Next steps? Shoulder not healing after spactacular fall.

SixPapaCharlie said:
Operation is tomorrow at 3. No food until then. Man I wish they had a spot open in the morning.

So this seems weird (or maybe not?)
I have to pay for everything in advance.
Is that typical now?

I have already paid the surgeon.
Tomorrow I have to pay for the hospital facility upon arrival

The anesthesiologist will bill me after but everything else if up front.

I always though you got crap done, they billed insurance then did the back and forth and then sent the patient a bill.

They are having me pay everything in advance then they bill insurance and I will get a rebate check or a bill. Is that normal?
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No, that's not normal, that's 'good service'. Normal now is you pay everything upfront and submit to your insurance company and haggle with them direct, then they send you a check.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Operation is tomorrow at 3. No food until then.

They are having me pay everything in advance then they bill insurance and I will get a rebate check or a bill. Is that normal?
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I only schedule surgery for am. Preferably around 9 or 10. There is a direct correlation between unexpected problems on surgery before and after noon. Fatigue, reduced skills, etc.

Not normal for me. No way would I pay in advance. Just no effing way. You pay in advance for a hair cut? Taxi ride? Any other service except a flight? No way.
 
docmirror said:
I only schedule surgery for am. Preferably around 9 or 10. There is a direct correlation between unexpected problems on surgery before and after noon. Fatigue, reduced skills, etc.

Not normal for me. No way would I pay in advance. Just no effing way. You pay in advance for a hair cut? Taxi ride? Any other service except a flight? No way.
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Three martini lunch...

Welcome to the new normal of Obamacare.
 
This isn't the deductible copay either it is am 80/20 plan.
I am paying my 20%

I am going to block the comments about the late surgery. I am already a little nervous.

I checked up on the doc and he has steller reviews. lots of awards and I trust him completely.

I am getting a general and a nerve block
My understanding is they use propofol now to knock people out which as I understand is quick under and quick out with very little hangover.

ready to be done w/ this part.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
This isn't the deductible copay either it is am 80/20 plan.
I am paying my 20%

I am going to block the comments about the late surgery. I am already a little nervous.

I checked up on the doc and he has steller reviews. lots of awards and I trust him completely.

I am getting a general and a nerve block
My understanding is they use propofol now to knock people out which as I understand is quick under and quick out with very little hangover.

ready to be done w/ this part.
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Better off with the late surgery, they will have recovered from their hangovers by then...:wink2:
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I am getting a general and a nerve block
My understanding is they use propofol now to knock people out which as I understand is quick under and quick out with very little hangover.
Click to expand...

I'd tell you that propofol is wonderful but I really don't remember....they did shove a telescope up my butt while I was asleep from the stuff and I never felt a thing...

On the other hand the fentynal (sp?) they used for my eye work as something else....I remember parts of that...
 
No worries propofol was Michael Jackson's nightcap of choice. Seriously best of luck with the shoulder.
 
Hang in there Bryan! I mean what's the worst that can happen?

Ohhhhhhhhhhh....

Nevermind!

:)

Seriously...it sounds like a pretty simple procedure, you'll be fine.
 
Piece of cake, I won't feel a thing....... Seriously though, I just had my knee scoped about 8 weeks ago. Propofol and some other good drugs, I was out within a few minutes of getting on the table. You'll wake up feeling good. Quit worrying these guys do this all the time, you'll be fine.
 
6PC, good luck on your surgery today. Were all counting on you.

Afterwards, should we call you " Lefty"? If so, we hope Mrs. 6PC takes care of you. ;)
 
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SixPapaCharlie said:
This is why I quit crashing at the planetarium.
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Your time for the ol'telescope-up-the-butt treatment is coming, young man. Age 50 is when your primary care physician gets abnormally interested in the view rather than just using his/her/its finger...
 
Hello everyone. We are sitting here in pre-op. Well, I'm sitting here. Bryan is dozing in and out. His nerve block is in, and he is floating somewhere between being fascinated about the weight, feel, and lack of response in his arm and falling asleep. Surgery was scheduled for 3:00. At 2:55, the anesthesiologist asks us if we've been told that they're running 2 hours behind. So here we sit. Hopefully it won't be too much longer; I know Bryan's ready to get this over with.

Thanks for the good thoughts, y'all!
 
Update: I feel like a million bucks. Mostly pchchological (lots of good news) and meds.
(pardon typos. Doing my best but nerve block hasn't worn off I am trying to catch them but I cannot feel my hand)

I go to prep and it starts getting real and I start to get nervous. Wait! first question. Why do I have to be naked to have surgery? That was odd. I said "Look I am here to get my shoulder worked on. Not to impress a bunch of nurses"

so I am in my paper gown and they give the IV and go through 9 Ebola questionairres and then anesthesiologist comes over and he is cool as can be. They all are it seems

He says "did anyone bring up having a nerve block?" I said "yes in fact I bring it up a lot. I want one"

This is where it is weird. He makes me groggy and my arm is elevated on some pillows so he does the block and I guess since that was the last signal my brain got from the arm, to my brain, that is where the arm remains in space.

my arm was dead but I felt like I had it outstretched and upward. Just looking at it next to me and feeling like my are was in a different space totally creates a powerful illusion that the arm I am looking at is not mine. That is not where my arm is.
Now I am coherent and know that it is my arm but this is a new kind of spatial disorientation. My body and brain disagree completely.

