I just received a great patient story from Bobbie Ayala about insurance providers, misdiagnosis, her procedure and Dr. Fontana. Without further ado, here is what Bobbie wrote me:

Adam,  I have been reading your book and following the stories in your blogs for over a year.  The information that I received dispelled many of the fears I had about heart surgery.  I want to share my experience with you.

I am a 57 year old female.  I was diagnosed with aortic regurgitation and I also had a 75% colluded coronary artery.  I had seen a cardiac surgeon at Kaiser and he was absolutely no help.  His recommendation was to “wait and see”.  Furthermore, he made some comments to the effect that if I wanted surgery he could schedule it next week.  For the record his name was Dr. Pfeiffer (do not recommend).  Anyway, the experience was to say the least scary and awful.  Then I started reading your book and following your blog.  I realized that maybe this surgeon was also incorrect.

In July, I was able to change my insurance from Kaiser to Blue Cross Anthem.  With my new insurance, I could choose the doctor and hospital I wanted.  First, I checked out the best Heart Hospitals in the United States and determined locally, the best was Cedars Sinai.  (I also contacted one of the doctors at Cleveland Heart Institute and was given the advise, “Do not wait!”)

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News wires just came alive with a fascinating story about Elizabeth Taylor’s anticipated heart valve surgery.

Although details are still coming out, it appears that Elizabeth Taylor suffers from mitral regurgitation – commonly referred to as a leaky heart valve or mitral insufficiency. Also of significant interest… It appears that the MitraClip, a new minimally invasive technology, will be used to repair Elizabeth Taylor’s diseased heart valve.

Elizabeth Taylor – Heart Valve Surgery Patient

Here are the details from The Press Association:

Dame Elizabeth Taylor is to undergo surgery to repair a leaky heart valve, the veteran actress has announced via Twitter. The 77-year-old called on supporters to pray for her as she explained in a series of messages the procedure to be carried out at an undisclosed hospital.

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