Mail Call...

I've been pretty fortunate when it comes to my insurance.

(Knock on Wood)

I think we've all heard stories where people go into the hospital to take care of a medical problem only to find out later that it wasn't covered.

That's actually been a fear of mine going into this 2nd surgery. As you know, some people keep the hardware in their knees. So I guess this could be classified as "elective surgery" in some circles.

Why would someone choose to do that? Well, I think it depends upon their age or level of activity. Maybe they just don't want to go through another surgery...

For me, it wasn't even a difficult decision: Those wires were coming out!

I guess I had two main reasons for having them removed. First, they hurt. I was limited in what I could do each day because of distances - if I felt that it was a long walk, then I'd pass. If I felt that it would be a lot of effort, I'd decline. Each time I took a step, the wires would move along with the kneecap... up and down... to the point where most days the knee was swollen.

The other reason is my mobility was hampered. It was incredibly difficult to go up or down stairs. My doctor also advised me not to do anything strenuous... so I couldn't exercise. And, in some circumstances, the knee would actually "lock." I'd have to stop walking... something wasn't right. And I knew that because it was rubbing against something...

We scheduled the surgery a week and a half from my last visit with Dr. Rutherford. I figured I'd hear something from the insurance if there was a problem... nothing. Well, not exactly. I heard from my the nurse that works for the insurance company. She called to check on me before, and told me that CIGNA was reviewing it as "pending approval." I asked what that meant, and she said they were just getting more information from my doctor.... "Nothing to worry about."

(Knock on Wood)

So after a few days at the folks, I returned to a mountain of mail sitting in my mailbox. I saw there was something from CIGNA... hmm... whatever could it be???

Oh, it was just a simple letter letting me know they are denying the following coverage: Inpatient level of care

"From the clinical information received, medical necessity for coverage of an acute inpatient hospitalization for the Removal of Support implant being requested has not been established. The procedure itself which is being authorized is routinely performed as an outpatient and no documentation has been received detailing a clinical condition or significant comorbidity that would warrant an inpatient admission for this procedure. However should admission to an inpatient service become adviseable or necessary because of unexpected findings or complications following the Removal of Support Implant, this will be reviewed on a concurrent basis following surgery."

OK... when I first read this... actually, the first few times I read this, I thought, "What the hey? They aren't covering this?"

Then, it hit me... "Oh... they're saying that if I was admitted overnight, then that wouldn't be covered." Good thing I didn't have any problems... otherwise I might have had a big headache in the months afterwards with my insurance company.

So that's what I'm taking from this - that's the explanation for how I'm interpretting this language. If you, my more experienced reader, think otherwise, please let me know.

I'm just ready for all of this mess to be over with...

Home Sweet Home...

This morning I woke up at my parent's house, but I'm going to sleep in my own house tonight. Yep, I'm home.

Not a lot to report from my day: Ate breakfast and lunch at my parent's house, watched a little of the Texas-Baylor game with Joel (he said he'd keep his mouth shut... which he did, though he was struggling), and I packed up all of my stuff. Oh yeah, m parents also picked up my truck from the dealership - $450 of work done to it.

I drove over here - first time since Tuesday - and it felt great. Weird... but great. No problems with the leggo. I really haven't had the issues that I did before - just the fogginess from the drugs.

I'm still taking the hydrochodone... as much as I don't want to take it, I guess my body still requires it. I've taken 2 today... and I can see how people would get hooked on these. It's like a blast to the system - there is a definite "buzz" to taking it, if not a little more. However, they seem to do the job - the aches and pain subside.

After we unpacked, my Mom gave me a much-needed haircut. It's been almost 2 months, and I was getting pretty shaggy.

Before she left, I thanked her again for everything. I know... she's my Mom and this is what parents do... but it really means a lot to know I have someone who can take care of me, especially with everything I've been through this year.

I took my 2nd shower of the week today, too. Well, not really the week... 2nd since the surgery. This meant I brought out the shower chair again. I actually kind of liked that... over some other things. I think some of you may have gathered that I really didn't enjoy the "trash bag" reunion I had yesterday.

