August 20, 2012
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Seeing a Specialist for Serious Surgery–Sensible!
I saw my primary care physician today for my 6 month check up….love her! She gave me very good advice which echoed some I’ve been getting from others…..friends and family members. Also on my part there was this nagging kind of apprehension about this needed surgery that was keeping me awake at night.
She told me the mortality rate and the seriousness of the AAA (abdominal aortic aneurysim) surgery was too great for me to NOT see a specialist in it. She said the local surgeons I’d seen are good, but they don’t do that particular surgery as often, and I should see one who does it regularly and specializes in it. She told me to go home and make an appointment to see one of the specialists at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. So that is what I did and then called my cardiologist and surgeon and the hospital here to get my records faxed over to the Indy specialist. Tomorrow I will sign the authorization papers and go to the radiology department for the disc of the CT scan done in February. And I have an angel, named Betty, who will go with me to see the specialist the end of the month. I AM blessed! And I’ll sleep better tonight.
Comments (15)
I think that’s a really good idea. Thank God for angels like Betty.
A specialist’s second opinion is always wise, especially for such a serious issue — glad you did this, and a few days more wait won’t make a huge difference.
That’s some good advice. I hope the expert will get you fixed up quickly.
I am so glad you made that decision. I wish you all the best Joyce.
I think you made a wise decision
I’m going to see if I can get there. If I can get out of the Friday class obligation I will. The second opinion and going with an expert is the most prudent course.
@ata_grandma - Betty IS a very special lady. She is in my bible study group…called “Life Savers” and she’s a good example of how we minister to one another. Our husbands were both in dialysis together and both died within a couple of years of one another. I do thank God for her and others like her!
@slmret - @saintvi - Thank you, dear ladies, for those words of encouragement.
@ZSA_MD - The surgeon I’m seeing the end of the month in Indianapolis is on the staff of the I.U. School of Medicine and has a special interest in aortic aneurysms, has published and done research on it, and he also is a native of India. After graduating from medical school there, he had fellowships and studied in Edinburg in the UK and in Dusseldorf in Germany. His name is Raghu Motaganahalli. He does this kind of surgery often so feel better about the whole thing!
@SisterMae - I thinks so too….feel much more confident.
@murisopsis - Prudent is good….and it is a good word that is not used often enough! If you can come okay, but you might want to wait and come later when I go “under the knife.”
I am glad that he is Indian. you know how those Indians are… very caring and compassionate! (ahem!)Just kidding. His name suggests he is from ANDHRA. So he probably graduated from Hyderabad or Guntur medical college. ( Not from CMC Vellore in South India where I graduated from.)
I honestly think you are in good hands. You will be in my thoughts Joyce. I am sure Val will keep us posted.
@ZSA_MD - I do hope he’ll be as nice as you are, Zakiah. Here’s more info on him: Graduated from St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore-India and
St. Louis University, St. Louis Missouri, Fellowship: Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad -India; Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, UK
University of Dusseldorf -Augusta Hospital, Germany; Cardiovascular Institute Buenos Aires, Argentina and St Louis University – St. Louis, Missouri. He sounds like he’s had a lot of education in his field! Quite a lot more experience in his field than our local surgeons I believe altho’ they’re good too but do more general surgery procedures.
Oh St.John’s in Bangalore is a very fine medical school also. He is really very well educated and has a great background Joyce. He probably did his work with the people at Barnes Jewish in St. Louis. Probably was there after I left St. Louis. I don’t recognize the name.
I am glad that you sought him out. You HAVE to go to a specialist, someone who does numerous similar surgeries by himself. Please make sure how much of the surgery he will do himself and how much he will allow his Fellows to do. There is a great difference between someone who does a vascular surgery of this caliber once or twice a month versus one who does it several times a week or in a month. I think you will be happy with your choice.
I will be thinking of you and praying for a great result from the procedure.
@ZSA_MD - Thanks for that input. I will make a list of questions to take with me…indluding one about how much of the surgery he does and how much his assistant surgeons do. I know it is a very long operation. I got all my records faxed over to him and am taking the CD the hospital radiology dept. made for me with my CT scan of the aneurysm on it. Tomorrow, I’m going to stop by the office of my primary care doctor, Svetlana Bucchino, and let her know I DID follow her directions. I’ll have her office fax Dr. Raghu M. the complete blood test I had this week…just in case he’ll want that too. Dr. “Lana” is one of the best family practice physicians here. I told her she would have to move with me to West Chester County Pennsylvania when I go!