THE DECISION
It was a long day today, my trip down to Syracuse to sit with my cardiac surgeon to mull over test results, discuss options, and come to a common consensus. And I am content with the outcome.
First off, it seems that the results of my recent CT Scans to explore the status of my major arteries from my groin to my heart had caused some questions as to whether I was really a candidate for the least invasive surgical procedure to repair my leaking aortic valve. The tests had shown a thickened white area on the wall of my aorta which was suggestive of calcification along the lining of that blood vessel. Such an accumulation would act as an obstacle to easy threading of the catheter transporting the new mechanical valve into my heart and could therefore prevent succcess of the surgical procedure and even cause medical complications for me.
My doctor and I again spoke of the other two options: open heart surgery and also a sort of "closed heart" surgery with access from my side between my ribs. We again agreed I was a poor candidate for either of these major surgeries due to my general medical fragility.
"So, now what ?", we tossed into the air. At this point, my well-seasoned doctor got an idea: What if the whitish area was NOT calcification at all but was merely a collection of the white-colored contrast dye that had been used for the scan? He suggested we do a CT scan without contrast to settle this possibility.
BUT then there was still the issue of my insurance company no longer covering services for that hospital or its physicianas / surgeons, due to a reimburesment dispute which terminated their joint contract just 18 days ago. (And there is no way I could afford these expenseive interventions without benefit of the co-pay scale originally in effect.)
This is where I chimed in. Since I am not in critical condition, what if we delay any further intervention at this point in time while the medical facility and the insurance company iron out their dispute? After all, they had successfully resolved the same issue about two years ago...
And so, a solution was agreed upon. My local cardiologist will monitor my status as we await anticipated reinstatement of that contract. And when that occurs, the first thing we will do is to repeat the CT scans without contrast.
In the meantime, on the suggestion of my surgeon, I will write letters of grievance to AARP and to United Healthcare while urging the many others I know who are in the same position to do the same.
And I will pray for a favorable outcome.
