Topic: My story and where it is now..... - page 4. (Read 6940 times)

I'm glad you're better, but it's worrying that nothing has been finally solved, or at least nothing has been officially done to specifically solve your problem.

have you thought about doing a complete cardiological examination in another neutral place now? is it a good enough move with your condition, to move you from level 2 to level 6 or do they just want to postpone you for another time?
If I were you, I wouldn't relax, and I certainly wouldn't blindly believe everything you hear from the doctor. As far as I understand, your insurance should pay for the transplant, I believe that the most important thing for them was that you somehow recover so that they can avoid big expenses.

I don't want to be negative, I'm just in favour of exhausting all possibilities.

After the previous news I was so angry ... I am overly surprised by these news.


It's good that you have such questions. This means that you'll be more careful - with everything - and also hopefully make you ask a second (maybe also third) opinion, preferably from doctors that will give you their opinion instead of just reading what you've got here.
Medicine is not as evolved as we like to think and also not all doctors are equally qualified (or think the same). You'll most probably have to research a little more on this...

Like the saying, hope for the best, but prepare for the worse. I really hope that the worse has miraculously passed, but let's make sure it's so.

Am beginning to think that, why the whole process of the transplant is being delayed is because of the involvement of an insurance in the process, I don't know if I am right or just making an assumption but in my country, patient who are on insurance cover are easily delayed and denied some classes of drug in the hospital pharmacies but I don't know if that is the case in this situation.
-united state should have a better health systems that prioritise the health of it citizens and having policies that could regulate the operation of insurance companies and their delay tactic that forces citizens into pulling out and doing their medical spending themselves just to get their health fixed.
-Just as Yahoo story have generated a lot of eye opening discussion, and help create awareness on key help factors and issue we need to put in check regularly as regards our total well being.
But ultimately I know at the end of everything, sir Yahoo is going to come out victoriusly, all the best man.

The human body has an incredible capacity for recovery. So, sometimes a more continuous rest and less day-to-day stress can help to reverse the situation.
It is true that the problem may still be there, but it gave you a break to relax a little more.

Now it's time to try to live a less stressful life more calmly, managing the situation better.

It may have been boring all that time in the hospital, but see it as a life experience and a learning experience. Of course, it would have been preferable not to have existed, but since I did exist, it is to look at it in a positive way.

All the best, forum mate.

**CRAZY UPDATE**

I've spent the last couple of days in here being frustrated and semi happy. Emotions all over the place honestly.

The plan on my last update was to get the swan, which happened. I went to the cath lab last Thursday and got the swan put in my neck. It was very uncomfortable and ended up being a pain in the ass sort of when it came to physical therapy. The day after the balloon pump was removed from my groin, physical therapy came to my room to get me moving around. They had me doing some leg exercises in the bed and it was not easy at all. The left leg was fine, but the right leg was like a stone due to being kept straight for 2 weeks. My right foot was also nearly doubled in size from being sedentary and holding fluids. Not usually an issue as my body has not been swelling anywhere. It's normal to swell if i'm not moving around for a long period of time.

We ended up getting me up out of the bed that day and walking a few feet to a recliner they got for my room. They wanted me moving around and getting the blood flowing, especially in my right leg. We got me to the recliner and did a few leg and arm exercises, after we finished they wanted me to sit up in the chair for at least 30 minutes. Not a problem of course. I went about an hour and then was helped back to my bed. After a couple days we finally ventured to the hallway and did some laps around the unit. Day 1 i did 3 laps, Day 2 4 laps, Day 3 5 laps, and today 4 laps. I had to take a few breaks when the heart rate hit 140+ but I pushed it as much as I could.

Now, the rest of the plan was on Wednesday I go to the cath lab and get the swan removed and the balloon pump put into my other leg. They came and got me on Wednesday and took me to the lab. They checked my heart pressured from the swan and everything looked good. So instead of removing anything, they took me back to my room and stopped the medication that was helping my heart pump. They wanted to read the pressures without any outside help from medications. They waited 2 hours and took me back to the lab. Read the pressures again and again everything looked good. Both times they read the pressures 2x. The 1st time was with me just laying there and the 2nd was after 3 minutes of exercise on the bike machine they have down there.

