First Doctor visit post-op

I had my first post-op Doctor visit on Thursday August 2nd; the news was good. The pathology report was good showing that the entire tumor had been removed. Meaning that the surgery was a complete success.

I was sent for blood work to check my PSA level. It came back at 0 which was expected; more good news.

The only drawback is dealing with the incontinent issues from the surgery. I am being sent for some physical therapy to help strengthen the pelvic muscles. But my first appointment is not until September 6th. My Doctor did prescribe some medication to help and it seems to be helping a little.

So for the first time in over a year and a half I don't have any major health issues staring me in the face. Nice!!!

Still outstanding is a final resolution to my large Duke bill, but I hope that is resolved soon.

My next Doctor visit is early October. I will post another update then.

Day 15 Post-Op update

Day 15 Post-Op update.

This morning was another milestone in my Post-Op recovery. The Catheter was  removed about 9AM this morning. What a weird feeling to be able to pee again normally. I did not have to wait and see my Doctor. It was removed by a nurse so not having to wait was a bonus.

Overall I am doing great and getting better everyday. I have no pain or soreness. Just getting used to living a normal life again.

Two more weeks and back to work.

Day 8 Post-Op update

Day 8 Post-Op update.

Not much new to update on Day 8. I'm still a little sore and looking forward to next Tuesday when the Catheter comes off.

My energy level is better and my appetite is back.

I will not be posting updates anymore unless there is a major milestone.

The next update will be next Tuesday 06/26. I have an appointment with my Urologist and am scheduled to get the Catheter off. Plus I will be getting an update on my overall condition.

Look for an update next Tuesday.

Thanks everyone.

Day 7 Post-Op update

Day 7 Post-Op update.

1 week ago today at this time I was up and ready to go. I had to be at the hospital at 10AM. I've come a long way in a year as there was very little if any anxiety building about what I was facing.

The anxiety did finally kick in as I was transported to pre-op. But as usual all the pre-op stuff hurt more than the surgery itself and even that was mild. Once I was transported into the operating room it was only a matter of a few minutes and I was in lala land. The next thing I knew I woke up in ICU and it was all over but the recovery process. I never felt a thing. The miracle of modern medicine.

So today I can tell you all that I have made a significant improvement over even yesterday. Yes I am still sore, but only slightly. Absolutely no pain and very little discomfort.

One more week with the catheter and then I will even be more back to normal.

So if you or anyone you know is about to face some serious surgery and they are stressed about it give them my name and phone number and I will be glad to tell them about my experiences. Before last years bypass surgery I was the biggest baby in the world. Now after surviving 2 major surgeries in a little over 1 year. I know know I can face anything thrown my way. I hope I am done for several years, but one never knows. 

More later.

Day 6 Post-Op update

Day 6 Post-Op update.

More progress even though it is slight it is progress and that is all I can ask or expect.

I will probably start to do some things on my laptop today that I have been putting off.

First coffee today since last Sunday.

More later.

Day 5 Post-Op update

Day 5 Post-op update.

Still sore but not as much as yesterday.

Yesterday was the first day I felt like a human being since the surgery. I know it is a slow process and I am not looking for miracles, but just daily improvements which I have seen. So I am happy.

My sister goes home today and then Paul comes down Sunday.

My appetite is beginning to return, but I want to take this time to get back on track and lose some more weight.

More tomorrow.

Day 4 Post-Op update

Day 4 Post-Op update.

Still sore but much better today. I am able to move much better, but not ready to run a marathon quite yet.

Getting used to the temporary side effects which will mostly be gone in a couple of weeks.

Then I have have to gear up mentally for dealing with the long term side effects. But it is what it is and life is life.

Thanks for all the well wishes from everybody.

The surgery is behind me. Let the healing begin.

The surgery went as expected or better. Dr Robertson did an excellent job. The surgery lasted about 3 hours. As promised I woke up in ICU without the breathing tubes. Once I woke up about 6PM they took me to my room about 7PM.

The nurses were impressed as I did not ask for any pain medication.

I was discharged Wednesday morning and got home about 11AM. Still very sore, but getting better.

The worst is behind me and now the healing process has begun.

More later.

Updates while in the Hospital

Currently from what I know my surgery is scheduled for noon on Monday June 11th. The surgery is about 4 hours. I have a final pre-op appointment tomorrow and if it changes I will post an update.