Therefore, I got to thinking... I just have to cover up the knee, not the entire leg like before (brace). Then it hit me - how about trying some Saran Wrap! Well, I'm here to say that it was a resounding success. So, if you know of anyone that needs to cover up something while showering, have them try the wrap. I still had to use a little duct tape, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what I've been through in the past.

Oh, I got on the scale - I've dropped 5 lbs. since Tuesday. That's just less I'll be dragging around when I start to work out with this knee!

Beyond all of that, it's been a lot of icing the knee and watching TV. I caught up on shows I had recorded, and tonight I watched "Battlestar Galactica - The Plan." For those that are fans, I'll say this - it's good. However, if you watch it on DVD you'll know why I say, "I'm pretty sure they're going to cut out several scenes before they show it on TV."

Overall, a pretty good day. Looking forward to my own bed tonight...

Friday...

Last night I ventured up the stairs for a night of slumber on an king-sized bed. I guess I got a good night's sleep - I woke up after 9:00 AM!

After breakfast, I headed back upstairs for the shower. Like I previously wrote, it sure wasn't a lot of fun removing the duct tape. However, it felt great to finally "get a wash."

Today I wanted to get out. So, Mom and I went to the bank, Pier One, lunch at "Love and War in Texas," and then to the Hallmark store.

Most of the time, I used my crutches. However, by the time we made it to Hallmark, I figured the store was small enough that I wouldn't do much walking.

Once I got home, I grabbed another nap. It wasn't great... but it did the job. It's awkward sleeping... I start out on my back, but my snoring wakes me up. Yes... that must be some bad snoring to do that!

So, I have to roll over to quiet myself. That's terrible! Well, doing that I have to maneuver the knee so that it doesn't bend or sit in a painful way.

However, what normally happens, is I wake up and I've completely rolled over onto my stomach... which means there is some pain coming from my knee because all of the weight is on that kneecap. Yikes!

Anyway, I do a lot of "moving around" just to get comfortable.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with friends/family, emailing, and reading.

Tomorrow I'm going home. Joel wants me to stick around and watch the Texas-Baylor game, but I'm not expecting a good outcome in that game. Plus, he tends to be a little obnoxious when it comes to UT.

So not a lot of new "news" to report, but I'm doing quite well. The wooziness seems to have gone away, the pain isn't too bad, and I'm excited about going home.

Yesterday's Recap...

I woke up on the couch around 7... not a lot of "late sleeping" when the parents get up at the crack and I'm in a room "without a door" adjacent to the kitchen.

I still felt pretty woozy. The night before wasn't very good in the sleeping department.

Using the walker, I meandered into the kitchen for some breakfast and conversation. My mom had to leave early for work, and Joel was heading out to a doctor's appointment.

I then made my way back to the couch, and stayed put for the next few hours. I also grabbed a nap - hour and a half. It was great!

When I got up, I was still woozy. How do I describe this? It's like a head injury or something... maybe a hangover... it was just incredibly difficult to get my body back to normal. However, I wasn't helping things by taking more pain pills. "Damned if you do...."

Around 1, my folks returned. I ate a sandwich, gave them the morning update, and then decided that I needed another nap. Instead of fighting the constant noises, I made my way upstairs. I think I shocked them, but I can go up stairs taking 1 step at a time (good leg).

After another hour and a half nap, I came back downstairs and was immediately met by Joel... who had A LOT to talk with me about.

First, my truck has been in the shop this week. Well, he had a lot to say about that because they had called. Then he went in to talking with me about his carpel tunnel diagnosis he received today (and is wearing a brace on his wrist). Next, he wanted to talk about football... first it was Texas, and then it was TCU. All of this was in the span of about 10 minutes and right after I had woken up. Even for a person who's not suffering from the surgery side effects, that's a lot to take!

I can always tell when he has a lot on his mind and he's not finished... he'll say something, like "You really should just get a brand new vehicle." Then, he'll pause, and walk away... get about 10 feet... and then turn around with his next sentence. This goes on and on and on... until he's talked out. Given that I can't really escape, well... I'm kinda stuck. Par for the course...

Mom made a great dinner last night - Tilapia, avocado salad, and potatoes au gratin. Plus cobbler dessert. I'm getting treated like a king!

