Help Erica Heal

Hey Y’all!!!

To know me is to know this ask doesn’t come easy. 

Don’t know me or need an update on who I am?

My name is Erica and I am a 40 year old Momma of three boys  (13 year old twins and a 7year old) and wife to Mark. 

I am a stay at home Momma who’s family has been my full time job and focus for just over 13 years old now. 

On the afternoon of Feb 11,2021, I slipped on black ice on our driveway. What I felt was a “bad” sprained ankle I waited till Mark got home later that evening and asked to be taken to urgent care for x rays since the pain was not easing with over the counter medicine. 

Who knew a “simple” fall would bring us to today. 

It was found and verified by an Orthopedic Surgeon (Dr. Campbell at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland) the next morning that I didn’t “just sprain” my right ankle, I broken my ankle bone and fibula and needed reconstruction surgery immediately. 

On Feb 16, Dr. Campbell was able to screw my ankle and fibula bones back together and was sent home to heal for six weeks. 

Recovering from this surgery was by far one of the most difficult tasks. I was falling almost daily staring the day I came home from surgery. What was assumed to be a combination of a sprained left knee and medication , I was given crutches and I ordered a knee scooter.I managed to fall fairly hard  on crutches causing a severe concussion 

The first two weeks home, I lost count on how many falls and three separate major concussions. I was then sent to a neurologist (Dr. Babkas of Ellicott City, Maryland) for evaluation and further testing if needed. I was not only experiencing short term memory loss, difficulty speaking, a studded making it hard to speak when I could and inability to say the right words for what I was trying to say. I would try asking for a cup of water yet I ended up asking for a bowl of football as an example. 

X-rays, EEG and MRI showed that my brain was physically in good shape, brainwaves mostly normal, and skull not fractured. Diagnosis of complications from sever concussions was made and I was sent home to rest and heal. 

At this point the falls were so frequent that I ended up in a wheelchair and send to another orthopedic surgeon (Dr. Rue at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland) for more tests and scans if needed. 

I saw Dr. Rue the following week and sent for more X-rays and another MRI. We seemed to have found the root of my pain and knee giving out causing a majority of my falls. I had a torn meniscus and a lot of inflammation and “yuck” that would need to be cleaned out. The catch was, I could not have surgery till I was able to walk on my right ankle. 

June 15, 2021 was the day I went back into the operating room and sent back home to rest and heal. 

Working hard with a home physical therapist and then released to see my outpatient physical therapy (Mr. Tyler T of Physical Therapy First in Clarksville, Maryland) who helped rehab my ankle. 

What seemed to be a smoother recover came it’s own set if challenges. I’m now in a wheelchair, afraid of using crutches and falling again hitting my head or landing on my face. Yet I pushed hard at physical therapy, kept myself active at home but still had pain in my left leg and right foot. It was all grouped with recovered from two major series. 

August 4,2021, I was walking, started  driving the week before even went and got our boys a puppy. Bella was rehomed to our family and was truly meant to be. She is a labradoodle with a strong lab resemblance and size. 

Five days after Bella arrived (August 9,2021) the boys and I went to take Bella for a walk around our neighborhood. A smaller dog approached so I leaned forward to grab her harness and she lunged forward “kinking my back”. That was Monday evening just before five. By Friday my back was not only feeling worse, I now lost use of both legs and ability to control my bladder. I was experiencing severe muscle spasms in my lower back and shooting nerve pain down both legs.  

Rushed to the emergency room , being alone due to Covid-19  restrictions , X-rays, CAT scan and MRI ordered by Dr. Lee of Johns Hopkins Hospital at Howard County, it was found that I had three fractured vertebrae and my L4-L5 disk exploded into my spinal cord causing compression of my nerve root as well. 

Monday, August 16, 2021 , I had a spinal cord  decompression and vertebrae disk removed with high hopes of waking up the following morning with almost if not all of my symptoms gone. Sadly that wasn’t the case. I woke up with a different type of pain that was almost or equally as painful as before I went into the operating room. 

Two days of trying different methods of pain management , I was sent home on hydro morphine and told to rest for two weeks and all of my symptoms should disappear. Sadly that too wasn’t the case. 

