Phew! Pathology bill came

[XanaDUer2]

I have USPS preview. I saw a medical bill was coming. That's stressful. It was $8.03!

I still haven't got my hida scan bill from the hospital. It was $4300 pre Medicare. No one in billing can give me any information. Glad bill is under $10

[woodsprite]

1. Medical bills are scary! I hate trying to get ahold of anybody when I need answers

because it's near impossible to get a live person. So glad it worked out for you.

I have to have an indwelling ureteral stent replaced every 3-8 months due to radiation damage. It is done in the hospital outpatient surgery center. The procedure consists of knocking me out, removing the old stent, fill/drain the bladder, do a quick cystoscopy to view/stretch the ureter, install a new stent, and waking me back up again. No cutting involved. It takes him about 15-20 min to actually perform the entire procedure. With prep and recovery I'm in the suite for about 3 hrs. The price they charge is $32k, the price negotiated with insurance is $23k. Thankfully our part is only about $300. This is supposedly for the rest of my life (which I hope is at least another 20 or more years). Never once did anyone mention that there is such a thing as "ureteral reconstruction" surgery. My onco-radiologist mentioned it to me at my final appointment with her. She said she's had patients who have had it done and they are very pleased. You can bet I'm going to ask my Uro about it. Seems to me insurance would be happy to pay more for 1x rather than 20+k 2-3x a year until I croak. I'm 61 and not on medicare yet. I should probably look into it soon since I'm not sure medicare would cover such a procedure.

[XanaDUer2]

2. Good luck!

Thanks for sharing your story!