I then just got back on the couch, watched some TV, and went to bed around midnight.

So, what is different/similar this time compared to last time? Well, I have pain... but it's no where NEAR the severity I experienced before. My surgery was on a Wednesday, same as last time. I had to stay in the hospital 2 nights and had a morphine drip on top of the hydrochodone. I would be coming home today if I had the same type of surgery... good gosh!

My pain is just different - it's all on the wound. I can feel it when I move... but it's not too bad. Most of my problems has been the "cloudiness" I feel. I'm also pretty tired... like I've been up about 2 hours, and I'm already for another nap.

Today I had my first shower since Tuesday. Oh how I've missed duct taping a trash bag to my hairy leg. Well, let me clarify.... REMOVING a duct taped bag!

I'm getting out this morning. I'll blog later and tell you what I did... and how I did.

Inspiration Going Into Surgery...

Yesterday, as my Mom and I were making our ways through the hallways to Day Surgery, a door opened up and a man dressed in hospital scrubs came out in front of us. As we walked behind him, immediately it hit me: That's Beck Weathers!

Here I was about to walk into a surgery, and walking in front of me is someone who has not only survived... he endured! It was incredibly inspiring (and shocking!) to walk behind someone who literally was left for dead on Mount Everest... and humbling to know that if he could make it, then I could go make it. Not just for my surgery, but for the experiences I have faced.


Beck Weathers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seaborn Beck Weathers (born December 1946) is an American pathologist from Texas. He is best known for his role in the 1996 Everest Disaster that has been the subject of many books and film, most notably Into Thin Air and Everest. During that climb, he was left for dead, exposed to the elements on the South Col, where he suffered severe frost bite. He recovered enough to walk alone and unassisted to nearby Camp IV. He was later helped to walk on frozen feet to a lower camp, where he was the subject of one of the highest-altitude helicopter rescues ever performed. Following his helicopter evacuation from the Western Cwm, Beck had his right arm amputated halfway below the elbow. All four fingers and the thumb on his left hand were removed; his nose was amputated and reconstructed with tissue from his ear and forehead and he lost parts of both feet to his injuries. He continues to practice medicine, and deliver motivational speeches from Dallas.

He has said that his trouble on the mountain began when he was blinded by the effects of high altitude on his eyes that had been altered by radial keratotomy surgery, the effects of altitude upon which was at the time unknown to science. After he admitted his disability to his paid guide, Rob Hall, he waited for Hall to guide him back down the mountain, instead of descending with other guides or clients. Hall was delayed with a client further up the mountain before he could return to Beck's position. This delay caused Beck to become stranded in a late afternoon blizzard, which ended in tragedy for some, and hardship for the entire party. Hall, unable to descend from the higher elevations, perished the following day.

Beck spent a whole night in an open bivouac in a terrible blizzard with both hands and his face exposed. His fellow climbers said that his frozen hand and nose looked and felt as if they were made of porcelain, and they did not expect him to survive. With that assumption, they only tried to make him comfortable until he died, but he survived another freezing night alone in a tent unable to drink, eat, or keep himself covered with the sleeping bags he was provided. His cries for help could not be heard above the blizzard, and his companions were surprised to find him alive and coherent on the following day.

Weathers authored a book about his experience, Left For Dead, which was first published in 2000.

The Day After...

I almost titled this, "Here We Go Again..."

For those that visited me 6 month ago, you may recognize this room/couch/position. This is me... back at my parents... lying on the couch.

I'm still in a bit of a fog... but I figured it's time to try and clear the cobwebs and put my brain to use. Therefore, here goes an "attempt" to bring everyone up to speed.

We left the house about 7:30 AM for the hospital. Passed 2 different wrecks on 75... Joel missed the exit to the hospital... freaked me out numerous times while driving in traffic... Therefore, it should come as no surprise that my blood pressure was 146/94 when they took it.

They put us in a general waiting area for about 30 minutes, then had me come into a semi-private room to get on the gurney. Then the 3 of us plus the guy pushing my gurney went from the 2nd to the 3rd floor to the room where everyone waits in "stalls" for their surgeries. And we waited...

