Yesterday, we got a call from the surgeon's office that they did not have a referral. The woman told me that they would have to send us the bill if they don't have the referral. Uhm, we have half a million dollars in medical bills paid this year. United HealthCare will pay for the procedure. If they don't, Medicare is secondary, so they will pay. One way or another, we are not going to have to pay the bill and the referral will be taken care of. Don't worry about it and do not, under any circumstances, cancel our appointment!
I received a call from the PCP's office this morning that everything was all set. The referral was put through at 9:40 this morning. At 11 a.m., the surgeon's office called and said they still do not have a referral and do we still want to keep the appointment? Seriously? What did I tell you yesterday about this appointment? Then, she goes on AGAIN about the stupid bill! As far as I knew, the referral had gone through, so there was nothing to worry about. We drove to the surgeon's office and when we checked in, the woman again goes off about the referral! OMG! Seriously, people, we took care of all of this! UGH!
So, we finally got all that done and we're waiting for the doctor. The procedure to remove the tube is not a surgical procedure at all and it's done in the doctor's office. Here's one final picture of Greg's feeding tube while it's still attached!
And here's the surgeon removing the tube! Don't worry, it's not as gruesome as one might think -- there's really nothing gory about it at all, and it's very quick. All it takes is a good yank!!!
And here's what it looks like!
The white plastic part on the left that looks kind of like a flower (in the picture on the left) is what was on the outside of Greg's stomach. The brownish looking part on the right (in both pictures) is what was inside his stomach. When he would "feed" himself, he would put the liquid in the tube, and it would go through this little hole, directly into his stomach.
And the final picture --
This is what his stomach looks like now, without the tube! The hole will close up all by itself very quickly. By morning, it should be closed completely, with no need for stitches or anything! Isn't that incredible?!
The only advice the doctor gave us was that Greg probably shouldn't go out and get a Big Gulp! You guessed it, it would most likely come spewing out! Ha!
After this was done, we decided to head over to Pick 'n Save (a local grocery store), because we don't get into Wausau very often, and it's nice to go to different grocery stores. As we're in the area between the doors, where the carts are located, I was getting a cart and Greg was looking at the bread display. Suddenly, some woman behind him throws her keys up in the air and screams about him not paying attention! I couldn't believe it! I looked at her and said that he just had a feeding tube removed and to cut him some slack. The woman responded that the feeding tube has NOTHING to do with him being completely oblivious! What a WITCH! I must say, I let her get to me and gave her some choice words! I then located her in the store and told her that this was the third time he had cancer and had beaten it and that I hope she never has to deal with anything like that. She went off on me, and I ended up telling her she was a NASTY woman! I just couldn't help myself.
Our next stop was Hobby Lobby, and then it was on to Walmart and then Menard's for the rest of the stuff we needed. When we were ready to leave Menard's, I got a text from our electric company telling me that our power was most likely out. That was a first! We got another text a short time later that our electricity would most likely be back on in about an hour. When we were about a mile from home, I realized we might have a problem. We always use our electric garage door opener to get into the house. The side garage door is locked, and the front and patio doors are locked. I had switched up key rings recently, and did not have a house key with me! Sure enough, we got home and the garage door wouldn't open. We checked every door, just in case we left one unlocked. No such luck. The poor dogs were going crazy, not understanding why we weren't coming into the house! About ten minutes after we got home, I tried the garage door opener again, and it opened! YAY! I made sure to add house keys to my key ring, first thing, so that won't happen again!
All in all, a very interesting day, with a few mishaps, but hey, it could have been worse! We are so happy that the feeding tube is gone and Greg will have time to heal before Aaon and Rachel's wedding! God is indeed GREAT!!!!
Love, Peace and Prayers to all!
Julie
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