Fitzgerald Family

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying getting your homes ready for Christmas. I absolutely love this time of year!

Monty had an appointment at the cardiologist today. He had to get his beta blocker increased. The results from wearing the heart monitor last week were for the most part normal. She said that he is most likely having muscle spasms in his chest that is waking him up at night. Everything else she saw is normal for someone who had the type of surgery and complications that Monty had. If it keeps happening, she is going to put him on a monitor for 21 days so she can get a better idea of what is going on. Monty asked Dr. N about the numbness and tingling in his feet. She said that it was most likely permanent nerve damage from when his heart stopped. She said that she could set him up with a neurologist if he wanted. Monty hasn't made a decision about that yet. Wednesday the 25th will be 3 month's since Monty's surgery. He has came a long way over the past three months. Please continue to pray that he regains strength and the feeling in his feet. He wants to feel better soon. We went to eat and to Wal-Mart tonight. He is laying on the couch now. That is so not like him. Before the surgery, he was always doing something. Pray that his energy returns soon. Have a good week!

Here's a quick update on Monty. He is having some irregular heart beats. He is going to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours later on in the week. His heart rate has been fine at cardiac rehab, so hopefully it is nothing. He also has a lot of soreness in his chest. He continues to be tired a lot. He is still having trouble getting use to the sound of the mechanical valve. It is a loud ticking sound that often keeps him awake at night. He is frustrated because he still does not feel like himself. He has always been on the go and is very aggravated that he doesn't feel like doing much still. Please pray that he feels better soon and that the irregular beats aren't anything to be concerned about.

I have been crazy busy this week, or maybe just crazy! ;) Monty had another good week of cardiac rehab. He continues to be tired a lot and doesn't have much energy. Hopefully that will improve soon. Makenzie had her first basketball game of the season last night. It was a long drive, but they won! It is always nice to start out the season with a win. I hope you all have a good weekend.

I have been thinking a lot about health care reform lately. I think if the President really wants to reform healthcare in the U.S., he needs to first address the overcharging and frivolous billing that is done by hospitals, doctors, and so forth. Don't get me wrong - I am very grateful for the care that Monty received at the hospital. However, I have been looking over the tall stack of medical bills and have found many discrepancies. For example, he was released on September 4th. The itemized bill has charges for the intensive care unit on September 4th. He left ICU on August 28th. It almost seems like highway robbery! We pay a good amount of money each month for health insurance. We paid the $3,000 out of pocket expense before surgery. Our new physical year for our insurance began on September 1st. Since Monty was still in the hospital on September 1st, we knew we would have to pay an additional $3,000. I didn't think that was too bad for an open heart surgery. Again I was very grateful for the services and thankful that he had lived through the ordeal, so I was very willing to pay another $3,000. However, everyday since we have been home from the hospital we are getting bills from doctors we never saw, services we're not sure he even had. It is crazy. We got a statement for an echocardiogram and our part after insurance was a little over $900. Then we got a bill from a doctor in Arkansas for $205 for reading the echocardiogram. Isn't there someone at the hospital that reads those things? Maybe someone in Texas even? Then we got a bill from a doctor that we never met. We asked Monty's surgeon who this doctor was. The surgeon didn't know him. We called the hospital to inquire who this person was and why he wants $686. We received a letter yesterday from the hospital explaining the mystery man. He was the ER doctor on August 25th. When Monty went code blue he ran up the stairs from the ER to the 4th floor and that entitles him to $686. He didn't do anything. He was their for consult had they needed him. Monty's surgeon and cardiologist were there. I personally spoke to the P.A. that ran the crash cart on Monty. I talked to the R.N. who did the chest compressions. The people who actually worked on him are hourly so they got nothing for it, but the ER doctor is allowed to bill for services he didn't provide. I just think it is wrong. I am very thankful to God and those that used their expertise to get Monty's heart going again. I just can't believe some of the stuff they charge for. I really feel that healthcare reform needs to start with the health care industry and their billing practices. I understand that everyone needs health insurance and it would be more affordable if the healthcare industry did not overcharge insurance companies and patients. Sorry for the rant, but I feel like I am being hijacked each time I go to the mailbox!

Monty's appointment at the surgeon went well. He got his final release from the surgeon and doesn't have to go back to see him. He talked with the surgeon about the his heart rate. The surgeon said that it is all normal post operative rhythms. This is it for tonight. I am going to grade papers and watch the World Series.

Monty has a follow up appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday. He had to get chest x-rays last week to take with him to the appointment. He doesn't seem to mind cardiac rehab. On Monday his heart rate got a little elevated while exercising. It was 166. He could not tell that it was beating that fast. The cardiac therapy nurse had him sit down for a couple of minutes. His heart rate quickly went down. We expected this to happen after he finished the medication that was controlling his heart rhythm. The cardiologist previously explained that the medicine he was on is for short term use because of the side effects and that she would prescribe him something else if the need arises. Monty is going to talk to the surgeon about it tomorrow. Later!