And waited and waited and waited. Surgery was supposed to be at 9:30. They hooked me up to the IV about that time, but I just laid on the gurney for an hour. Joel did his best to stay interested... God Bless Him... but he was ready for the show to get on the road. My Mom was extremely patient... and I think a little nervous.

Me? It was my 2nd time in this rodeo, so I was raring to go! The sooner they sealed me up, the sooner my recovery would start! At least that's what I was thinking...

The anaesthesiologist arrived and said I could wear my contacts - I wanted to see this time, you know? Joel asked her if she was going to give me the "Michael Jackson" drug and she said yes, and then explained that he didn't have an anaesthesiologist with him like I'll have. Ha! She was pretty feisty! She then said she was going to give me a little "Margarita" for my short ride to the O.R. - mmm... tasty. It was just a relaxer and not the big one.

So I said goodbye to the folks, saw my Mom's worried eyes, and off I went. Before I went into the room, the margarita had kicked in. Unfortunately, too much.

One thing I have been adament about during this whole process is, "I want my wires back!" I paid for them, in more ways than one, and I want to see what has been causing me all of this pain for 6 months. Well, Dr. Rutherford, even though I told him multiple times, said he'd forget and to remind him when I was in there. Sure as anything, I didn't see him... and the margarita didn't help... nor did it help when within seconds I was out for good.

I awoke in another room similar to the holding area. However, it was much quieter due to it just having patients, nurses, and doctors. The nurse that was sitting by my side asked my pain level, and I thought it was about a 7. I instinctively felt down towards my leg to see if I could feel the brace, but they had so many dang blankets on me that I couldn't tell.

Every once in a while an alarm would go off on the machine I was hooked up to. Apparently I wasn't breathing right... when you're in pain, you take shallower breaths... so this was telling me to take bigger ones. Let's just say it and the nurse let me know multiple times to do a better job of this.

The pain was pretty rough for a while. They gave me something and that didn't work. She then gave me Demerol and that started to work. I had a headache, too. This would stay with me until I went to bed last night...

A doctor showed up and looked at my leg (not my doctor) and was surprised there wasn't a brace. He asked me what I knew about that, and I told him the 2 different stories from Rutherford and his Physician's Assistant, Jackie. So he got on the phone and called Dr. Rutherford and he confirmed, "No brace." That actually made me feel pretty good...

After I was in there for a while, I asked, "What number gets me out of here?" She said anything below 4... so I said, "OK... I think it's a 3 now." I wasn't really lying... compared to what I've had in the past, this was a 3. :-)

So we said our goodbyes and I was wheeled back down to the 2nd floor and into a Day Surgery room where Mom and Joel were waiting. I asked what Dr. Rutherford said to them, and they said he never showed up. Apparently after a long time waiting and seeing on the screen that I was still in the Recovery Room, Joel got on the phone and talked with Jackie and asked if Rutherford was going to come speak to them. She seemed surprised he hadn't and covered for him (according to Joel) that something must have come up.

Anyway, we had a list of questions and waited in the room while they gave me juice, water, and crackers. I wasn't very happy about all of this... communication is a BIG thing in my book when dealing with people, and for him not to come by just didn't sit well. Plus, I wanted those dang wires! I was told by the nurses that he probably just threw them away. Nice.

After about an hour, I asked, "Is anyone coming to speak with us?" The answer was no... apparently everyone was waiting for me to go pee. Seriously... that's how you exit. If your pain isn't killing you and you can pee, you can go home.

So I got up... with assistance... and had a wobbily walk (on both legs... no crutches but holding onto the nurse) to the restroom. Everything came out swimingly... when I came out, Joel was ecstatic. "Let's go!" Unfortunately, I had taken a pain pill and they said we had to wait another 30 minutes. Ha... Joel wasn't happy.

Wheelchair came, we headed out, and I climbed into the back seat. Oh, remember way back on that Monday after the accident when I was checking into the hospital, there was a nurse that wheeled me around and got me food? She was the one that took me to Joel's car. I told her who I was and that she had done that... she's super nice. She said she remembered me (due to the story).

