I'm getting the Maze next week!

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Posted by Tim Hawkins on March 20, 2002 at 20:10:33:

I want to thank this board for helping me with my decision to contact the Cleveland Clinic. I haven’t posted anything in a couple of months. Some of you sent emails directly to me. I thought long and hard about this Maze. My situation is complicated by the fact that I am an airline pilot with a first class medical. Without my FAA first class medical I am out of work! The FAA has thus far continued to certify me with afib. I have not yet become really chronic with my afib and it is considered controlled with drugs. I currently take Norpace and Atenolol. I have decided that this is the time for me to go for the Maze before I get any older (I’m currently 55). I have enough sick leave at work to cover me for at least the 6 months that I will be without my physical. The FAA requires a 6-month wait after ablation or the Maze before taking all the required tests in order to again obtain an FAA physical. Why would I even consider the ablation thing if it is also a 6-month wait and the odds of a cure of afib are at best something like 70%? I’m also going for the Maze because I feel like crap when in afib! It always comes on at the worst time. I like to run, hike in the mountains and ride my bike. I can’t even count all the times that afib has started just before I plan to start a hike or a bike ride. A couple of years ago my wife and I traveled to Lone Pine for our annual climb of Mt Whitney. We had the required one-day pass that is issues by lottery. It was good for only that day. I got up at about 4 AM and before I could start the climb I was in afib! My afib seems to be the vagal (sp) type that starts when I am at rest. If I had started the climb before the afib started, then I would have been ok. My Wife has been great through all this.

For the last month I have been trying to get my HMO to approve the Maze. I was initially denied authorization for the Maze. I then started the appeal process with the help of Peg Judson at the CC. She is just wonderful to deal with and understands insurance. She has been calling and sending stuff to support the maze since I first sent in my Doctors referral. I have a schedule with the CC that starts this coming Monday with registration and then the electrocardiogram and labs. I will meet Dr. Hammer later in the afternoon. On the 26th I will do heart catheterization. I am scheduled for the Maze with Dr McCarthy on the 27, 28, or 29th. I have not made airline reservations for my Wife and I because of the uncertainty of getting approved by my insurance company. I always figured that if approval came really late, than I would just drive with my Wife the 1600 miles to the CC. Today is Wed. and I just got off the phone with my insurance company and learned that they have reversed the original denial for the Maze and it is now approved. I will now start my drive to Cleveland on Friday! I am in a bit of a panic! I was starting to think that this wasn’t going to happen. Now I really have to do this thing! How bad is the drive home after the Maze going to be? I’m driving a Suburban with a bed in the back.

Thank you Peg Judson! Without your help this insurance company of mine would not have approved this procedure.

Tim

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