If you want to get an update don't bother calling the hospital as they will only give out information to immediate family. Instead call my sister Barbara Russo on her cell phone 585-507-9607. I would call early evening and she should be able to give you a good update.

I should be discharged Wednesday morning and will start updates via the Blog.

Thanks

Surgery is still on for Monday June 11th

I had a Cat Scan yesterday which was nothing.

Today a had a pre-op appointment with my Urologist and it was also a none event (no rectal exam). Ya got to love that.

One more pre-op appointment June 7th at the hospital and then surgery June 11th.

My sister Barb is scheduled to arrive Saturday 06/09 for 1 week.

The Health Care Scandal In North Carolina as reported by the News and Observer

On Sunday April 22nd I opened the Sunday Paper to read a headline in all capital letters that really caught my eye "MAJOR HOSPITALS PILE UP THE CASH". The sub headline reads "They are nonprofits in name, but not in practice. How your hospital helps drive up the cost of health care.".

I immediately read the article and was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotion as it was all so true and everything that I had lived the prior year. It was the 1st of a 5 part series that exposed every scenario that has happened to me in the past year + with my major health issues. It really hit home hard. I only hope that it helped my Attorney in negotiating a settlement with Duke. And yes Duke is one of the biggest offenders.

Basically the Hospitals In North Carolina are no better than the Banks and Oil Companies. They are all greedy. The top executives are making millions of dollars in salaries. They are registered as not for profit meaning that they get mega millions of dollars in tax breaks yet they are making mega millions of dollars in profits. All at the expense of the little guy. It makes me sick.

I have captured all the articles that were published by the New and Observer. I have published everything on my website along with some other interesting articles related to Health Insurance and Health Care as we get older and what we need to do prior to retiring.  Well worth reading.

This is what is going on in North Carolina. What is going on in your state? Probably the same thing.

As always comments are welcome.

http://danno.net/health_care.htm

The Skinney with the Kinney

As all or most of you know my saga began a little over a year ago when I ended up at Duke Hospital with a heart attack requiring quadruple bypass surgery. So far so good as that was very successful and physically I feel better than I have in 20+ years.  But in reality my Saga began when I began my employment with Fidelity as a contractor through Veritude in November 2007 which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity. As a contractor I have what I now know is called a Mini Med health insurance plan. This is also known as Junk Insurance. There are two levels a 20K or 50K. Meaning that you are covered up to either 20K or 50K of medical costs. Hence where my saga really started. I don't think I need to tell most of you that 20K or 50K will not cover much when you have a catastrophic health incident such as a heart attack that requires major surgery. As a result I am heavily in debt to Duke hospital and secured the services of an Attorney to help me negotiate a settlement. I will save this nightmare for another post at another time.

My health issues continued after the heart attack as shortly thereafter my PCP noticed that my PSA level was elevated and suspected that I might have Prostate Cancer. He refereed me to a Urologist who really did turn out to be a pain in my ass (pardon the pun, but I couldn't resist it). I first went to see him in May of 2011. In August of 2011 I agreed to have a biopsy. At the time I stated to my Urologist that I did not have any health insurance as it had been exhausted with the bypass surgery. He told me to call the finance department and they would work with me on how to pay for it. So I called and was told to go ahead and schedule the Biopsy and they would work with me on paying for it. Mistake #1 was I did not get a name or ask that I get that in writing. So I called and scheduled the Biopsy for Wednesday October 5th. My Junk Health Insurance recycled at the end of September so I was not to concerned as I figured my Junk Health Insurance would cover the cost of the Biopsy. After all the Biopsy was a routine procedure and I just assumed it would not cost all that much. Mistake #2 was that I did not get an estimate about the cost prior to the Biopsy. If I can offer advice to anybody facing any type of medical procedure; demand an estimate. It is no different than taking your vehicle to an auto mechanic. Get an estimate; always. So the results of the Biopsy come back positive and my second nightmare begins. 

