Help with Medical Expenses
Donation protected
Dear friends, many of you have known me from school, work, or activities such as Dragon Con or FWA.
Those of you who do know me well have seen me progress over the past 13 years through some rather incredible health trials.
2001: Kidney failure and loss of left kidney
2001: 6 month recovery from kidney failure
2001-2004: 8 stent surgeries
2004: Weight loss surgery
2005: Removal of left kidney
2007: Diagnosis of Atrial fibrillation and cardioversion
2008: Onset of auto-immune disorder (Bowel Bypass Syndrom)
2009: 3 ER visits for UTI and electrolyte imbalance
2009: 2 Month hospital stay - Heart, blood clots, auto-immune
2009: 2 Month rehab in nursing home
2010: Removal of excess skin from weight loss
2013: Flare-up of auto-immune disorder
This gets us up to spring 2014
I was given the option of having my weight-loss surgery reversed, or managing the auto-immune disorder long-term with an antibiotic and probiotic combination.
I started with this combination, consulted with my primary care, got a cortizone shot, and things were looking up. They were progressing as well as could be expected.
Then my life took another twist and fall...
April 27, 2014, I was getting ready to go to bed and walked into my bedroom. I turn back to check where the dog was and cut off the lights, I turned back around I managed to twist, lose my balance, and fall.
I was afraid of falling on the dog, or falling against the glass dresser front, and I panicked. I twisted and fell on my right side. Full and on the right side, causing leverage action and I broke my left hip.
I was taken to Newton medical center. I was placed in critical care and and three days later I was taken into surgery where they replaced my hip where the metal implant.
After a week in the hospital, I was discharged to Morgan Memorial Hospital which is one of the best rehab facilities in the state of Georgia. After two weeks I had a discharge date and was getting ready to go home. One of the nurses rushes on Sunday evening wearing a gown and gloves and tells me Mr. Allgood you've been diagnosed with MRSA.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a big word. Basically it's an antibiotic resistant strain of the staph infection. It's dangerous. It can be deadly.
The doctor overseeing my case felt that the best plan was to treat me with an antibiotic called vancomycin. They would give me four large doses of vancomycin before I was discharged and then discharge me on doxycycline which is also used in dealing with this staph infection.
Several things I was not told: vancomycin is highly nephrotoxic. It has to be monitored closely or it can permanently damage your kidneys. The doxycycline dose that I was on would not be enough to keep the infection down because I do not absorb oral antibiotics well.
Three days after returning home, my incision was bleeding and draining again and I was ordered back to the doctor immediately. His office reviewed my case examined my wound and immediately wrote a prescription for six weeks of vancomycin treatment and the insertion of a PICC line.
As I was told, I went to the hospital, they placed the PICC line, and I went to the outpatient clinic to receive my first dose of vancomycin. After three days we were able to consult with the head pharmacist and have the vancomycin done in home instead of having to report to the hospital everyday.
After four days of being on vancomycin home I noticed something wasn't right. I was feeling very sick and the nurse had done some blood work. I got a call from the pharmacy service that I was not to do anymore vancomycin until he got me a fresh dose out next to the different level.
Thursday evening the new dose shows up. It's literally half the dose I was being given. The nurse comes to do my blood work and I take my infusion and again I am called by the pharmacy service immediately afterward and told there's too much vancomycin my system stop for at least two days. And my levels would be checked again before starting any new dosing.
During the two days going without vancomycin, my appetite became nothing. My fluid intake became almost nothing. I got extremely tired and extremely shaky and needed to sleep.
Early that Sunday afternoon, I called the hospital and the ER and the nursing service and had myself brought in by ambulance. After being evaluated, it was determined that my kidney was shutting down.
The ERs plan of attack was to get me hydrated and balance some of my electrolytes while monitoring my kidney function. They were then going to check my levels and see what type of antibiotic I should be sent home on.
The infectious disease doctor consulted me and decided she was going to send me back home on vancomycin again. I disagreed with the diagnosis and insisted on being sent back home on doxycycline - just a double dose.
With all of these setbacks, I have been evaluated by my primary care physician and he has declared me permanently disabled. I was doing light work during my recovery but even this has been discouraged.
Those of you who do know me well have seen me progress over the past 13 years through some rather incredible health trials.
2001: Kidney failure and loss of left kidney
2001: 6 month recovery from kidney failure
2001-2004: 8 stent surgeries
2004: Weight loss surgery
2005: Removal of left kidney
2007: Diagnosis of Atrial fibrillation and cardioversion
2008: Onset of auto-immune disorder (Bowel Bypass Syndrom)
2009: 3 ER visits for UTI and electrolyte imbalance
2009: 2 Month hospital stay - Heart, blood clots, auto-immune
2009: 2 Month rehab in nursing home
2010: Removal of excess skin from weight loss
2013: Flare-up of auto-immune disorder
This gets us up to spring 2014
I was given the option of having my weight-loss surgery reversed, or managing the auto-immune disorder long-term with an antibiotic and probiotic combination.
I started with this combination, consulted with my primary care, got a cortizone shot, and things were looking up. They were progressing as well as could be expected.
