Guest guest Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Dear Jen: I'd like to thank you so much for taking the time to share your surgical experience with the group. We all profit from reading as much as we can about fibroids, and I believe personal anecdotes as rich in detail as yours have as much value as the straight medical fact--and sometimes, even more value. They certainly do for me. Your story underscores and reminds us of the fact that in medicine, and in life there are always uncertainties. Always have been, always will. Twenty-two fibroids is an astonishing number. Just as astonishing to me is why imaging studies fail to reveal so many. I just don't get it. There invariably seems to be a such a disparity between what is seen on ultrasound and what is actually there. If your first days post-op are any indication of what lies ahead in your recovery, it sounds like you'll be faring pretty darn well. May you continue to astonish your doctors, friends and fans as a superstar healer--and may you enjoy a healthful, vigorous menorraghia-free future! I hope you'll continue with the list. I've always enjoyed reading your posts, and besides your regular " you-ness', you now have a unique perspective and valuable experience to contribute. I wish you all the best in your recovery. Keep us posted on your progress. -Roma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 18, 2002 Report Share Posted December 18, 2002 Roma: I'm with you on this one. I had a UAE, and my IR said at the time that when he was still a Fellow at Stanford Med Center they routinely did MRIs on all patients pre and post UAE. Now that he's in the real world, the " approvers " of care only approve ultrasound unless the ultrasound shows something unexpected. Jen: did you have any MRIs before the surgery? It seems like if they had known that you had so many fibroids, maybe they would have approached the problem differently. I know UC Irvine is a fantastic facility, so you probably got the best of care. In California, many physicians formed their own groups to manage care rather than having the insurance company do it. In the Bay Area, there are several of these large physician organizations, called IPAs. They contract with insurers a capitated (per head) amount per insured per month. Many of the two-tier plans offered in California are set up that way, and the HMO-type part of the plan is actually your physician group deciding how that pool of capitation money is going to be used. So, in my case it wasn't my insurance company (Aetna) who said I couldn't have an MRI, it was the physician-owned IPA who said I couldn't. Sometimes when we're mad at the insurance company in California, we're really directing our frustration at the wrong entity. Regards, Gunden Jen's Surgery 12/12 Dear Jen: I'd like to thank you so much for taking the time to share your surgical experience with the group. We all profit from reading as much as we can about fibroids, and I believe personal anecdotes as rich in detail as yours have as much value as the straight medical fact--and sometimes, even more value. They certainly do for me. Your story underscores and reminds us of the fact that in medicine, and in life there are always uncertainties. Always have been, always will. Twenty-two fibroids is an astonishing number. Just as astonishing to me is why imaging studies fail to reveal so many. I just don't get it. There invariably seems to be a such a disparity between what is seen on ultrasound and what is actually there. If your first days post-op are any indication of what lies ahead in your recovery, it sounds like you'll be faring pretty darn well. May you continue to astonish your doctors, friends and fans as a superstar healer--and may you enjoy a healthful, vigorous menorraghia-free future! I hope you'll continue with the list. I've always enjoyed reading your posts, and besides your regular " you-ness', you now have a unique perspective and valuable experience to contribute. I wish you all the best in your recovery. Keep us posted on your progress. -Roma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.