Thursday, July 15, 2004

HCA Overcharges Uninsured Patients

As many of you know, my recent hospital stay ran up a very large bill, especially with Summit Medical Center which is owned and operated by HCA. I already knew this, but here's more proof that I am being vastly overcharged for my stay there and the surgery. Here's a report from Consejos de Latinos that hopefully will help me with my situation as well

Wednesday, July 07, 2004

New Medtronic Pacemaker Trial

Looks like Medtronic is trying to expand the potential market for pacemakers by implanting devices into patients that aren't showing severe symptoms yet.

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Bodyheat Powered Pacemaker Battery

Hopefully they'll have this pacemaker technology developed and tested by the time I need my battery replaced in about 8 years.

Tuesday, June 08, 2004

A Canadian Story

The events that happened to this gentleman in Toronto sound eerily familiar to me. I hope I do as well in keeping my fitness level up. I walked about 2 miles total today to get my chest x-ray to check on my aortic pacemaker lead. I should find out more later this week.

Monday, June 07, 2004

Hmmm

This man's claim that a cell phone tower is interferring with his pacemaker sounds a little suspicious to me. Of course we don't really get a lot of detail like model he has implanted. It also strikes me as odd that he moved out before they even turned the tower on.

Thursday, June 03, 2004

Shopping Around

One of the unfortunate circumstances surrounding my episode of heart block in January was that I did not have insurance coverage. I'm still not covered for heart block, and my cardiologist recently asked me to have some chest x-rays to check on the aortic lead that might be out of place.

The cardiologist referred me to Summit Medical Center, where his office is located, to have the chest x-rays performed. Since the doctor was leaving on vacation he told me I could have it done anytime in the next week or so. It occured to me that since Summit and HCA are notorious for overcharging the uninsured, I might want to get a few price quotes before I start writing checks.

I called Summit first and they wanted $245.00 for the procedure. I then called a place my friend Paul told me about called Premier Radiology, and they offered to do it for $71.25 if I pay them upfront. That includes interpretation and even sending the film to the cardiologist by courier if necessary.

So I saved about 70% just by making a few phone calls. It always pays to shop around.

A Lucky Young Man

The story of a young boy in Pennsylvania who nearly died from ventricular tachycardia and now suffers from heart block.

Wednesday, June 02, 2004

Pacemaker Club

This is a great resource for people who have pacemakers. It helps to hear stories from other people who are walking cybernetic organisms.

Dealing With It

I went for my 3 month manufacturer check-up last Monday for my pacemaker. Several interesting things came up. The first is that my aortic lead is probably misplaced. The second is that my Heart Block has resolved. A follow-up visit to the cardiologist on Friday didn't really settle anything. I have to have a chest x-ray this week and speak with my doctor next week about options concerning the aortic lead.

I was unsettled about the findings that the Heart Block had resolved. We still don't know why exactly I had heart block in the first place. My doctor's opinion is that my weight combined with severe sleep apnea at the time caused it. At any rate the hardest pill for me to swallow is the fact that pacemakers and leads are not removed, even if the condition is resolved. I guess this caused me to finally face up to the fact that at age 36 I can look forward to ALWAYS having a pacemaker inside me. I still haven't completely dealt with it internally. The doctor and several other people have told me to be "thankful" that I have the pacemaker. I can see why they say that, but it still sticks in my craw for now.

Sunday, May 30, 2004

Pacemakers and MRI Interaction

Looks like it still might not be advisable to undergo an MRI if you have a pacemaker. A new study indicates that the pacemaker leads could be overheated at the point where the leads interface with the heart.

A more technical analysis can be read here. Warning, it has a somewhat graphic picture of a pacemaker and lead attached to a heart.

Thursday, May 20, 2004

Initial Post

Welcome to the Heart Block blog. As it mentions above, I nearly died from this condition in January of 2004. I received a Medtronics pacemaker on Jan. 30, 2004 and I feel better than I have in a long time. I'm still in the process of recovering both mentally and physically, and hope to hear from others who also live daily with Heart Block.