The Venting Spot

[badger_14 601]

Having surgery to repair a very badly herniated disc (this is going on 2 years of sciatic/leg pain, worsening in spite of everything), which was not an easy decision to make anyway (it needs repair, but anxiety).  Got a surgery date at Local Hospital, got a call a couple hours later saying Local Hospital flagged it because they're not in-network for my insurance. So, now likely having it at Specialty Hospital, but I'm not sure when, and have to wait til Monday for more news so I can arrange everything with my workplaces and the rest of my life.  😤 Healthcare is stressful.  The surgeon's office and the Specialty Hospital have been great, at least. 

[badger_14 601]

On 9/19/2019 at 12:19 PM, Steve_v3 said:

Well it looks like I’m not going to be skating anytime soon. I’m not only not getting my drain taken out, but I’ll be getting an additional drain. My current drain only addresses one side of my liver. The new drain will be for the other side. 

The potential devastating news I got today is that if the additional drain isn’t successful then I would need surgery to attempt to open my bile ducts. It’s a major operation that could damage the major artery and cause the need for a transplant very soon afterwards. 

This wasn’t the information I was planning on getting today. 

What a nightmare!  I'm so sorry this is all happening. I hope you get some kind of good news soon, even if it's just "you won't have a roommate this time".

[Steve_v3 289]

4 hours ago, badger_14 said:

What a nightmare!  I'm so sorry this is all happening. I hope you get some kind of good news soon, even if it's just "you won't have a roommate this time".

Thanks. I’ll strictly enforce a no cereal policy. 

[Steve_v3 289]

4 hours ago, badger_14 said:

Having surgery to repair a very badly herniated disc (this is going on 2 years of sciatic/leg pain, worsening in spite of everything), which was not an easy decision to make anyway (it needs repair, but anxiety).  Got a surgery date at Local Hospital, got a call a couple hours later saying Local Hospital flagged it because they're not in-network for my insurance. So, now likely having it at Specialty Hospital, but I'm not sure when, and have to wait til Monday for more news so I can arrange everything with my workplaces and the rest of my life.  😤 Healthcare is stressful.  The surgeon's office and the Specialty Hospital have been great, at least. 

Having been through many surgeries and procedures I feel for you. Especially when you get yourself ready to deal with what’s ahead and then the insurance screws with it. Just adds to the stress of the situation to begin with. 
good luck 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Dealing with health insurance definitely sucks. Even if your plan covers 90%, it’s still a chunk of change when the bill is $250,000. Thank god my provider permitted a private hospital to be billed at the in-network rate since it was such a specialized procedure, or else it would have been even more painful.

[badger_14 601]

15 hours ago, Steve_v3 said:

Thanks. I’ll strictly enforce a no cereal policy. 

Just have the nurse put it in your chart: "Patient is allergic to foolishness".

15 hours ago, Steve_v3 said:

Having been through many surgeries and procedures I feel for you. Especially when you get yourself ready to deal with what’s ahead and then the insurance screws with it. Just adds to the stress of the situation to begin with. 
good luck 

 

13 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Dealing with health insurance definitely sucks. Even if your plan covers 90%, it’s still a chunk of change when the bill is $250,000. Thank god my provider permitted a private hospital to be billed at the in-network rate since it was such a specialized procedure, or else it would have been even more painful.

I've had a couple of surgeries, one of which was more specialized (in the sense, a very limited number of surgeons perform it, though the number is increasing).  For one, I had my parents' insurance still, so that was all dealt with, and really I could've had it at just about any hospital with a competent GI surgeon.  The second one I had medicaid, which paid for everything (thank god), it was just a question of the scheduling wheels turning slowly (meet the surgeon, pre-op appointments, actual surgery, etc, but I was got in early d/t a cancellation).  Now, I have a partially subsidized plan, but it's the first time I've had a plan where my local (5 mins away) hospital is out of network for anything but emergency visits.  The specialty hospital is among the best in the country, so I'm perfectly happy to have it there, it's just that, OR time is a limited resource, especially for a hospital doing such a high volume of orthopedic procedures daily.  It was frustrating to get a date, frantically arrange things, then be told "um, actually..." And have to frantically re-arrange things and tell people "...ok soon, but I don't know when, I'll get back to you".  It might be a week of delay, or two weeks, or a month.  I do get the sense this surgeon will go to bat for me, because when we looked at my MRIs, he got very distressed when my reply to, "How are you walking around not in excruciating pain?" was "Well, I am in pain, but I have a life and no real choice, so I just have to accept it." 

The funny thing is, I saw this exact scenario with a patient a few years ago.  He needed some toes amputated, which pretty much any fool with an MD and a set of bolt cutters can do, so he went to Local Hospital, but because of his insurance had to be transferred to a large downtown trauma center, admitted and have the surgery there - and his wife didn't drive.  Absolute nonsense. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

23 players on our roster including me. We have 3 checked in for tomorrow's game. This is ridiculous. Captain says he's working on getting us subs. But honestly if we can't even ice 5 of our own skaters we should be forfeiting, IMO.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

17 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

23 players on our roster including me. We have 3 checked in for tomorrow's game. This is ridiculous. Captain says he's working on getting us subs. But honestly if we can't even ice 5 of our own skaters we should be forfeiting, IMO.

Not fair to the other team.  They paid to play too, and its the responsibility of your team to show up with enough players to give them one.

Mark

[Monty22 833]

We added a dog to our family two weeks ago. It's been an adjustment to say the least. Up at 4:15 this am as he thought it was time to eat.. First week we were up at 2:30 every day, so I'm hoping there's some additional improvement.  The lack of sleep is killing me.  Forgot my skates last night- had to play in a pair of rentals a size too small. Good times.

