Trish's Medical Fund

Hi Friends,

If you know Trish Lutke, of Shrewsbury, MA, you know she is an incredibly strong woman, she loves her family unconditionally, and she cares deeply about her friends. She brings so much laughter, creativity, music and love into the lives of the people around her.

Most of you know she has endured a number of serious medical issues and surgeries in the past few years, which led to the sale of her home of 23 years. She overcame, eventually moved into a new home, but unfortunately, more medical issues arose in May of 2013. Completely out of the blue, something "caught" in her hip while she was grocery shopping and she was unable to walk and left in extreme pain. She underwent arthroscopic hip surgery  that following Fall, meant to shave the bone (due to hip dysplasia ) and trim a torn labrum and enable her to walk normally or at least live without pain- this was proven unsuccessful.

 She received no follow-up help from the surgeon who conducted this surgery, even after her family members wrote letters to him asking for his help/support. When he did see her again for a post-op, he told her to see other specialists, recommending no one.  Trish was told by this hospital that her new "state-funded" health insurance (she went on as she was no longer able to work) would not cover appointments with this surgeon anymore, even though she told them she knew this wasn't true, as she made sure to select a plan which covered appointments with her same surgeon. It wasn't until she was already denied a post-op x-ray and on her way out the door, that the facility admitted/realized she would have been covered. Other surgeons in the same field were not willing to see a patient who underwent a surgery they would not have performed or recommended. Other doctors told her they wanted to help her, but couldn't be sure what was going on and recommended she see the surgeon who gave her the surgery. She tried to obtain the x-rays from the day of the surgery to bring to new doctors, and was told the original x-rays were "purged"- she was given copies that were unfortunately too blurry.

Every day is a battle through pain for her. She has seen too many doctors and specialists to count, physical therapists, surgeons, healers. She reads articles and forums, medical websites, books on dealing with chronic pain, listens to tapes on pain relief. She's signed up to teach a writing class at a local botanical garden to help others "write away their pain". It is in her nature to want to help others even while she is enduring this struggle. Through injections, cortisone shots, MRIs- doctors still don't understand why the swelling is so bad in the hip area, why the bones are so uneven, and why she must continue to endure debilitating pain.

While she's been tested for many things, they cannot pinpoint the main problem. Most recently, they are looking into, Compartment Syndrome , and we're praying to rule this out.  What we do know is she has been diagnosed with Posterior Femoral Cutaneous Nerve damage , she has several torn muscles, SI joint "issues", herniated disks, uneven hip joints, swelling, and she cannot stand, sit, or lie down for any real length of time. She participates in multiple forms of physical therapy, though it is still unclear whether this will truly help or hurt her situation. The nerve pain medicine she was on gave her a TIA , so she now has a lower dosage and is still exploring her options. The pain is seriously affecting her quality of life. But somehow through the medical unknowns and being passed from doctor to doctor, and being tested for different things weekly, she has maintained her will to fight, to figure this out, and of course, she's kept her sense of humor.

After her hip surgery, when her surgeon couldn't confirm whether or not she would be out of work for over a year, she could not collect disability- but was unable to work. She wrote to politicians, left messages, made phonecalls, and tried to draft new regulations on temporary disability as so many states have- but to no success.  When the surgeon did admit, after 6 months, that she may not be able to work (more than a few hours a week) for longer than a year, she was finally able to collect disability. The amount she was awarded does not  cover her mortgage, never mind the medical bills.

But she keeps fighting. She tells us there is never a minute, a moment, when she is not in pain. And we can see it on her. But she never stops trying to make it better. Throughout the day the pain gets so bad she can't even talk or think straight- but between those moments she writes, she makes music, she spends time with her friends and family, Skypes with her baby granddaughter, and she prays. 

As the medical bills are piling up, she has no choice but to sell her home once again and move in with her mother. She tells us every day how grateful she is to have such amazing people in her life, friends who care to take her to medical appointments, employers and co-workers supporting her no matter what, family to stand by her. Despite her chronic pain, she considers herself lucky. 

We want to help her. Maybe we can't save her house or alleviate the physical pain, but if we can pull together to help pay medical bills and help her continue to fight for a pain-free life, it's one less struggle she'll have to overcome.  

Thank you all so much for taking the time. Our mom does not want this kind of attention, but we need to help her in any way that we can.  While we understand financial support is not always possible to give, emotional support from those that know her is always greatly appreciated.

Her three kids and granddaughter will finally be together with her this Christmas, and we really want to be able to give this gift to her, show her that she is not alone in this, and that none of us are giving up.