General Medical issues thread

LOL. Just got call from Advara/CardioNexus (cardiology monitoring service), NOW they tell me there's a (optional!) $450pa monitoring fee for the Implantable Loop Recorder.

It's apparently optional and I have a choice of it not being monitored but only downloaded when I visit the cardiologist. What's the point of that.

I don't mind the fee actually but no one told me that before they implanted it.

And I get a generous $31 back from Medicare and nothing from Medibank.
 
TheRealTMA said:
LOL. Just got call from Advara/CardioNexus (cardiology monitoring service), NOW they tell me there's a (optional!) $450pa monitoring fee for the Implantable Loop Recorder.

It's apparently optional and I have a choice of it not being monitored but only downloaded when I visit the cardiologist. What's the point of that.

I don't mind the fee actually but no one told me that before they implanted it.

And I get a generous $31 back from Medicare and nothing from Medibank.
Click to expand...
Wow, I find that incredibly disappointing.
 
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CaptainCurtis said:
Wow, I find that incredibly disappointing.
Click to expand...
I don't actually mind too much. When one gets involved with medical services, one pays. That's the way it works. After all, each Cardiologist vist is $300-550.

I have actually found that they did inform me in one of the several documents I received that there was a monitoring fee, just no one pointed that out, nor the cost.
 
TheRealTMA said:
I don't actually mind too much. When one gets involved with medical services, one pays. That's the way it works. After all, each Cardiologist vist is $300-550.

I have actually found that they did inform me in one of the several documents I received that there was a monitoring fee, just no one pointed that out, nor the cost.
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For me, it's more about the provision of the information before the procedure. Feels bait and switchy.
 
TheRealTMA said:
It's apparently optional and I have a choice of it not being monitored but only downloaded when I visit the cardiologist
Click to expand...

What did your cardiologist say to you. Im assuming the ILR is checking for paroxysmal AF. Cardiologist just needs to see number of AF episodes over a period of time, duration, rhythm pre and post. Monitoring does not add anything in that case.

BTW hows the eyesight?
 
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Quickstatus said:
What did your cardiologist say to you. Im assuming the ILR is checking for paroxysmal AF. Cardiologist just needs to see number of AF episodes over a period of time, duration, rhythm pre and post. Monitoring does not add anything in that case.

BTW hows the eyesight?
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I quite like the cardiologist but he didn't say much and recommended the best tech to monitor my irregular heartbeat was the ILR. It was a matter of trying to determne how long is a piece of string and the cause of the RBVO episode, so one does what one is told in these cases even though one knows they have a financial interest. Then again they have strong financial interest in keeping their patients alive as well. :) (Interestingly my new Apple Watch reports AF periodically but the new ILR does not, as far as I have been told so far.) Will see cardiologist in 6 weeks to define results.

The app for the ILR is very primitive wrt the user (I think they have done that on purpose.). Doesn't tell you much except it is connected via Bluetooth. An episode history and ECG trace would be good as with other devices. (Maybe have done all this with a KardiaMobile 6L I suggest but continuous monitoring is supposed to be better, particularly for irregular rhythms. Might buy one for fun and paranoia anyway. :) )

Eye has not recovered and Ophthalmologist say it will not or "might" improve in some months. (I think there maybe is some improvement at the very top of the grey block but generally no change.) My brain is slowly generating another Fourier transform to cope with it. At least I'm still allowed to drive. Other eye compensates well.
 
The monitoring service wont add much as the cardio will download it at the next visit.
It would be different if you had fainting, dizzy, shortness of breath, palpitation episodes and the cardio needs to correlate symptom to rhythm and/or the rhythm is a concerning rhythm like VT.
 
Quickstatus said:
The monitoring service wont add much as the cardio will download it at the next visit.
It would be different if you had fainting, dizzy, shortness of breath, palpitation episodes and the cardio needs to correlate symptom to rhythm and/or the rhythm is a concerning rhythm like VT.
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It's only half a bottle of Grange a year! :)
 
Having a mother and also her mother who dementia I do keep a bit of an eye out for current treatments etc. This is more of a curiosity type question
Mum was on risperidone for a year or more prior to her passing and it made such a difference with her. Her violence etc did calm down a quite bit. Less aggression towards staff and me
However I have read today that it is only for 12 weeks now or is that just a recommendation?
Mum did have a geriatrician from the hospital who would visit her in the nursing home
 
drron said:
I use amitryptaline for my neurological pain with good results. It is an older anti depressant. They do have a few other side effects but the only I get is a dry mouth.
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Are all the medicines for nerve pain anti-depressants?

Interesting observation with wife earlier today with severe tendonitis discomfort.

2 Ibuprofen did not do much at all

2 Panadol Osteo did not help

Tramadol 100mg did the trick.

Something to discuss with GP. I can mostly tolerate pain. I take Tramadol sparingly but it's not really supposed to be used for treating chronic pain, only short term. Don't know what we can do for wife. Can't stop work.
 
JohnK said:
Are all the medicines for nerve pain anti-depressants?

Interesting observation with wife earlier today with severe tendonitis discomfort.

2 Ibuprofen did not do much at all

2 Panadol Osteo did not help

Tramadol 100mg did the trick.

Something to discuss with GP. I can mostly tolerate pain. I take Tramadol sparingly but it's not really supposed to be used for treating chronic pain, only short term. Don't know what we can do for wife. Can't stop work.
Click to expand...
Some are anti epileptics (pregabalin, gabapentin carbamazepine etc), some antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortiptyline etc). The antidepressants are usually given at a fraction of the psychiatric dose
 
Freq Flier 2013 said:
My dad got a heart bug yesterday. Like a holter monitor but less leads and is used for 28 days, so more data. Has anyone used on of these?
Click to expand...
I order 4 or 5 a week for AF monitoring after stroke. I'm very happy with the service and it has a full Medicare rebate. I appeared on a linkedin video about it; on relection, I was so fulsome, I should have asked to be paid
 

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