Breathing Room From A Medical Emergency

Hey guys, I'm Jonathan. Or Cheeko, or Brat, or whatever other name you might associate with me. I hate asking others for help more than most may know, but after this past month, I know when to swallow pride and ask the village for a little help.

At the end of June, I began feeling horrible. I had a ton of stomach discomfort and it progressively got worse. On the 27th, it finally reached the point where I asked my fiancé to take me to the emergency room, I couldn't take it any more. After hours in the room, multiple tests, severe dehydration, and several bouts of nausea, a CT scan finally revealed a ton of complications from years of dealing with diverticulitis.

In total, I had a fistula (or a connection) between my bladder and my intestine, which caused intermittent UTIs. I also had several places throughout my intestine that was just built up air that wasn't making its way through, as well as an abscess that thankfully didn't end up needing to be drained.

I was admitted into Oconee Memorial early on the 28th and stayed until July 4th. Once I became more stable and got into a healthier spot, the doctor laid out a plan for the immediate future:

*Recover and become able to return to work (which thankfully I'll be returning this week)

*Stay stable enough to schedule a colonoscopy to determine severity of intestinal damage

*Once that has been assessed, plan a date for inevitable surgery(ies) to repair the fistula as well as address any diseased areas of the intestine that will need to be removed.

Upon entering the hospital, I spoke with the company that handles short-term disability/fmla for my employer and began a claim. As of the 26th, I'm still waiting on a claim decision and have been without steady income for a month, and between normal bills and medical bills beginning to pile up, I'm approaching panic level. My fiancé has said she'd help as much as possible, but I can't stand the thought of both of our bills falling solely on her until my income returns to normal.

If you can find it in your heart to help in a rough time, it would be greatly appreciated more than you'll ever know. I can't make the usual "I swear I'll make it up to you" promise, but I'll make every effort to pay it forward in return. Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you all have a wonderful day.