Surgeon Report 2 – Kidney Beans

I received a call from the doctor's secretary saying he would like to see me again.

No Value brand for me. But will they help?

The sturgeon fish was at his Enfield rooms next door to the NHS hospital where I had my (fourth) scan. My original private (Harley Street) CT scan took two and a half hours. The NHS version took 3 minutes 59.3 seconds; 0.1 second faster than it took Roger Bannister to run the mile.

I asked the secretary bird if there was anything wrong with my results that he wanted to see me and she said that I should not read anything into it; he meets all his patients, regardless of results, to go over them. She also said he will discuss surgery options at this time which are provisionally still scheduled to go ahead next week.

Meanwhile, I feel like I am back in Brazil where life always provides you with half the story; you only find out the full story once you have reached the front of the queue. Having gone through all this grief, my insurance company does not seem to be prepared to pay for my full surgery; it would appear that they will only pay for half the procedure and presumably want him to just leave the unpaid for loose tubes floating in my midlands.

Technically, the problem is as follows: (Skip this paragraph if you are easily bored by detail)

Mr W wants to do a procedure code 82 which is a laparoscopic nephroureterectomy (I practise saying it regularly to avoid stuttering and making phone calls last any longer than is necessary) which is removal via the stomach of the kidney and the ureter. The insurance company only seems to recognise a code 80 which is a laparoscopic nephrectomy, i.e. removal via the stomach of the kidney only. My concern is that they expect my ureter to remain intact in my innards and float around like a piece of seaweed; surely it would tickle and there would be no way of scratching this one.

Like I don't have enough to worry about...

So, more waiting and arguing. At least I am not in the middle of renewing my cell phone contract or trying to change my bank account, both of which are more stressful than divorce or moving home.