Planning a Trip After Fixing a Heart!

I was mad at myself because the blog I wrote a couple weeks ago, had not been posted.  Well, good thing it wasn’t because things changed, and for us it’s a good thing.

Spring is here, and in Arizona it’s hard to tell.  We have warm winters so crocuses aren’t popping up through the snow to show us spring has arrived.  There are flowers here all winter.  It’s also definitely not “April showers bring May flowers.”  I don’t see much rain in our neck of the woods either.

For me, spring is the time we start planning our summer get-away.  Planning this year is difficult.  The first thing is that we sold the RV.  After four years of RV traveling, there are different logistics to be made for a car trip.  First off, I have to pack luggage.  I loved the fact that RV traveling, all my clothes were hanging in a closet and folded in drawers.  I didn’t have to worry about meals, because I could make them.  Just pull over to a rest stop or parking lot and whip up some lunch or dinner.  Usually by dinner we were at our RV park for the night.

Last year I had to do all the loading in the RV because Dennis was sick, which leads me to the #2 change in our vacation planning.  Dennis had two hospitalizations this past winter with congestive heart failure.  In February the doctor told him he was eligible to receive an implanted defibrillator, and was going to try to get him approved by the insurance company an optimizer.

Dennis finally got a date for the implant of a defibrillator, which will be May 22.  He will have follow up doctor appointments for a month, and then later at 90 days.  So, you would think we have a window of July to make our way back home to Missouri.

The cardiologist ordered the optimizer and it is supposed to be implanted a couple weeks after the defibrillator.  The weird thing is that this device has been approved by the FDA for this use in 2019, but the powers that be (whoever that might be) take years to give it a code, number, or whatever it is that doctors and insurance companies use for billing.  So, for now, the insurance company thinks this device is experimental, and therefore rejects the pre-approval for implantation.  The cardiologist and the device company are aware of this, so they go to fight for the implantation.  They usually win approval, but it can take up to three months for this to happen.  And then a date for implantation is set which is usually farther out as they are booked for other procedures.  Therefore, we still could not plan a summer getaway.  If the approval for the optimizer comes in, we have to be here in Arizona for that implantation and follow up exam dates.

The insurance company has rejected the request.  They also stated that we are free to appeal this decision.  The company that manufactures this optimizer and the doctor are willing to go through the whole appeals process to get this approved for a patient.  Now it’s time for the doctors and attorneys to do their thing.

 Here is a small lesson on what these two different devices do:

The defibrillator tries to put the heart back into rhythm in case it wants to get funky or stop.  It can save a life.

The Optimizer, on the other hand, is implanted like a defibrillator, but it does something different.  It sends a signal to the heart (known as CCM therapy) for one hour which causes the release of calcium that relaxes the heart muscle, so the next beat pumps more efficiently.  Then it takes three hours off.  Repeat.  Repeat.  It’s like the heart doing sit-ups. As exercise strengthens our muscles, the optimizer strengthens the heart muscle.  Unlike the defibrillator, it doesn’t save a life, it enhances a life, which in essence can save a life.  What is holding the plans up is that we are waiting for approval for an optimizer.

There is another thing his cardiologist told us.  Instead of getting a defibrillator and then later getting an optimizer, there is a device that has both in one device.  The problem is this all in one device, is still in medical trials.  The doctor said that cardiologists around the world are wanting to try out this new device.  Up to the date we were in his office in February, he has 20 patients with this device under study.  Because of its popularity, the device company has decided to allow doctors only six (6) devices for their practice.  Although he said he was going to apply for this for Dennis, he was doubtful he could get one for him.  

Here is a video of how this optimizer works. This is the latest in technology for heart failure patients. This is showing just the optimizer alone–Dennis will have a combination defibrillator/optimizer. Those are not showing on their website because, while under medical trials, it is not available to the general public yet.

So, here we are waiting to hear what is happening with the appeals for this devise.  Once we have a date for the optimizer, we can plan our summer escape. 

Fortunately, Dennis is feeling good right now.  He stays active because he was told to continue his walking/hiking.  For right now, no swimming, which I know he misses a lot. He is wearing an external defibrillator, and obviously, it cannot go into water.

How do we know this optimizer works?  We have a friend who has one.  He had several very serious heart attacks.  He was given the device, and last summer, he and his wife bicycled across the state of Missouri on the Katy Trail.  That’s 220 miles he bicycled.  He is our hero!

Last Wednesday, out of the blue, Dennis got a call from his cardiologist.  The doctor said that a dual defibrillator/optimizer fell out of the sky, and it is for Dennis.  He is correct—right out of the sky.  It is a huge answer to prayer.  It also doesn’t need insurance approval because he is in a national medical study that will cover all the costs of implantation and followup of his progress for three years!  We are so grateful to God for this gift, and a new lease on life.

Dennis is preparing to have this all in one device implanted next Thursday, April 17. (Cancel that May 22nd procedure)!  He has one more lab test to take on Monday, 4/14, and if all is well with it, the implant will happen.  Please keep him in your prayers that he stays healthy  and the labs will be acceptable.   Pray that the outpatient surgery goes well, and most of all, that we see the positive results of this device.

Once the procedure is complete, and Dennis is feeling better, which we are told starts almost immediately, we can make our plans to travel this summer.  We already know we will be free to travel most of the summer! 

I will keep you informed how he is doing afterward.  He has been so joyful since he got that phone call.  What a gift!