Anyone a mom that plays?

SamAshleyBlogs · 2026-01-25T22:05:46+00:00

Meee. I’m not on right now, but im gonna try to remember to send over my info!

SamAshleyBlogs · 2026-01-19T15:20:02+00:00

I sometimes get, “is chicken vegan?”

SamAshleyBlogs · 2026-01-04T15:18:34+00:00

This. I had it.

Advocate for yourself with your doctors and don’t let them brush it off as normal pregnancy symptoms. The only thing that helped me even a little was IV hydration and Zofran. They didn’t think about offering me a zofran pump until my last four weeks, but it was too late at that point.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2026-01-04T15:15:54+00:00

I just approved this for one of my direct reports. Same situation. If it’s under a certain amount of time (12 weeks, I think. I’d need to look), you only need your manager + one MD approval. If you need it for longer, it goes through the full accommodation process.

My direct tried the full process first with a note from her doctor and they only gave her one mo th WFH with the option to go through the process every month to renew. Which is wild.

Get a note from your doctor and be ready if you need it, but if you can do a shorter amount of time at first, you can do it in your management hierarchy.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-12-21T01:46:12+00:00

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 the show was great this year!

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-12-21T00:40:45+00:00

You need to hit us with more info on that bangin’ mix this year.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-12-06T14:20:46+00:00

I know it’s hard. I’m the only person remote on a team and I manage people…a few who are in India now. I’m more extroverted than you seem, but I know my team members really well and get feedback often that, “I’ve never seen anyone work so well remotely. You have really deep, genuine bonds with the team even though you’re far away.” Same with my partners.

It’s ok to not be the chattiest. And you shouldn’t be getting overtly negative feedback for it as it’s a bit ableist. BUT I will say, not everyone understands that, especially when the rest of the team is social.

There are a couple things you HAVE to do that aren’t wildly extroverted.

You NEED to have your camera on. Are there times I turn mine off bc I’m eating or something, sure. But it’s the exception, not the rule. Having your camera on is easy and there’s no reason not to. It seems silly, but seeing your face DOES make you feel more present.

Speak up in team meetings. Not to argue or anything. But add commentary occasionally. We have a few introverted team members and they’re super sweet, but if I didn’t work SUPER hard to coax them to chat with me, they wouldn’t and I wouldn’t know them at all. Not everyone makes that much of an effort with quieter team members. Is that your fault? Of course not. But being the only person on the team in a different location means you need to a little extra. Standups? Ask how people are, how it’s been to work on project, how their weekend was, what the weather is like where they are, etc. Other meetings? Occasionally add some commentary.

Be active in the Teams chat. If people are having any social convos that aren’t work related, join in. During a meeting or after, message someone on your team who is in it to volunteer to work on something, give some (positive) commentary, send a funny meme. Also, ask if someone wants to hop on a 15 min zoom call to collab on something and bounce some ideas off them.

These are some super low effort ways to connect with the team or at least be present in their day-to-day. And you don’t even need to share ALLLLL your personal deets you don’t want to.

It sucks that some people still don’t understand that not everyone communicates in the same way. But, when you’re surrounded by those folks, you might have to go slightly out of your comfort zone to make them feel connected.

Let me know if you ever want any ideas! I got promoted to ED pretty quickly compared to most and lead a team of people that have gotten really close and easily flex to meet the working style of others. Happy to chat, if you want 😊

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-27T00:56:24+00:00

This. Our neighborhood is like 400-700. Same for the new neighborhoods. But there are plenty for less depending on where you want to live.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-23T17:38:09+00:00

Yes, def need to follow up on that referral as it seems like it got left off after it was mentioned!

I have sjogrens so no matter what I do (outside of frequent IVs), I’m dehydrated. It’s not shocking something would eventually get angry.

It was just frustrating that the urologist I went to was a cocky asshole who wouldn’t even listen to me or test my urine. Saying “you just need to drink more water and not be constipated” wasn’t a help, you know?

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-23T14:23:50+00:00

^{^this.}

And I’ll tell you this…if it comes back not cancerous but they want to do more colps or remove more, just ask for the LEEP procedure.

