LVA surgery - bypass surgery - Have you done it?
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4 years ago when I had mine done by Dr Chen I had Blue Cross Blue Shield. They did not have a code for LVA so there was some back and forth with the Dr. The charges from the hospital were high (I’d have to look thru my paperwork) but the hospital was paid just around 14,000 by the insurance and I had no out of pocket expense except a $500 copay. I had an 8hr surgery and 1 night in the hospital.
Glad to see others are venturing into this with positive results. I cannot express how glad I am that I took the chance. I have to schedule a follow up with Dr Chen seeing he has a new procedure. I’d be curious to see if that would help with my hand...my arm is awesome. No sleeve except to fly!! I’d be willing to try if he is!
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that's wonderful! I pray my insurance will pay
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Just pausing long enough to say that by tomorrow night at this time, I will be in Iowa! And I will have had a wonderful day with teach6, who has promised to be my sherpa guide for the day! My journey to find relief from LE that started in 2012 with Dr. Becker and found me meeting in Chicago with Dr. Chang will reach its fulfillment with Dr. Chen in Iowa! Nobody can say I haven't done my due diligence!!
I will update as I can. I won't be having my spy test until Monday, July 2nd, and then depending on what it shows, I will have one of Dr. Chen's microsurgeries on Friday, July 6th. I am so looking forward to spending the 4th in Iowa. We here on the east coast consider true Americana the Heartland.
God bless our LE doctors who took our situation seriously enough to find ways to help alleviate it. Onward and upward!
Trisha
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All the best Trisha!!! Keep us posted when you can! Say "Hi" to Dr. Chen!!!!
Wishing you quick healing and hopefully RELIEF in a reasonable amount of time!
Mary Jane
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This will be brief for now because I'm typing with my left hand, using one finger! This is two days out of surgery. The pic looks a bit distorted because of the angle but I think you'll be able to see how good my arm looks already. I started this journey back in 2012 and after endless research and multiple consults ended up with Dr. Chen. I have a deep and abiding faith in God and mention that because there is no question in my mind that I was guided here. Dr. Chen is a genius in the field. When I am back to being able to use my right hand I will go into greater detail. I believe unequivocally he is the best in the country and way ahead of the curve in treatment modalities. By the way, I've needed nothing but advil and used it only the first night. Can't wait to be able to tell all. Unbelievable gratitude to mjsgumbas for leading me to Dr. Chen and to my sherpa teach6 for bringing me to Dr. Chen.
One more thing - he's letting me fly home Tuesday!
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Happy Trisha, I have been following your journey...so, so happy for you! Once you are totally healed, I would love to hear more about your surgery with Dr. Chen if you have time to share.
Glad to see you doing so well.
Teach6, how are you doing? Thank you for sharing your photos and updates
Thank you mjgumbas for starting this thread. I am learning lots. Hope your arm is doing well 4 years on
Tak care ladies 💐
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Happy Trisha - YAY!!!!!!!!! So glad you are noticing a bit of relief so quickly! It is so great to hear others have ventured into this LVA surgery with positive outcomes.
I too am truly grateful to Dr. Chen - he is so sincere and passionate about helping people with this debilitating disease. He is so genuine and I know would do anything to do more of these to help others. I'm glad he is expanding his research and procedures too!
Wishing you both all the best in healing and long term satisfaction!
I am beyond grateful I took the chance and hope one day Dr. Chen will have an answer to fixing my hand. It is MUCH better since the LVA on my arm, but I'd be curious to know if he comes up with a new fix specifically for my hand and would be eager to try!
Quick healing and continued positive results Happy Trisha and Teach6!
Mary Jane
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Mary Jane, thank you for being a pioneer in this field and helping others gather the courage to undergo this procedure....
Do you have contact details for Dr. Chen and would you mind sharing? in pm if that is more appropriate...
Thank you so much!
Prelude
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I may have already said this but I believe Dr. Chen is the most brilliant LE surgeon in the US. Do you know that he is the ONLY doctor in the US who will still perform LVA if he can't get a mapping ahead of the surgery? That's how much faith he has in his ability to successfully perform LVA. Because my spy test was performed just 4 days prior to surgery, the dye hadn't cleared enough for him to be able to get a mapping of my veins and lymphatic system. Any other doctor would have stopped at that point. Dr. Chen went full speed ahead and made 12 connections, using 5 incisions. Still typing left-handed so that's it for now. I will tell more as I can but believe me, if you want the best who is also passionate about his calling and wants to do everything he can to help every lymphadema patient he sees, make an appointment to see Dr. Chen. You will not be disappointed.