Ok, so what does that mean? They left my heart medicine off for 48 hours and read the pressures again. I also had 4 echos in 3 days during all this so they could check the squeeze of my heart and whatever else they needed to check. The Doctor came up to my room yesterday and had a chat with me. She informed me that she has been looking at all my past echos and all the past right heart catheters as well as consulted some of her peers who have more expertise in this area. She cannot explain it and neither could they, but she said my heart was 7.2 centimeters or something like that and now it has nearly shrunk back to normal. Closer to 5.2 centimeters now. We don't know what sparked this sudden change. 1 possibility is the balloon pump that was in gave my heart a break and was working my heart correctly, then when removed my heart started working like it should. We aren't sure, but that could be a possibility.

So what does all this mean? My Doctor explained that they wanted to check my pressures again today and if they looked good, remove the swan. Around 6 pm the swan was removed. They want to monitor me until Sunday/Monday and see if I am still doing ok without the heart medicine. If so, release me to go home. She cannot justify a transplant with the numbers I am showing. I am currently a status 6 now and I'm not sure if I stay there when I leave or what happens. I will get the pic line removed either Sunday or Monday before I leave and ask all my questions next time I see the Doctor.

This does not mean I am healed by any means. My heart squeeze is currently 27% which is less than half of a normal heart at my age. I am also being put back on all the meds they stopped when I came into the hospital. The only change is I will no longer be on the med that ran through my pic line. She said whatever has happened may have bought me another 1-3 years. So they will be monitoring me a little more frequently and see how I progress.

Good news/Bad news type update IMO. Great news that I no longer have to get a heart for now, but bad news or I should say mixed feelings because I had to sit in this hospital for nearly a month and semi wasted my time. I have so many questions. How was I so sick they needed to get me to status 2 and try to get me a heart? How did my heart suddenly decide to work? What does this mean if I get worse? Will I have to go through the work up process again? Will I stay on the list now? Just all kinds of stuff running through my head.

We did a load of doordash during this stay. I don't even want to figure how much money was spent on gas and food. It is definitely an insane amount of money. There were 400-500$ in donations from a decent number of users here. My wife and I sincerely appreciate the help from those of you who had the money to spare. I am trying not to think about how much I will owe for a month stay, all the echos, the swan, and the balloon pump. Dreading that bill, but it will get paid. I appreciate all the support I have received from user here in the form of money or prayers. You guys are awesome no matter how you supported me.

The donation address will remain on my profile if anyone wants to help out. I am not asking or demanding anything from anyone. If you feel generous, it's there. Continued prayers are very much appreciated as well. Maybe I got a miracle or maybe I was allotted some spare time with my family. I can't explain it, but i'll take it.

Just coming across this thread for the first time today, I probably spent an hour or more reading, counting the words like 1,2,3 to make sure I understand every bit of the story..
And i can not do without stating how heartbroken I am, indeed, health is wealth, I just can't bring myself to imagine what you've been through from 2017 till date, OMG😕, I lack the words to express how I truly feel right now..
You are a great asset to this forum, and I have been a partaker of your generosity here, what can I possibly do right now?.
Aside the little I can afford to contribute which I will do later, I also pray that nothing must happen to you except total healing and full recovery to good health again, if it's God's will that you  must go through the heart transplant, then have faith for you will go through it and come out healthier than you've ever been, but if God does not will the heart transplant for you, also have faith for everything will work out for your good.

And thank you so much for your advice, I'm in my mid 30s and I've never been to the hospital, not ones for anything, never done any test of any kind on me since I knew what life is all about, in your advice, I felt like I was the one you were talking to, and I think it's time I take that bold step and get this body checked..

I wish you speedy recovery bud, and a healthy life and successful life afterwards.

Sorry to hear about the shitty situation you are facing while you're sick. Insurance always sucks when it involves big money, where everyone trying to take advantage of it. I appreciate that you still keep updating your condition, which we learn new things, and I personally get many stuffs to be discussed with my insurance company, especially on this latest issue you have. I hope this situation doesn't affect your health condition much and to your wife as well. Damn I have to wait that flashy iron man heart installed to your chest a little longer.

You are not wrong GazetaBitcoin, but you are just framing the matter weirdly in terms of being able to bribe doctors, so there is a kind of offensiveness to it, in terms of "we don't do things like that in these here parts."  

Also, you should attempt to think about timing in terms of these kinds of monetary negotiations that may well be able to affect treatment options.