I’ve experienced severe back spasms, shooting sciatica pain down both legs, inability to have full use of my right leg, difficulty walking and unable to help tend to and care for my family. I struggle walking longer than 30 feet and that’s with a couple breaks in between. I’m started using a rollator  walker to doctor appointments and physical therapy twice a week. 

I was sent to John Hopkins Hospital pain management clinic in Columbia, Maryland. This is where I met Dr. Levin. We went over my medical history and what brought me to him. I was placed on a new muscle relaxer, nerve pain medication and pain medication. After about four visits we found a dose that help finally alleviate some of my pain. On a scale of 0-10 , I walked in a 10+ and on meds I sit at a solid 6 if not 7 on the pain scale. 

I continued physical therapy three days a week trying to overcome my newest set of challenges. 

On December 1, 2021 I went to the emergency room due to inability to walk and loss of bodily functions from my belly button down. Que freak out and a feeling of “here we go again”. After another 14 hours of X-rays, CAT scan and MRI , the source of my “new” pain was revealed. My sciatica slipped into the disk space where the disk was removed. What made the symptoms worse was that the sciatica fell further into the disk space causing a more severe compression. This is also causing the nerve to be pulled right and now having pressure placed from bone spur between my L5 and S1 spinal space. 

I was sent home, on different dose of some meds and wait for a surgery date. I was prepared for a late January/early February operating room time.  Due to the increase cases of Covid-19 I’m now scheduled for March 2022. 

Since February our family has trying to handle these challenges on our own. Loss of income on days Mark has to take off for my appointments, surgery days, days where I couldn’t be left alone in the house. $5000 medical insurance deductible and about an additional $3000 out of pocket for services rendered by physicians that’s out of network, services  not covered at all, medical equipment like crutches, knee schooler and wheelchair, and then the cost of transportation to and from doctors appointments and physical therapy sessions. 

Our family and friends were very kind to donate meals , cash or gift cards to help cover the increase expense of groceries  and DoorDash bills for nights where Mark was too tired to cook or didn’t come home till after dinner. 

I’m now here asking for your help. I was presented with an opportunity I didn’t know was available. 

On March 10 I am scheduled for a spinal fusion to stabilize my L4-L5 vertebraes and release the pinched sciatic  Dr. Lee said there might be a cyst pressing on another part of my nerve root which while be examined and tended to while in the operating room. He will also remove the bone spur. I’m expected to be in the hospital for a week and already being prepared to be transferred to a rehab center for continued healing as it’s now been proved with the last two surgeries that rehabbing at home is not best for me. 

Due to recent boom  Covid-19 positive cases our hospitals in Baltimore has now been placed on code yellow or red. This means I will not be able to have visitors while in the hospital and also during the duration of time at the rehab center. I’ve been told due to the lay out of our home and navigating  steps from my sleeping area to the main floor of the house,  I could be in the rehab center for approx four weeks depending on how I heal from surgery and to see if any symptoms are still present. 

Speaking with my case worker at JHH it was brought to my attention that there is medical housing  near and around JHH. They are fully furnished studios or one bedroom apartments. They are in buildings that offer grocery delivery, hot meals through room service and even assistance getting back and forth to doctor appointments. 

Unfortunately we do not qualify for any financial assistance and this is not covered through our insurance company. The rentals will cost approx $6000-$8000 for six weeks. 

This is not something that our family can not even begining to comprehend paying for. Yet we can not afford for me to return home and injuring my back or falling and hitting my head again. 

I’ve looked at other furnished rental opportunities and found the best option would be to rent a home via Air BnB or VROB. 

I’m asking for any assistant in raising enough to cover the cost of a condo in a secure building in Baltimore. It’s a one bedroom condo in a high rises building that offers grocery delivery and can offer room service. This condo offers a shuttle to JHH for my post op appointments and even start physical therapy if needed. I will need to quarantine for 14 days prior to surgery and have three Covid tests performed at the hospital prior to surgery date.

If you or someone you know are able  to help me start my healing process , be out of the hospital and rehab facilities, in a safe home easily navigated  independently  AND allow to see my children while away from home, I will forever be grateful for your giving heart and thankful for your generosity. No gift will ever be too small, it’s a step towards hitting my goal. 

Price will cover Air BnB rental for 66 days, groceries and ordered meals for me while  recovering, out of pocket medical cost and gas/parking for Mark and the boys to travel frequently to visit or stay with me.