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I'm home, now without a thyroid gland, for which I am grateful. #F*ckCancer [1]

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Date: 2024-06-21  

Just a short note to those who are interested.

I woke up at 3:20 AM PST and got to the hospital for pre-op by 5:15 am.

My surgery lasted about 3 hours, and post-op kept me a while longer because my blood pressure was a bit higher than the liked, post surgery.

But I’m home now, pain kept at bay (mostly) by ice packs.

The biggest news is how many doctors and nurses I had to assure that I had zero interest in coming home with any opioid Rx meds. The last time a dentist gave me oxycodone it made me projectile vomit. Can’t have that with the dissolving stitches in my throat.

My cost? Pretty damned good. When the surgeon took a look at my vocal cords in the pre-surgical consult, a procedure that lasted about 40 seconds from start to finish, with a flexible camera slide into the nostril and down to the voice box area, the billing was over $1,7000 (out of which I paid $35).

Today’s surgery at the hospital, all costs included, the surgeon, anesthesiologist and 3 other surgical staff on the team, the surgical room and materials, and the pre-op and post-op care, all inclusive?

$210.00 is my entire out of pocket cost.

Because I have a non-profit Kaiser Permanente NW Medicare Advantage Plan.

We need some Democrats in the US Congress to move to restrict those plans to NON-PROFIT companies, and cut the For-profits out of the game. Be serious about protecting the taxpayers from enriching companies who fluff and bend the MA rules to earn greater profits.

The non-profits on the other hand, have Patient Care and good outcomes and Healthy Life Choices free services as their biggest goals.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I’m off to get some well-earned sleep and won’t see any response until later today, or more likely tomorrow. They gave me Fentanyl for pain post-op and it won’t wear off for some time, still. By then, I expect to be sleeping.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/21/2247930/-I-m-home-now-without-a-thyroid-gland-for-which-I-am-grateful-F-ckCancer?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

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