Dots, it sounds like the left hand isn't talking to the right hand, so to speak.

Anne, I am not sure that insurance should cover all of our whims. To them, it may appear as if this is just Dennis wanting a second opinion outside of his network of providers. Since we live in a large metro area, we do have many providers.

What they don't know is the type of service that is delivered at the Mayo, and how it is a completely different experience than what we get here.

For example, when we go to his neurologist here, she spends 10 minutes giving Dennis the same test as always. Then we are allowed to ask 2 questions. The visit lasts 20 minutes. If we try to push it, she gets behind and that takes time from another patient.

At Mayo, the first visit scheduled lasts 2 hours, minimum. Then one test is ordered, and you have another 2 hours with the doctor going over the results and determining what the next step may be. They are thorough in a way that most doctors are not allowed to be these days.

We were able to get into his local doc today, and we will politely point out why we desire to go to Mayo. She is a bit arrogant, being that she runs a prominent Parkinson's clinic herself, but she also admits that she has not properly diagnosed Dennis. We need her on our side to help convince the insurance company that this will be cheaper in the long run. We could see many specialists here, and not get a diagnosis, or we could go to Mayo and have done with it.

We will get there. We just have to continue to fight fair.

Anno..it sounds to me that you have a clear idea of what you want and where you want it to go..you meaning you and Dennis.

I was sorry to read about your setback..but perhaps it was needed to give you both time to regroup and rethink how you want to proceed..

I am hoping and praying that in the end you will both get what you need and want.And that doesn´t necessarily have to be something that you and Dennis are aware of..sometimes there are paths that we don´t see..don´t you think?

Thinking of you as always!

I thought Obama had a government plan for medical insurance. Did he say that, or is it my wishfull thinking? If so, hope he gets on the ball fast. It will probably take years before it can function properly.

I'm just wondering, Anno, if Dennis could get a similiar treatment in another country for less money. They do that with teeth implants and plastic surgery. Why not for other medical issues as well.

Ed3,
Chris Como from GMA takes insurance companies to task for people
who are given a hard time. You could try to email him. Perhaps
he'd help. I don't know. But maybe it'd be worth trying.

you sound strong and focused ann. All power too you! on this one

Anno,
I have had family members go to the Mayo Clinic. I know they
provide excellent care at that facility and don't blame you
for wanting to go there. Seriously, the news media investigators get results other folks do not. Good luck with everything!

Anno, I hear the difference between local doctors and Mayo. It's similar here with Hopkins.

You make excellent points about the eventual cost differences. Also, getting your doctor on your side should help. I have confidence that you know exactly what you are doing. Keep up the good fight.

We spent the afternoon waiting for his local neurologist to see him yesterday. We got in and had an interesting talk with her. She is not in the least adverse to writing a glowing letter of support to the insurance company, but she had some interesting points.

I had mentioned that knowing what he has will give us some
comfort. She said they most likely would give him many, many tests, and finally make a diagnosis with a name. However, he would be sent home and ultimately the treatment would not change. It is still a matter of treating the symptoms. No matter what the label, there would be no cure.

We knew that.

She did admit that she could understand the desire and need to know what it is exactly, for acceptance sake, if nothing else.

If there was any hope of Dennis' life changing because of this visit, and the insurance company denied it, I would be angry. We want to go for a proper diagnosis, and to help research and others. I believe we should have that right. So I will continue to fight.

I am living in hope that Obama and his team will find a way to correct the horrid issues that we have with insurance companies. I also hope that he addresses some of the other issues related to health - drug costs, for example. I really question the tactics of advertising drugs/ This raises the prices of specific drugs and has patients requesting drugs for problems they may have not concieved as problems before.

Anno,
Okay. I finally went back to the beginning and read
what you were talking about. That [Sky-Drager] diagnosis must relatively new. I have a Merrriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary and it is not listed in there. I pray you have the best possible end-result with this situation.

We are back at the Mayo for research purposes on Monday and Tuesday. This is the test that uses the radio active materials from Japan. We will inquire around about how they may be able to help us with our quest.

The insurance company rejected our second request yesterday.

Thanks for all of the suggestions about contacting TV shows, etc, but I don't think this situation qualifies. To the insurance company, there are many other doctors that are in his network, that are capable of giving a second opinion. And to them, that is all this is about - a second opinion.

I think that I need to send the letter outlining the difference in a second opinion and a trip to the mayo. But I am going to wait and see what we are able to find out next week while we are in Rochester.