One of the issues with Yahoo62278 is that when he had the discussions with doctors regarding means of payment, much of that discussion was likely framed in terms of what his insurance was offering, and surely if Yahoo62278 had the money to supplement his care based on paying extra or to figure out if there might be other options based on paying extra (or going outside of the insurance - meaning that he pays for all of it), then that would have affected his treatment options, and surely he would not have been completely precluded from later raising those kinds of discussions about being able to pay --- but there is some preclusion from raising the supplementing the pay or going outside of the insurance system once he is already getting treatment within the insurance system, so there could have been circumstances in which there ends up being back up options, because if the insurance is starting to say that they are not going to pay anymore or to suggest that the doctors have to jump through hoops 1, 2 and 3 in order to keep Yahoo eligible at a higher status on the heart waiting list, then the doctors might not have been wiling to jump through such hoops and they could no longer keep Yahoo in the hospital at that higher status level if no one is paying.

Surely, you could call it a bribe if you like, but it does not seem to be the correct way of framing the matter or considering how Yahoo had already been locked into a system in which the insurance is paying for it and they are not even discussing the various ways in which Yahoo might supplement payments in order to make up for any lackings of payment within the insurance system, even though technically you are correct that if Yahoo had some additional funds or other insurance sources, then that would increase his treatment options.. .. and sometimes there are times in which that can be discussed, but sometimes if he is already going down a certain payment path then, it would be a bit more abrupt for him to say.. "wait, wait, wait.. my rich uncle wants to pay for this in order that I don't get lowered on the eligibility list."  If he had a rich uncle who is willing to pay, then he should have already disclosed that or left some kind of opening for that - because when the medical provider was saying that they had to discontinue keeping him in higher status, they may have already disclosed that situation to Yahoo.. but he had not considered that removal from status as being one of the possible outcomes, so they did not discuss how having additional funds or outside funding might allow for him to potentially keep his higher heart recipient status.

There are a lot of folks including healthcare professionals who are frustrated as fuck by the various ways that insurance companies in the USA dictate standards of care, and it becomes even more pernicious when regular people (like Yahoo) ends up falling into a trap in which it seems that the disclosures had not been sufficient regarding why the hospital is jumping through various hoops to keep him at a certain status and also giving him options that may end up affecting his placement on the eligible recipients' list.

So it is frustrating to read about how people get surprised about insurance companies rug pulling them in the midst of a process that it had already seemed to have had been authorized, as is the case with Yahoo.... and sometimes attempting to mix and match private funding with insurance funding will cause the insurance to be even less willing to pay. which also seems like bullshit for those who are trying to get the insurance companies to pay for the vast majority of their treatment, but then at some point the insurance company ends up not paying hardly anything and the individual ends up paying.. and that works out well if someone has several hundred thousand or even a million that they are able to upfront the costs.. or they may well even be able to negotiate way better prices because they are privately paying and health care professionals love it when they can avoid having to deal with various insurance companies (even though they spend a considerable amount of their time and their staff's time engaged in those kinds of "hoop jumping" activities (that may or may not be medically justified) that the insurance companies frequently require).

It sounds amusing the way you said it, yet it's true However, this is not what I had in mind... A few posts up yahoo62278 seemed to be reluctant to the idea of bribing the doctors. My suggestion was, in order to see if they are open to such practices, to test them first. And, in order to test them, to not jump directly to money. Instead, try to me more "gentle" with them and the nurses. And this could include some flowers or some chocolates or any other polite gift that can be offered. Then, if doctors and nurses will pay him more attention, it may be a sign that they would not remain indifferent to a bribe in money. And this is how we get to the main point.


However, this question is very legit. In my country we use to talk with other patients suffering of same disease or we simply Google it... It also helps if you have a doctor as a friend (no matter his specialization). You can always ask him about the amounts used in various medical interventions. At least you'll have some hints... If you choose to bribe a doctor, you also have to give the appropriate amount. If it's too small the doctor could feel offended. If it's too big he may refuse it (or think he is being spied). This is why this question is so important...


At least, in your country the govern legalized it. In my country it is also almost mandatory, but it's also blamed by the govern. Yet, without a bribe nobody cares about you if you go to a hospital...


It certainly feels so... I wish him good luck and nerves of steel, to help him keep being calm and support all this struggle...

I agree that a small gift can significantly improve or speed things up. but imagine what a paradox it would be if one fucking chocolate sped up a million-dollar surgery. Also, if the doctors would also want to accept bribes, which amount would be appropriate in this situation?
in my country, a bribe is almost mandatory for every medical intervention. We got to the point where the authorities passed a law that allowed gifts to doctors in the amount of up to 300 euros. No one needs to explain anything about the origin of the money and the recipient of such a gift does not bear any guilt.

looking at it now in yahoo's story, it seems that the surgery itself will be less stressful compared to this period of preparation.

