. My doctor quit and left this place in November, so lots of stuff hasn't been done - including renewing prescriptions apparently! So, the nurse tells me that he needs to reach a doctor and to come back in an hour. I'm getting used to this.
I must say that this Enbrel story is kind of like getting anything done here. We wait, wait, hurry up, and then wait, wait...
So, I bundle myself back up and walk to the housing unit. Everyone asks if I got my injection and I make a negative thumb sign. At that point it is 12:45pm and all I've done is "chase enbrel" for the entire day. I lay down in my bed for a little rest and get up 45 minutes later. I sit with some friends in the atrium and then the hour has passed and I bundle myself back up and walk back to the medical building and go to the back elevators and make my way up to the 4th floor for the 3rd time today. The nurse is busy giving the other people needing injections their shots. We all know one another, because we stand in line together every week. One woman has severe MS, another severe rheumatoid arthritis, there are several with autoimmune issues, others that just need B12 shots. Every person has a story. Many of them are on walkers and in wheel chairs. I'm glad that I'm still walking (albeit slow).
The nurse sees me and says, "I still haven't reached a doctor." He starts to tell me to go back to my unit, but sees my face, and tells me to sit on the blue bench instead. I mention blue bench, because all the benches we have are a blue wire weaved bench. They are not at all comfortable. There are not a lot of benches indoors - just in the medical waiting areas, and then the ones you never want to sit on - those outside the lieutenants office (for people in trouble!). So, I sit on the one blue bench in med surge. There is a woman from my unit, who shares my real first name, and is in a wheel chair all the time, also near the blue bench. We have never spoken, but like in any waiting room, we find ourselves talking to new people about our ailments.
She has numerous autoimmune conditions as well - and has been locked up for 20 years --- but she's my age. Currently, her legs are soooooo swollen that they are about 3x their normal size (OUCH!!!). They've gotten worse and worse for 5 days, but the clinic gave her a run around. Now that she's being seen in med-surge, I hope they do something for her. She should be checked for DVT and they must do something to bring down the severe swelling. I'll see what they do when she rolls back into the unit --- hopefully not too soon. I hope they take her to a hospital! She's also really, really sick right now - immunocompromised like I am. Well, I know it wasn't a good thing that they had me sitting next to her for about 40 minutes with her sneezing, coughing and heavy breathing. I washed my hands immediately, but it's taking everything to keep myself healthy in a place like this. So, at 2:00pm, the nurse called me over and less than a minute later, I am done with my enbryl shot. A doc renewed my prescription and I was able to bundle up for the last time today (I am not going to make it back for chow tonight... I will make something in the unit). I unbundled again because I wanted to do email for a bit and the move was "closed." It has just reopened. So, I am bundling back up and heading back to my unit.
Mission accomplished... enbrel injection achieved.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)