[BenBreeg 493]

36 minutes ago, Monty22 said:

We added a dog to our family two weeks ago. It's been an adjustment to say the least. Up at 4:15 this am as he thought it was time to eat.. First week we were up at 2:30 every day, so I'm hoping there's some additional improvement.  The lack of sleep is killing me.  Forgot my skates last night- had to play in a pair of rentals a size too small. Good times.

Good luck!  We just got one three months ago.  He whimpered in the crate the first night but after that nights have been good.  Jumping and being mouthy, not so much....

[Steve_v3 289]

A little update. 
I had a second biliary drain placed today. 
Not as painful as I feared. The placed it under my sternum near the top of my transplant scar. So no major muscle or cartilage to cut through. I was admitted to make sure I don’t spike a fever. If my labs are better in the morning then they’ll cap the older drain.

For the moment it looks like the drain was placed correctly and is draining. 
hopefully I should be heading home tomorrow afternoon.

It would be nice if things went like they should and be drain free by New Year’s Day. 
 

P.S. no roommate so far. That’s two thumbs up. 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Steve_v3

[Steve_v3 289]

Check that. Roommate just showed up. Which is fine. Until his IV pump’s alarm is going off every minute for the last 20 minutes. Nurse can’t figure it out. 
sleep is going to be hard to come by tonight.  

[Steve_v3 289]

And he’s snoring........🤬 

Edited October 5, 2019 by Steve_v3

[badger_14 601]

10 hours ago, Steve_v3 said:

Check that. Roommate just showed up. Which is fine. Until his IV pump’s alarm is going off every minute for the last 20 minutes. Nurse can’t figure it out. 
sleep is going to be hard to come by tonight.  

I really think hospitals should start handing out little courtesy kits with sleeping masks and earplugs... 😒

[Steve_v3 289]

7 hours ago, badger_14 said:

I really think hospitals should start handing out little courtesy kits with sleeping masks and earplugs... 😒

I almost asked for earplugs. 😉

[badger_14 601]

14 hours ago, Steve_v3 said:

I almost asked for earplugs. 😉

The worst they can do is say no, right? 

[Steve_v3 289]

My doctors are keeping both drains open for now. My labs haven’t come down as far as they would like. So for now I have to drag around 2 bags. Getting labs on Thursday. Hopefully they are a lot better and can get at least one drain capped. 
 

Still pretty sore. I was really hoping to get the first drain out by November. Now I’m not sure. It’s such a nuisance carrying around these 2 drain bags. 
  Hoping for better lab results Thursday. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

14 hours ago, Steve_v3 said:

My doctors are keeping both drains open for now. My labs haven’t come down as far as they would like. So for now I have to drag around 2 bags. Getting labs on Thursday. Hopefully they are a lot better and can get at least one drain capped. 
 

Still pretty sore. I was really hoping to get the first drain out by November. Now I’m not sure. It’s such a nuisance carrying around these 2 drain bags. 
  Hoping for better lab results Thursday. 

Stay positive man! We’re all thinking of you.

[Hills 712]

On 10/8/2019 at 9:46 AM, Steve_v3 said:

My doctors are keeping both drains open for now. My labs haven’t come down as far as they would like. So for now I have to drag around 2 bags. Getting labs on Thursday. Hopefully they are a lot better and can get at least one drain capped. 
 

Still pretty sore. I was really hoping to get the first drain out by November. Now I’m not sure. It’s such a nuisance carrying around these 2 drain bags. 
  Hoping for better lab results Thursday. 

I wish you the best of luck!

[Steve_v3 289]

Well nothing in my life, medically anyways, has been easy. So this morning I woke up with a 102.3 fever and went to the ER foolishly thinking I would be home by the afternoon. Well they decided to admit me almost immediately and after 12 hours in the ER I got to a room. I’ve gotten 2 rounds of IV antibiotics and have a third running now. Of course it has to be run over 4 hours. So I’m laying in my hospital bed trying to get comfortable with an IV running and trying not to pull either biliary drain. 
so the doctors aren’t sure if it’s a systemic infection like I had in the spring or a minor one. The site of my drain is infected. A resident from interventional radiology removed the sutures holding the drain in place because of the infection. It was very painful to just touch it never mind cutting and pulling the suture through the infected skin. He then decided not once, not twice but three times to squeeze the area to force any infectious material out.

It didn’t work 😒 Tomorrow they will need to open the area and clean it. At least it won’t be as painful  

So I haven’t had a fever since I got here at 7:00 am this morning. I don’t feel that bad. Just wishing I was at home sleeping. 

Nothing worse than feeling totally out of control of what’s going to go on day to day in your life. 

[marka 526]

Howdy

Damn dude.  You need to catch a break.

Keep fighting!

Mark

[Cove 38]

I started a new job last week, on my first day in the office i was side by side with my boss who was sick.. im now home sick. I hate people who dont stay home when theyre sick.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

33 minutes ago, Cove said:

I started a new job last week, on my first day in the office i was side by side with my boss who was sick.. im now home sick. I hate people who dont stay home when theyre sick.

This. Oh my god, this. 

[Steve_v3 289]

3 hours ago, Cove said:

I started a new job last week, on my first day in the office i was side by side with my boss who was sick.. im now home sick. I hate people who dont stay home when theyre sick.

I remember one year my employer sent out a letter during a bad flu season that they wanted people who were sick to not come back to work until they didn’t have a fever and were symptom free. 
Then after getting sick and being out for a week I get asked why I was out. 
Sometimes it amazes how clueless people can be. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by Steve_v3

[SirJW 207]

Most people can't afford to take time off from work now a days....