Then my life took another twist and fall...
April 27, 2014, I was getting ready to go to bed and walked into my bedroom. I turn back to check where the dog was and cut off the lights, I turned back around I managed to twist, lose my balance, and fall.
I was afraid of falling on the dog, or falling against the glass dresser front, and I panicked. I twisted and fell on my right side. Full and on the right side, causing leverage action and I broke my left hip.
I was taken to Newton medical center. I was placed in critical care and and three days later I was taken into surgery where they replaced my hip where the metal implant.
After a week in the hospital, I was discharged to Morgan Memorial Hospital which is one of the best rehab facilities in the state of Georgia. After two weeks I had a discharge date and was getting ready to go home. One of the nurses rushes on Sunday evening wearing a gown and gloves and tells me Mr. Allgood you've been diagnosed with MRSA.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. It's a big word. Basically it's an antibiotic resistant strain of the staph infection. It's dangerous. It can be deadly.
The doctor overseeing my case felt that the best plan was to treat me with an antibiotic called vancomycin. They would give me four large doses of vancomycin before I was discharged and then discharge me on doxycycline which is also used in dealing with this staph infection.
Several things I was not told: vancomycin is highly nephrotoxic. It has to be monitored closely or it can permanently damage your kidneys. The doxycycline dose that I was on would not be enough to keep the infection down because I do not absorb oral antibiotics well.
Three days after returning home, my incision was bleeding and draining again and I was ordered back to the doctor immediately. His office reviewed my case examined my wound and immediately wrote a prescription for six weeks of vancomycin treatment and the insertion of a PICC line.
As I was told, I went to the hospital, they placed the PICC line, and I went to the outpatient clinic to receive my first dose of vancomycin. After three days we were able to consult with the head pharmacist and have the vancomycin done in home instead of having to report to the hospital everyday.
After four days of being on vancomycin home I noticed something wasn't right. I was feeling very sick and the nurse had done some blood work. I got a call from the pharmacy service that I was not to do anymore vancomycin until he got me a fresh dose out next to the different level.
Thursday evening the new dose shows up. It's literally half the dose I was being given. The nurse comes to do my blood work and I take my infusion and again I am called by the pharmacy service immediately afterward and told there's too much vancomycin my system stop for at least two days. And my levels would be checked again before starting any new dosing.
During the two days going without vancomycin, my appetite became nothing. My fluid intake became almost nothing. I got extremely tired and extremely shaky and needed to sleep.
Early that Sunday afternoon, I called the hospital and the ER and the nursing service and had myself brought in by ambulance. After being evaluated, it was determined that my kidney was shutting down.
The ERs plan of attack was to get me hydrated and balance some of my electrolytes while monitoring my kidney function. They were then going to check my levels and see what type of antibiotic I should be sent home on.
The infectious disease doctor consulted me and decided she was going to send me back home on vancomycin again. I disagreed with the diagnosis and insisted on being sent back home on doxycycline - just a double dose.
With all of these setbacks, I have been evaluated by my primary care physician and he has declared me permanently disabled. I was doing light work during my recovery but even this has been discouraged.
Now I have to go to the long process of documenting all of my illnesses and applying for disability through the government.
This process could take months in which time I am going to be out money to pay the remainder of the hospital bills are coming in, house note, car note, and other expenses.
In total, I expect insurance to cover 80% of my medical bills...with 20% left for me, which will end up being around $25000.
I don't like asking this of anybody. I never ask for charity or hand outs. But I need assistance. You can donate to my GoFundMe account, I will be forever grateful.
I am still having to deal with this disability but I will do everything I can to offer perks for those who can donate at certain levels.
I will be offering up items such as slow smoked barbecued ribs. Slow smoked barbecue pork shoulder and slow smoked beef brisket as well as southern style Brunswick stew and my homemade barbecue sauces. Just to name a few items.
If you choose a "reward", I'll do my best to get it to you before the end of the summer. I'll have to do this as I have the stregnth, energy and help. I'm currently on a walker and regaining stregnth. It's taking almost every bit of energy I have,
If you read this far - thank you! If you can, please donate. If you can not help, please forward my story.
This process could take months in which time I am going to be out money to pay the remainder of the hospital bills are coming in, house note, car note, and other expenses.
In total, I expect insurance to cover 80% of my medical bills...with 20% left for me, which will end up being around $25000.
I don't like asking this of anybody. I never ask for charity or hand outs. But I need assistance. You can donate to my GoFundMe account, I will be forever grateful.
I am still having to deal with this disability but I will do everything I can to offer perks for those who can donate at certain levels.
I will be offering up items such as slow smoked barbecued ribs. Slow smoked barbecue pork shoulder and slow smoked beef brisket as well as southern style Brunswick stew and my homemade barbecue sauces. Just to name a few items.
If you choose a "reward", I'll do my best to get it to you before the end of the summer. I'll have to do this as I have the stregnth, energy and help. I'm currently on a walker and regaining stregnth. It's taking almost every bit of energy I have,
If you read this far - thank you! If you can, please donate. If you can not help, please forward my story.
Organizer
Michael Allgood
Organizer
Covington, GA