So my arm is actually dangling off the bed and I cannot move it so the nurse hands my right hand to me and says hold your arm here.

I am sorry but it felt so weird to be "holding another dude's hand".
That is exactly what it felt like. I am soo totally straight...
Just hanging onto another warm man hand for 2 hours while waiting for OR to become available was weird. Especially since my right arm was most certainly up and out in front of me to my brain.

They are running 2 hours behind and I am given something that I can't recall but it has 2 syllable and ends in "ved or Sed" it is making me in and out of sleep

After a couple hours Doc comes in and off we go to OR

We get me on to the table and talk a lot and I am getting more and more nervous but I am at the same time completely stoned. Felt like I was floating but my rational brain was clear as to what was happening.
I just lacked muscle control do say or do much but my thinking was clear as a bell. So I started getting nervous about going under.

At that point I made the choice to just close my eves and go to sleep on my own and ignore the conversation. I vaguely recall hearing in about 3 minutes administer Propofol and that was it.

I did actually dream at one point so it wasn't like an instant no time has passed feeling but could have been since he used less anesthesia due to having the nerve block (that was the plan)

next thing I know I am gagging. I woke up with the intibation tube still in my throat
Holy crap that was horrible. They pull it out and I am not sure if it is corrugated or what but it was awful

Off to recovery and I am very confused I don't recall but Apparently whatever I was blabbeing on about was funny because the nurses were laughing their asses off (might have been because I was naked though) I was foggy but apparently in good spitrits

I felt very confused and very comfortable

Doc says it was better than we thought. The tears were superficial and need not be stitched up. Several bone spurs and an impingement so instead of a 6 mon. recovery, it will be a week or 2 and I only need the sling for a few days.


So, all good news and I have this great little deal in the photo below.
The ball is full of meds and goes into the shoulder and will just bathe it in pain meds for the next few days.

This is genius:
10731108_10205267527634656_7233506124087548842_n.jpg







Thanks for humoring this long thread about my dumb ladder fall and resulting injury.
I feel good and I am happy with how it all worked out.

I should be flying soon


P.S.
I paid for 3 CPT codes. Deompression, Cuff repair and bone spur.
I wonder if they will adjust the bill and remove the cuff repair. That was probably the most expensive one. I don't care that much. I am happy to be happy but AvGas fund quickly became the medical fund and I want to fly again soon.

Either way, Feelin good!
 
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Congrats on successful surgery. The nerve block is cool. My wife has a video of me half out of it playing with my dead arm.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Doc says it was better than we thought. The tears were superficial and need not be stitched up. Several bone spurs and an impingement so instead of a 6 mon. recovery, it will be a week or 2 and I only need the sling for a few days.
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So the thing he went in for, wasn't really necessary... and you mentioned you've been pre-billed for stuff they didn't end up having to do?
 
Don't forget to return at a later date and get the entire write up from the ortho and your primary doc about this. You're gonna need it for your next medical. Oh, and get the right doc to make up a status letter saying something like "returned to full mobility with no complications".

And get with Bruce Chien on if the litany of pain meds need to be listed on your 8700-8.
 
denverpilot said:
So the thing he went in for, wasn't really necessary... and you mentioned you've been pre-billed for stuff they didn't end up having to do?
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sort of
I paid for 3 CPT codes. 2 which were legit and required surgery
1 wasn't addressed as it was discovered didn't need to be.

I am going back in Friday to get the port removed and get with the billing people. They had said initialy "pay us for the expected procedures and if after it changes, we will cut you a check for the difference"
 
AggieMike88 said:
Don't forget to return at a later date and get the entire write up from the ortho and your primary doc about this. You're gonna need it for your next medical. Oh, and get the right doc to make up a status letter saying something like "returned to full mobility with no complications".

And get with Bruce Chien on if the litany of pain meds need to be listed on your 8700-8.
Click to expand...

I will make sure I collect that stuff.
Remind me to get you the name of my AME. He is... how to put it... A friend to all pilots. Let's leave it at that.
 
Just curious, how long did it take for the anesthesia to affect on you?

When I had my surgery, they plugged me in and I stayed awake so long they had to give me a second bag which apparently is unusual.

I remember being conscious for several minutes.
 
Got ice on the shoulder.
Incredible pain in my jaw and when swallowing.
Like really bad. I guess that is from the intibation.

I'm sore all over.

As far as how long it took for the anesthesia to kick in, he gave me some drug to keep me groggy and then I'm pretty sure I was out before he even administered the propofol
 
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