Dear yahoo62278, I am also sharing The Sceptical Chymist's thoughts and fears. Think also at the examples he mentioned. Only very few people on this world can not be influenced by money. Maybe you'll reconsider this, as it's not a simple extraction of a tooth, but a very complicated medical procedure... Perhaps you can try to "test" the doctors, at least, and see if they are open to this idea. Try with some gifts - flowers, chocolates, sweets -- anything. See if their attitude toward you changes (in good). If there is no change then, probably, they won't take any bribe. But if they will give you more attention then maybe a money gift will speed things up, maybe you'll get a status 2 again or sooner... Who knows? It'll cost you (almost) nothing to make this test on your own, but maybe it'll give you some important answers...

Well, I'm not from the US, but I believe this type of "bribery" involves quite a lot of money. Furthermore, as the health system is mostly private, it is not really a bribe, you simply paid more to gain priority. Everything was done legally, whoever pays the most gets served first.

And unfortunately, we don't even know if this didn't happen to delay the whole process of @ yahoo62278. 
Once again, I wish you the best!

I don't know if I totally agree with that assessment, because our entire government is basically bribed by lobbyists, and as for the medical system...I mean c'mon.  There have been cases a-plenty of wrongdoing doctors, e.g., Dr. Feelgoods who write scripts for whatever you like if you can pay cash.  Don't underestimate the effect of money on anyone in any position if they're susceptible to greed.

And the first thing I thought of was David Crosby (he's a now-deceased musician for all you young'ins who didn't know).  From his Wikipedia page:


I'm not sayin' Crosby and fuckin' Phil Collins did a little backdoor dealing....but a patient like Crosby at the time would have had to have a low-priority status for a transplant.

I'm not in an underdeveloped country where bribery is rampant. I'm in America where bribery will get me nowhere in the medical system. I'm not saying it cannot happen, but it's not likely. If I was a politician, then yes bribery 100% would work.

Then, maybe, in this case, you should consider also trying to bribe the doctors...? I am not sure what are the customs in your country regarding medical system, but I know this is a "normal" custom in my country... especially when we talk about a very serious intervention, such is your case... Please don't get me wrong; as I said above, I am against such practices. But, sometimes, you simply can't get things done without bribing and this is a sad reality of our world... Maybe your doctors are waiting you to give them something (assuming they are not incompetents and only greedy)...?

Maybe, if you take this in consideration too, don't give them money upfront... Maybe you can try "to be nice" with them first? Offer them something... Like a bouquet of flowers for the nurses or a box of candies for the main doctor...? I don't know how things work there, I am just making assumptions here, you know best how to treat this case... But I am thinking that trying to be nice with the doctors may put you in a more favorable position... You can try, at least...

Get admission where you will get good treatment.  Govt hospital or private hospital where you get treatment admitted for surgery. Collect whatever money you have and money from relatives.  And the remaining part of the money we Bitcointalk forum members will all pay little by little.  Because we don't want an honest man like you to be punished in hell like this.  We want you to get well and come back to us.
As the saying goes, ten sticks are one man's burden.  If we all participate here with some money then one brother will come back healthy.  But don't stress, we pray to God for a speedy recovery.

I'm very sorry dear yahoo, I've been reading you for a long time but never written. I hope everything turns out well.
Let us know how everything goes, including rehabilitation and so on.

Someone needs help but they are sticking to their beuaruacratic procedures. There was a policy in my country that gunshot patients must get a police report before they would be treated. This policy was meant to discourage hospitals from treating criminals that have suffered gunshot wounds from law enforcement agencies. But this law led to so much loss of innocent lives because they were the major victims. Criminals have their special physicians and they don't even go close to public hospitals.

But these laws would always be set aside when it is the relative of a politician or some influential personality. I hope the hospital considers that they are dealing with a human that has feelings and is going through pain and not a machine.

That's sad Budd. I am not sure how your insurance company operates and its rules. Sadly, they won't pay you if you move to another hospital. Yep, I agree with you that the system is dumb as hell. In my opinion, They should pay wherever the surgery cost or a big percentage if it's expensive as hell. I feel sad when I see someone who can't get better treatment due to a lack of money and suffering. We aren't millionaires and won't be able to manage such cash, so we have to rely on the insurance companies and follow their rules. It sucks as f.

My insurance will not pay anything on a transplant if I were to move hospitals. So, unless I can come up with a million dollars to pay for the whole surgery myself, I will have to deal with the situation I am currently in. I hate jumping through the hoops and I think the system is dumb as hell, but there's nothing I can do about it.