After another scary ride back to Plano, Joel helped support me while I made my way into the house. My head was not right - the meds were just messing up my balance, vision, etc. I just sat in a chair while Mom went to Walgreens and Sonic.

I ate... took a pill... and then felt nausiated. I fell asleep for about an hour, and awoke feeling about the same I felt prior to sleep. Anyway, that was par for the course... I felt miserable last night. The pain was either coming from the wound, or my head was woozy, or I felt like I was going to throw up everywhere. Vastly different situation from my last surgery... not sure why other than I was pretty stationary in that hospital bed last time.

Sleeping wasn't great last night... crazy dreams, sleeping for about an hour or 2... and lots of urination. I have 2 of those hospital "urination jugs" from last time. Well, my kidneys must have kicked in something fierce because I filled up 4 of those last night! They're 32 oz each! I told mom about that this morning, and of course that concerned her. I've continued a few more times this morning, but I think I'm finally drained...

My head is still woozy. It's a weird feeling... like you turn your head and then your brain follows about 2 seconds later. I took an hour and a half nap this morning... until the phone rang. Awesome.

I've taken one pain pill. I'm on a walker... yesterday I was able to walk on both legs fine because the knee was juiced up. Today, not so much. Last time it was more on the bone, but this time it's totally on the skin. In May I had to pause like 30 seconds when I stood up because it was so painful... this time, it's like a few seconds and then I can get moving...

I have another nap calling me this afternoon... and tonight I'm hoping to make it up the stairs so I can sleep in a bed. We'll see...

This was a long one... hope I answered your questions. Shoot me an email - probably won't feel up to talking until tomorrow.

2nd Verse, Same as the First...

Six months ago, on a night VERY much like tonight, I wrote in this blog about how I was feeling the night before my surgery.

If you want a refresher, here it is: Link

Amazingly, some of my thoughts that night are the same heading into surgery numero dos. I want to just walk like a normal person again, and I know it's going to be a journey just to do THAT...

So tonight I'm over at my folks - figured it would be easier to just leave from here rather than rushing around in the morning.

It was an odd day today... I had the time AND ability to actually plan for what I'm about to go through. I did my laundry, I took care of some bills, and I picked up my house (readying it for my return).

One difference this time around is my parents knowledge - remember, last time they didn't know as they were out of the country. Tonight my Mom made dinner (pork roast!), we talked about our questions SHE will be asking the doctor, and Joel made wisecracks... typical night. Ha!

Oh, and for those that know Joel, he has already said that:

Texas is going to destroy Baylor this weekend.
Texas is unstoppable, and their defense is going to kill my Baylor QB.
Baylor shouldn't be in the Big 12.
Texas fans will completely take over the Baylor stadium.
His new proposed conference would have Baylor, TCU, Houston, SMU, Tulane, and Rice.

(Can you see me sitting on the couch stewing? Steam coming out of my ears?)

We watched V (I made them... even though they were totally lost) on their "original" HD TV. OK, if anything happens and there comes a time when my friends and family are deciding what to do with my TV, I make this my last will and testament that no matter what, my parents should get my television. I'm serious! Theirs is so bad - it's square and is full screen, which deforms the people on the screen that you start looking at it cross-eyed! And don't get me started about the sound quality...

Since they went to bed, I have already shaved and showered. Why? Well, creature of habit - that's what I did last time... although last time I was "showering" by washing my hair in Chandra's kitchen sink (with her helping prop me up while I balanced on one leg) and "washing" myself down with baby wipes.

Thank you to those who have reached out to me tonight - calls, emails, texts, etc. It means a lot...

I've already spoken with "Dr. Gasser," and I'll be able to eat/drink until midnight tonight. No personal medications tomorrow, though - my regular meds might cause problems.

Anyway, not much left to do. Time to kick the tires and light the fires... Am I nervous? Anxious? Scared? Hmmm... I'm intent. Focused. Ready to get this over with. Yeah, I'm sure I'll have visions tonight of the surgery tomorrow, but whatever pain I go through shouldn't be nearly as bad as what I've already experienced.

I've been there... done that... and now it's time to get on with the business of gettin' better.

See you on the flip side!