To my surprise in early November I found out that my Biopsy was originally billed to my Health Insurance Company at a cost of almost $7,000. My next surprise was I found out that my Junk Health Insurance had a cap of $5,000 for out patient services. So just barley into the new year of my Health Insurance I am already in the hole. Not to go into great detail, but this sent my mental health spiraling downward and I did not think it could go any lower. It triggered a series of events in my life that almost cost me my job and my life. Again I will spare you those details for another post. Basically my good friend from Rochester (whose name I will keep private for now) came to my rescue and offered me Health Insurance that included Major Medical. Yes it is a high deductible plan, but it is way better then the Junk Insurance I had.

After finding out that I indeed did have Prostate Cancer I went to see a Radiologist in early November of 2011. It was determined that I was a good candidate for external radiation treatments. It was probably the least invasive and at first the direction I was leaning towards as a form of treatment. But then finding out that my out-patient services benefit had been maxed out it seemed that that option was not a good one as how would it be paid for. Anyway with my mental health spiraling out of control and my life in general I was at a crossroad and did not know what I was going to do. After my friend stepped up with better Health Insurance that made a huge difference and the dark cloud began to lift.  After returning to Durham from my Christmas trip back to Rochester I began to look at all the options available to me. I had an appointment with my Urologist in early January and figured I needed to decide on an option before I went to see him. I decided on the Robotic Surgery and at the appointment with my Urologist the Surgery was scheduled for Thursday March 15, 2012.

Towards the end of January I secured the services of an Attorney to help me negotiate a settlement on my Duke Bill which now included the Biopsy bill. I went to meet the Attorney on a Thursday and he wanted me to gather all the documents I had and bring them to him that Monday. It was a daunting task and sent my Mental Health spiraling downward again. It prompted me to write a letter that I sent to my PCP, Cardiologist, Urologist and the CFO of Duke hospital. It basically was a cry for help and fell on deaf ears. But in it I praised the good all the Doctors and Nurses had done for me and blasted the way things had been handled by the Finance Department. In the letter I stated that up until now I had been very naive and took what people told me at face value. Or in the instance of what goes on with medical billing at a major health institution I had assumed they were honest and cared about people. The Doctors and Nurses did, but not the financial end of Duke. I made some very harsh demands in the letter that I knew could not be met. Again it was a cry for help. It was my unorthodox way of dealing with my bad situation. I know it probably could have been handled better, but it is what it is. That is the way I chose to deal with it.

Shortly after that I got a phone call from a friend of mine in Rochester who had a Prostate Biopsy at URMC in November 2011. His Biopsy was billed to his Insurance Company at < than $1,000. This sent me into a rage. How could Duke bill mine at $7,000. I did a Google search and found out the going rate for a Prostate Biopsy was actually < $500. I sent off an email to my Urologist blasting him and demanding some help. Remember prior to the Biopsy I was told by the Fiance Department that they would work with me on paying for it. So where was the help? Instead they are sticking it up my A## by demanding that I pay what my JUNK INSURANCE did not cover. So a couple of weeks go by and I get a statement in the mail one day from Duke. It turns out that my Biopsy was actually billed at $10,000. Again my Mental Health spiraled downward. This triggered yet another nasty email to my Urologist making some demands. Again it was a cry for help that went on deaf ears. Instead I get a call from Urologist and he just blew me off. So we parted ways and the Surgery scheduled for March 15th was canceled. Fortunately for me I had been going to a Cancer Support group at Duke. The facilitator was a counselor and after I contacted him he realized how far down my Mental Health was and he got me into to see him and a Patient Advocate.

So currently my Prostate Cancer Surgery is re-scheduled for Monday June 11th with a new Urologist still within the Duke family. As far as my physical health is I can still say I feel better than I have for 20+ years. My mental health has improved although I do have my days. I think my Attorney is close to a settlement. And there was a major scandal about the Health Care Industry and the Hospitals in North Carolina that was exposed by the local newspaper down here. That made me feel better and I am trying to get my story told to the local newspaper.

So that is it for this BLOG. I will write more in future BLOG's about what is going on with my job situation at Fidelity. The Health Care Scandal. And what is going on with my large Duke Bill.

As I close I want to leave everybody with this message. Get everything in writing. Don't trust anybody. The Hospital's do have Financial Counselors and you can get an estimate prior to. Not get surprised like I have been.

I decided to start a blog as a way to keep everyone up-to-date on my continuing and ever evolving saga. I will post more info once I figure out how this works. Stay tuned.