Hi everyone,
I have some more questions as they keep popping up as I start my journey towards surgery.
1.) I live in TN but have decided to have my surgery in in NC since all of my family still lives there. I lived there for 30 years and moved to TN in June, 02. My entire family live within an hour's drive from Duke and I can get the post-op care I need much easier if I have it done there. I saw a cardio and CV surgeon in Nashville last week and they both agreed I need surgery. Can anyone give me any advice on how to go about selecting a cardio and surgeon at Duke? My provider (United Healthcare) lists severl surgeons on staff at Duke and 50+ cardios. Should I ask my local cardio and/or CV surgeon here in TN for a referral?
2.) My Mom was talking to a gentleman from their church who just had bypass and AVR at Duke and highly recommended his surgeon, but he's not on my list of network surgeons at Duke. How hard is it to work with the surgeon and insurance company if I wanted to use a surgeon outside of my PPO network? This gentleman also said that instead of wiring his sternum shut they "glued" it together (that's how he explained it to my Mom anyway). He said he had almost no post-op pain and was able to sleep in bed within a few days of coming home. I googlized it and didn't have any luck finding any info on this. Has anyone heard of this method being used instead of wires for sternum closure?
I took my first baby steps towards getting the ball rolling. The surgeon I spoke with here suggested I get some dental work done pre-op and I had my first appointment today. Got my teeth x-rayed and cleaned. I need 2 crowns and a couple of old fillings replaced, so I'm looking at 3 more appointments minimum. I don't like to go to the dentist, but I'm finding that all of a sudden the prospect of getting the dental work no big deal considering what lies ahead of me.
Thanks for letting me babble. I just want to get the dental work done, get a date set, and get this over with ASAP.
I have some more questions as they keep popping up as I start my journey towards surgery.
1.) I live in TN but have decided to have my surgery in in NC since all of my family still lives there. I lived there for 30 years and moved to TN in June, 02. My entire family live within an hour's drive from Duke and I can get the post-op care I need much easier if I have it done there. I saw a cardio and CV surgeon in Nashville last week and they both agreed I need surgery. Can anyone give me any advice on how to go about selecting a cardio and surgeon at Duke? My provider (United Healthcare) lists severl surgeons on staff at Duke and 50+ cardios. Should I ask my local cardio and/or CV surgeon here in TN for a referral?
2.) My Mom was talking to a gentleman from their church who just had bypass and AVR at Duke and highly recommended his surgeon, but he's not on my list of network surgeons at Duke. How hard is it to work with the surgeon and insurance company if I wanted to use a surgeon outside of my PPO network? This gentleman also said that instead of wiring his sternum shut they "glued" it together (that's how he explained it to my Mom anyway). He said he had almost no post-op pain and was able to sleep in bed within a few days of coming home. I googlized it and didn't have any luck finding any info on this. Has anyone heard of this method being used instead of wires for sternum closure?
I took my first baby steps towards getting the ball rolling. The surgeon I spoke with here suggested I get some dental work done pre-op and I had my first appointment today. Got my teeth x-rayed and cleaned. I need 2 crowns and a couple of old fillings replaced, so I'm looking at 3 more appointments minimum. I don't like to go to the dentist, but I'm finding that all of a sudden the prospect of getting the dental work no big deal considering what lies ahead of me.
Thanks for letting me babble. I just want to get the dental work done, get a date set, and get this over with ASAP.