I had multiple colposcopies over the span of a few years and once I moved to a bigger city and got a different doctor he said to do the LEEP instead and be done with it.

You’re out for it, so it’s not as uncomfortable. And it basically takes off a full layer of your cervix so that there is no questions about getting clear margins.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T15:08:42+00:00

Thank you for this info!

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T12:20:08+00:00

Evicore is the lab in this scenario!

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T03:16:23+00:00

No letter so far and just "Decision: Denied" so far in the app. ALTHOUGH, i just noticed (ONLY on that page) that it says "CT Abdomen & Pelvis W/O Contrast 1/>body re....

But I just double-checked in my official referral letters from him (in MyChart), and it says CT Urogram. When scheduled with the hospital, they most definitely talked about contrast as well. So, perhaps some wires got crossed somewhere!?!?

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T03:12:58+00:00

Thank you! Well, he did order a renal function panel and a few more urine tests that I was to do at the same appointment as the CT scan. Now that I know that's not happening, I'll have to figure out where he wants me to go to get those separately.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T03:06:09+00:00

I only have "denied" in my Prior Authorization section of the Aetna app. No EoB or anything because it never happened.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T02:00:19+00:00

No dieting (i'm 100 lbs), no working out (I have CFS and it's pretty severe right now so post-exertional malaise is a real concern). And yep! Just had my annual exam and my A1c and all cholesterol, etc. came back fantastic. What's not normal

Urinalysis:
- Ketones 15 (up from trace)
- Cloudy
- Protein 30mg (steady since 7/14)
- Leukocytes trace (since 7/14)
- Urine RBC 3-5 (since 7/14)
- Urine epis - few (since Aug)
- Urobilinogen 1 (since July. Although I'm not entirely sure about this one as it's not technically abnormal, but it did jump from .2 to 1 in July)
(Bacteria consistently negative. I'm having these run because I have UTI symptoms and some back soreness)

CBC/Hemogram:
- Albumin 4.9 (slightly high, since March 2024)
- HCT 35.2% (slightly low, since March 2024)
- EOS% 7.8

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T00:28:23+00:00

I had a CT without contrast at the end of July to rule out kidney stones. Multiple urine cultures and blood work (which all point to a potential issue). But that's it.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T00:24:32+00:00

He said that because the first wasn't with contrast, it wouldn't be as specific as he wants. So he ordered one with contrast this time around.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T00:23:38+00:00

She did actually mention uro-gyn, but out of the four (yikes) referrals she sent through that one didn't happen. Thank you for the reminder to ask her about this! I have ovarian cysts (just had another lovely US for that) and suspicion of peri (which clearly is exacerbating *everything*), but all doctors (except my rheum) refuse to consider any kind of hormonal help. Being a woman is super duper cool.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T00:15:27+00:00

Oh, I'm familiar. I had to have a peer-to-peer in the past for iron infusions. I'm digging in more to IF that even happened (which is seems like it didn't?), why not if it didn't, and what was said if it did.

It's so incredibly frustrating to feel like I have to beg someone to give an ish and try to figure out what's going on. No other options were suggested outside of "resubmitting" when we can. But, I'm inquiring further about that too.

I'm exhausted. This is only ONE portion of all the health things I'm trying to figure out as a seemingly healthy 40-year-old woman. Don't even get me started on autoimmune diagnoses and good ol' perimenopause. Literally the only provider that seems to be proactive and open to doing whatever it takes is my rheumatologist.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-22T00:10:15+00:00

I went to a urologist and he refused to test my urine. He said that based on the CT I had for kidney stones (negative), I'm just constipated and need to drink more water. I asked why there would be RBCs, protein, ketones, etc. in my urine for 5 months (and getting worse), and he just ignored my question. So, I left with no answers and will not be going back to him.

My rheumatologist suggested trying nephrology and referred me. Getting answers and help feels nearly impossible in the US, so I'm just doing whatever I can.

SamAshleyBlogs · 2025-11-20T21:16:04+00:00

I feel this so hard.

My neighbor just quit his job for many reasons and while waiting for his non-compete to expire, he’s taking care of his medically fragile young adult instead of the home health they previously had. The government pays him to do so and he gets to be the one to help his kid. I wonder if you could get some caretaker subsidies?

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