Don't be fooled... healthcare is far from a non-profit industry!

Last post I talked about how my recovery from Open Bankart Surgery on my right shoulder had begun to focus on pure strength training and continued development of my outward flexibility. This routine was exactly the same for week thirteen except that my physical therapist (PT) increased my weight by one pound on each exercise. This made it overall much harder to do, but I got through it. I also cut back to two visits for the week. The pure intensity of the work outs require at least a day to recover and I find with the long weekend in between the sessions I recover more fully so as not impede forward progress. When I went to return for my second two visits to head into week fourteen I was told that my insurance company said my progress was adequate for the treatment and that I no longer needed PT. As such, they would pay for no more PT sessions.

With that I’m waiting to talk with my orthopedic surgery (hopefully tomorrow) to discuss this further. I’m not so sure this is the case. While I have regained about 75% of my capabilities I’m nowhere near being able to perform high impact sports or able to lift over thirty pounds. I also managed to get to an external rotation of 72 degrees. This is still short of 90% of the full 90 degrees that we wanted and thus there is no way I don’t need further treatment.

We’ll see how the appeal process goes, but with cost consolidation being the way of modern corporate America courtesy of the never ending recession none of this surprises me. Of course, it is disheartening to see one’s health care now comes under such scrutiny where close enough is considered fully recovered– not good news. Glad I didn’t get open heart surgery… I can only imagine how that would have been. It’s beating so that’s close enough for us!