Also, what doctors now consider the gold standard, Dr. Chen doesn't even use anymore. That's how far ahead of the curve he is!
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Fabulous Happy Trisha....so very pleased for you and thanks for sharing!!!
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If you google Dr. Wei Chen at the University of Iowa Department of Surgery, you should be able to find his contact information and bio. I tried to copy and paste the link, but couldn't get the link to paste.
Hope this helps!!
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Many thanks Mary Jane - I will look a little harder! Wishing you well
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Hi, I am new to all of this lymph node suiff, I had 2 sentinel nodes removed during DMX in the OR they read negative but them in further pathology they read positive so now I have to have axillary dissection surgery and my PS offers a surgery called LVB, I read all of your posts talking about other surgeries but didn't see anything on this surgery, anyone know anything about it? TIA https://mavendoctors.io/women/health-conditions/understanding-lymphedema-rcR-bj-V_EmEAWYC6LgBRA/
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From what I read, it appears that LVB is just another name for LVA. I can tell you that it is my understanding that Dr. Chen no longer performs LVNT, the other procedure mentioned in the article, because he worries about the donor site. He has come up with a new technique where he transfers a patch of skin with lymphatics attached, but he doesn't touch the nodes at the donor site. He is also offering a procedure to prevent LE. So women who want to insure that they never get LE can have that one done. IMO he is a genius.
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Yes hats off to Dr. Chen. He has been liaising with my surgeons in Singapore to help me get the best outcome for my LVA procedure due to be done at the end of the month. He is a dedicated and sincere professional.
Hope all is well with your arm Happy Trisha!
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I am so happy to hear that, PreludeSing! There is no question that he is so dedicated and professional. When I consulted with him in 2014, he even gave me the names of doctors closer to my home because he didn't want me to have to travel to Iowa if that was going to be a problem for me. I am so grateful that I ended up going to him. I had 3 other consults and angels from above caused me to wait it out. There is not a question in my mind that he is the best. And he does everything in his power to make it as easy as possible for the patient. He truly is wonderful. Helping LE patients is his passion, according to the nurses and the therapists there, even though he does offer other surgeries because he is a cosmetic surgeon.
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Woohoo Happy Trisha...pulling for you and your ongoing recovery....when you are back home and settled, I would love to hear details.
The ICG was quite painful...😲 but at least it showed where the LVA's would be best placed.
Did you do it under general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia? Here in Singapore they plan to hospitalize me for 2 days prior to surgery and then keep me for 4/5days after surgery with my arm elevated. 7 days in hospital...!
I am due to speak with Dr. Chen tomorrow night (early Wed morning Iowa time) to discuss the best plan
Bless you Happy Trisha and long may Dr. Chen's kindness and professionalism reign.
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Yikes. The ICG wasn't painful at all, but that's because they sprayed my hand, wrist, and fingers with lidocaine ahead of time. I think it would have been very uncomfortable without it. I really would have preferred local anesthesia, but they went with general because they said any movement at all on my part could be disastrous. I do understand though that some doctors do it under local. They promised that it would be light anesthesia. (Anesthesia is not my best friend. Have had problems with it in the past!) I wasn't hospitalized at all. Maybe you're having something other than LVA? I know with other LE procedures there can be hospitalization involved. All I had to do was show up the morning of surgery. I went home late the same afternoon. Please let us know what procedure you will be having when you find out!
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Yikes is right...lidocaine would have been a good idea!
Yes GA has been recommended. Both my surgeon in Singapore and Dr. Chen are good friends it seems and Dr. Chen has assured me I am in good hands. I have been recommended LVA most definitely based on testing so far. Apparently, the hospitalization protocol is to ensure the arm is well rested and elevated to ensure the anastomoses are as well preserved as possible.
plus...as the surgery is local it is covered under insurance...yay!
Wishing you nothing but the best Trisha 😘
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Bump! How are you doing Happy Trisha? Hope all is well...
