Anyone discover heart issue as a result of chest xray?

nibanike
on 2/28/14 11:22 am

RNY on 02/25/14

I've had a tough week. After going through a Blue Cross denial last week, followed by approval on appeal (of course, the day after the initially-scheduled surgery), the docs discovered that the chest x-ray was missing from my file, even though it had been done through their clinic system. Well, Wed., they let me know that the would find a surgery time in the next two weeks. Yesterday, I got a "bad news" call. The bariatrician had tracked down the x-ray results, and wanted me to get in for a CT angiogram today (which wasn't bad at all, and I was in and out in less than an hour). Well, at 4, she called and said she had the results from the radiologist, and that I need to get into a vascular surgeon ASAP, and that I have a descending aortic aneurysm that is 7.8cm (about 3"), and that I need to address that, before they would ever consider bariatric surgery. I am just beside myself. I managed to get the referral within a few minutes, but of course, they're closed until Monday, so I can't even make an appointment.

Also, I have a terrible habit of reading too many medical things online, and some say that even if it ends up that I need something as simple as a stent, that most docs want the artery to heal around the stent for up to a year before they will consider the bariatric surgery. I'm on COBRA insurance, and paying out of pocket at $700/mo right now, and don't know how long I can hang on to it. It covers bariatric surgery, and I've discovered that I can't find a single plan under the Affordable Care Act that covers the surgery, so I'm in a real Catch-22. I know my health is #1, but this is soooo frustrating!

Anyone ever dealt with an aortic aneurysm???