Medical Bill and Tools for Working
Donation protected
Since September, when my rheumatoid arthritis first flared up, I have steadily gotten worse, culminating in a nightmarish day that sent me to the immediate care clinic, screaming in pain. In the month since then, after two more trips there and multiple visits to the clinic where I am a patient, the pain is still acute. I am virtually bedridden, and have no definitive diagnosis.
My husband, a self-employed handyman, often has to stay home to take care of me when the pain reaches crescendo. As a result, not only am I unable to work, but he's given up or lost out on several jobs because of me. We are in immediate danger of having our electricity turned off, because Georgia Power suddenly decided to demand an additional $150 "deposit" to the bill we were already struggling to pay.
I can sit up, more or less, only in bed. The sofa, recliner, upholstered chairs -- every place I've tried to sit has caused more pain. The bed has a very firm mattress, and as long as I lean a bit to the left with plenty of pillows supporting me, the pain in my right hip and leg stays somewhat muted.
We have several rescue dogs, but I can't assist with their care. We don't have an electric dishwasher; I can wash one, sometimes two dishes before having to hobble like Quasimodo back to bed, where I have seven ice packs covering all the hot spots on my right hip and leg 24 hours a day to help tamp down the excruciating pain. I can't stand long enough to prepare even a simple meal.
We have no medical insurance, and can't afford what is offered in Georgia under the Affordable Care Act ($700/month!). I need to see an orthopedist, as I'm getting diagnoses of everything from spinal spondylosis to bursitis to every type of arthritis imaginable. An orthopedist will not only understand my symptoms, but can run tests to arrive at a firm diagnosis and treatment plan that will work, and also rule out bone cancer (my biggest fear).
Seeing an orthopedist and getting the needed tests run, plus any medications needed will, I estimate, be at least $1,000.
Meanwhile, with my husband's work slowing down as it always does during the holidays, I need to be able to work. I make $25 per 500-word article for Demand Studios, and when I was well, each article took about two hours. I also promised readers of my novel, Memory's Child, that the sequel is forthcoming. In my present condition, I cannot work on fulfilling that promise.
Good used laptops are available on eBay for under $200, and a hospital-type adjustable bedside table that swivels so that I can reach the laptop without adding to the stress on my bones sells for about $60.
Having to go to an immediate med clinic rather than the more costly emergency room at the hospital costs around $250 per visit, and I've been three times since September, so that bill is one of the things I hope to pay once I'm able to work again. The other is surgery in late January for skin cancer.
As the old saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Proper medical care, basic survival help and the tools that will allow me to work despite being unable to sit up and walk are the bait and tackle that I hope you will help me use to get back on my feet and "fishing" again.
Asking for help is not easy for me. We've always been donors, even when we had little to share, so it's difficult to become the one asking for donations. I am humbly grateful for any assistance you can provide to help me get back to living, back on my feet and back to work.
My husband, a self-employed handyman, often has to stay home to take care of me when the pain reaches crescendo. As a result, not only am I unable to work, but he's given up or lost out on several jobs because of me. We are in immediate danger of having our electricity turned off, because Georgia Power suddenly decided to demand an additional $150 "deposit" to the bill we were already struggling to pay.
I can sit up, more or less, only in bed. The sofa, recliner, upholstered chairs -- every place I've tried to sit has caused more pain. The bed has a very firm mattress, and as long as I lean a bit to the left with plenty of pillows supporting me, the pain in my right hip and leg stays somewhat muted.
We have several rescue dogs, but I can't assist with their care. We don't have an electric dishwasher; I can wash one, sometimes two dishes before having to hobble like Quasimodo back to bed, where I have seven ice packs covering all the hot spots on my right hip and leg 24 hours a day to help tamp down the excruciating pain. I can't stand long enough to prepare even a simple meal.
We have no medical insurance, and can't afford what is offered in Georgia under the Affordable Care Act ($700/month!). I need to see an orthopedist, as I'm getting diagnoses of everything from spinal spondylosis to bursitis to every type of arthritis imaginable. An orthopedist will not only understand my symptoms, but can run tests to arrive at a firm diagnosis and treatment plan that will work, and also rule out bone cancer (my biggest fear).
Seeing an orthopedist and getting the needed tests run, plus any medications needed will, I estimate, be at least $1,000.
Meanwhile, with my husband's work slowing down as it always does during the holidays, I need to be able to work. I make $25 per 500-word article for Demand Studios, and when I was well, each article took about two hours. I also promised readers of my novel, Memory's Child, that the sequel is forthcoming. In my present condition, I cannot work on fulfilling that promise.
Good used laptops are available on eBay for under $200, and a hospital-type adjustable bedside table that swivels so that I can reach the laptop without adding to the stress on my bones sells for about $60.
Having to go to an immediate med clinic rather than the more costly emergency room at the hospital costs around $250 per visit, and I've been three times since September, so that bill is one of the things I hope to pay once I'm able to work again. The other is surgery in late January for skin cancer.
As the old saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime." Proper medical care, basic survival help and the tools that will allow me to work despite being unable to sit up and walk are the bait and tackle that I hope you will help me use to get back on my feet and "fishing" again.
Asking for help is not easy for me. We've always been donors, even when we had little to share, so it's difficult to become the one asking for donations. I am humbly grateful for any assistance you can provide to help me get back to living, back on my feet and back to work.
Organizer
Lynne Spratley
Organizer
Macon, GA