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Trying to make an appt with Dr. Chen in Iowa. I’m in NYC and have already had a consult here with a specialist but seeing as you all love Dr. Chen so much I think I should go see him. My LE is still subclinical (no physical swelling) but boy, my poor arm is blocked all the way from the wrist to the elbow (see pic).
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For those of you who have seen Dr. Chen, how have you gotten to Iowa? So hard/expensive to get there from NYC by plane. Trying to see if I can fly to Chicago and then take a bus to Iowa... Thoughts? Suggestions? ❤️❤️❤️
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I'm so happy to hear all of your success stories. Were your surgeries covered by insurance and was it a fight? I had a consult with Dr. Chang in Chicago but my insurance denied the LVA part. They will pay for lymph node transplant however
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Manuella, I will help you out all that I can here. I ran into the same thing trying to fly from Providence and probably spent the equivalent of at least 3 days on the internet putting in all different iterations. Calls to different airlines were part of it.
I have a suggestion here and it would be money and time saving, I think. I checked the bus trip from Midway to Iowa City and it looks to be between 5 and 6 hours.
1. You would have to figure out the timing etc. (another real pain in the butt) but if you took a bus from NYC to Prov, it would be 3.5 hours. I would be happy to pick you up and transport you to the airport, which is only about 20 minutes away. I am going back in October for my checkup and got a round-trip for $295. But here is the thing. You need to fly on the least expensive days. I am leaving on a Wednesday and going back on the following Tuesday.
2. You should be able to stay at the Hope Lodge (I think). Let them know you are going for medical testing, because Dr. Chen will definitely perform the spy test as part of your consult while you are there. If you are having medical treatment, etc. related to cancer, you can stay at the Hope Lodge free. You will have to be in touch with them and they will require your doctor's office to contact them etc. They usually want you to have a caregiver with you (caregiver also stays free) but if you are going by yourself, they just need to know you can take care of yourself. The doctor's office will certainly let the know that. It is a WONDERFUL place to stay, and they offer free shuttle service to the hospital. One of the women here let me know about it and I am grateful to this day. They basically provide everything for you and it is beautiful, clean, and safe. I am staying there when I go back in October. And by the way, Mindy in Dr. Chen's office is a dream. She will help you in every way that she can.
3. There is a shuttle right at the airport that will take you directly to Hope Lodge (or anywhere else in Iowa City.) They charge $39 each way, which is a bargain.
4. Delta airlines is incredible. They give you a 10% discount if you are flying for medical purposes. They are the most helpful airlines with whom I have ever dealt. They are now definitely my go-to airlines. One of the agents told me that you couldn't book less than 10 days in advance for the medical discount - they didn't do that when I flew the first time - but then came back on the phone and told me it was all set.
Of course I would be happy to pick you up at the airport and bring you back to the bus when you return.
I guess if you don't mind the 5-6 hour bus ride you could fly to Chicago and take the bus. I offer the other as an alternative only because I am claustrophobic and would by very unhappy to be in a bus 5-6 hours. 3.5 is more doable for me. Please let me know if there is any other information you need and I will be happy to try to find it.
Trisha
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Well the post above is proof that we stick together and so we will accomplish much with this stupid le. I’d hate not to have these threads. Le could be a lonely road
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Just scheduled my surgery for August 10th. Happy/scared!
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how exciting! I am still waiting for mine. Did your insurance approve the lva?
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Help3, I have Medicare and a secondary policy through my husband's VA disability. I did have to sign a waiver that Medicare may not pay for the LV bypass, but Medicare did give me an amount that they pay for it, so who knows? My secondary VA policy usually pays anything Medicare does not, so hopefully all will be good.
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I hope all goes well! I met a patient who had great success!
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hi ladies..just did my LVA yesterday in Singapore with the head of plastic surgery in our National Hospital so I didn't have to travel. The Consultant PS here is a good friend of Dr. Chen and Dr. Chen assured me I was in good hands. He was kind enough to communicate with my surgeons in Singapore.
I was hospitalized on July 29 to have my arm elevated to drain as much fluid as possible. The surgery was done under GA and took 8 hours. I will be staying in hospital for 3 days to ensure elevation and total recovery before going home.
More later when I am less groggy...
Glad so many of you are having success!!
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