- C
Need is not weak, need is just need.
We never thought we would find ourselves in this position, but after three surgeries and our income reduced to only one, our family of 5 is in desperate need of your help. It all started July 4th, 2015, when my husband Ismael "Izzy" went out to mow the lawn and threw his back out. He hasn't returned to work as a fabricating welder since because he's not physically able yet. We met with doctors and his surgeon who decided that on September 21, 2015 he would undergo surgery for a spinal fusion at L4/L5/S1. The surgery did not go as planned and the surgeon scratched the spinal cord which led to a weak spot which later blew out.
Following the surgery, he was on bed rest for a total of four full weeks due to the Cerebral Spinal Fluid leak (csf leak). When he was able to finally get off of flat bed rest he could hardly walk. Physical therapy got him back in shape and he was on the road to recovery, or so we thought. Ismael was walking and working out and so hopeful of a return to work, but around March/April 2016, we noticed the improvements had completely stopped and the pain was coming back, in a big way. Pain medication was not working, walking made it worse, the shooting pain down the legs was back, the numbing sensation was getting more frequent, and new hip pains emerged.
More doctor visits led us to an Orthopedic specialist who informed us "the hips are perfect. It's your back that needs help." So we went back to the neuro/spine surgeon for answers. At the surgeon's office in July 2016 we were informed that the pain he was having was from a pseudomeningocele (which is basically a blister on the spinal cord) compressing the spinal cord which caused him to have all the symptoms he had before.
August 22, 2016 my husband underwent another surgery to repair the pseudomeningocele. We were extremely hopeful that this would correct the issues Ismael was having, that we could get back to living again. Unfortunately, that was not the case and things took a turn for the worse. Instead of recovering and feeling better my husband lay in a dark room with earplugs in because he was so sensitive to light and sound. He was having worse pain than before.
On September 16, 2016 everything came to a head and he was admitted into the hospital through ER. He had an infection in his back that had gone sepsis. Not only was there an infection but a hole still remained in the spinal cord. My husband, I, and our family put our lives on hold for a third time within a year to fight for his health. We spent 5 nights at St. Joseph hospital and 6 nights at UCSF. The original surgeon said he would not attempt another surgery and instead referred us to specialists at UCSF. There we had teams of neurosurgeons and infectious disease doctors working with us to come up with a plan for recovery.
On September 21, 2016 Izzy underwent the third surgery within a year and his 2nd within a month's time frame. The surgery was a success, but that was only part of the problem. Izzy was sent home with a PICC line for IV medications, he will continue to stay on them until there is no longer any trace of infection. Now a nurse visits twice a week, a physical therapist comes once a week, and an occupational therapist comes to assist him in becoming more independent. At this point I can't work because I have to do daily IV antibiotic changes and dressing changes for Izzy. He also needs help showering and dressing because he hasn't gained back his ability to do it himself yet.
We are blessed to have him back home and slowly gaining his strength back. Unfortunately, because of all of the medical issues and expenses, we have been left with empty bank accounts and empty pockets. Things went from bad to worse since I was forced to temporarily stop working and care for my husband. We have exhausted all of our savings, so I'm taking a 2nd job to make up for lost income. I can't return to work or even start the new job until Izzy is well enough, and that still leaves us in the hole. We are asking for your help. We never could have imagined that we would be in this situation. We are a young family. Our boys are 12, 3, and 2 and they have no idea what we are up against. We are in desperate need of help. We know it is a lot to ask, but any donation would be extremely helpful. This has been a nightmare and we cannot wait to put it behind us. Izzy still has a long road to recovery, but each day that passes is a day closer to better health. We thank you in advance for any help and prayers that come our way. We appreciate it more than you could ever know.
We never thought we would find ourselves in this position, but after three surgeries and our income reduced to only one, our family of 5 is in desperate need of your help. It all started July 4th, 2015, when my husband Ismael "Izzy" went out to mow the lawn and threw his back out. He hasn't returned to work as a fabricating welder since because he's not physically able yet. We met with doctors and his surgeon who decided that on September 21, 2015 he would undergo surgery for a spinal fusion at L4/L5/S1. The surgery did not go as planned and the surgeon scratched the spinal cord which led to a weak spot which later blew out.
Following the surgery, he was on bed rest for a total of four full weeks due to the Cerebral Spinal Fluid leak (csf leak). When he was able to finally get off of flat bed rest he could hardly walk. Physical therapy got him back in shape and he was on the road to recovery, or so we thought. Ismael was walking and working out and so hopeful of a return to work, but around March/April 2016, we noticed the improvements had completely stopped and the pain was coming back, in a big way. Pain medication was not working, walking made it worse, the shooting pain down the legs was back, the numbing sensation was getting more frequent, and new hip pains emerged.
More doctor visits led us to an Orthopedic specialist who informed us "the hips are perfect. It's your back that needs help." So we went back to the neuro/spine surgeon for answers. At the surgeon's office in July 2016 we were informed that the pain he was having was from a pseudomeningocele (which is basically a blister on the spinal cord) compressing the spinal cord which caused him to have all the symptoms he had before.
August 22, 2016 my husband underwent another surgery to repair the pseudomeningocele. We were extremely hopeful that this would correct the issues Ismael was having, that we could get back to living again. Unfortunately, that was not the case and things took a turn for the worse. Instead of recovering and feeling better my husband lay in a dark room with earplugs in because he was so sensitive to light and sound. He was having worse pain than before.
On September 16, 2016 everything came to a head and he was admitted into the hospital through ER. He had an infection in his back that had gone sepsis. Not only was there an infection but a hole still remained in the spinal cord. My husband, I, and our family put our lives on hold for a third time within a year to fight for his health. We spent 5 nights at St. Joseph hospital and 6 nights at UCSF. The original surgeon said he would not attempt another surgery and instead referred us to specialists at UCSF. There we had teams of neurosurgeons and infectious disease doctors working with us to come up with a plan for recovery.
On September 21, 2016 Izzy underwent the third surgery within a year and his 2nd within a month's time frame. The surgery was a success, but that was only part of the problem. Izzy was sent home with a PICC line for IV medications, he will continue to stay on them until there is no longer any trace of infection. Now a nurse visits twice a week, a physical therapist comes once a week, and an occupational therapist comes to assist him in becoming more independent. At this point I can't work because I have to do daily IV antibiotic changes and dressing changes for Izzy. He also needs help showering and dressing because he hasn't gained back his ability to do it himself yet.
We are blessed to have him back home and slowly gaining his strength back. Unfortunately, because of all of the medical issues and expenses, we have been left with empty bank accounts and empty pockets. Things went from bad to worse since I was forced to temporarily stop working and care for my husband. We have exhausted all of our savings, so I'm taking a 2nd job to make up for lost income. I can't return to work or even start the new job until Izzy is well enough, and that still leaves us in the hole. We are asking for your help. We never could have imagined that we would be in this situation. We are a young family. Our boys are 12, 3, and 2 and they have no idea what we are up against. We are in desperate need of help. We know it is a lot to ask, but any donation would be extremely helpful. This has been a nightmare and we cannot wait to put it behind us. Izzy still has a long road to recovery, but each day that passes is a day closer to better health. We thank you in advance for any help and prayers that come our way. We appreciate it more than you could ever know.