Please help save my foot....
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Some of you may remember this time last year my post about new summer foot wear. The pretty cast and big black boot.
For the past year I have been battling the wound located on the bottom of my left foot. The brace I wore for drop foot and wrong shoes rubbing the bottom of my foot caused the callus there to rupture and form an ulcer. It's been long in healing because of the location and how I walk from the drop foot and nerve damage.
The treatment has been and still is a hit and miss process, going from a cast to heavy bandages. It's resulted in my foot sweating and infections developing.
My toes now went from being straight like any normal foot to all curving inward, causing me to put even more pressure on the wound. My toes have curved because of not having the proper footwear to go with the brace needed for drop foot.
I found out a month ago that I now have an infection in the bone in my foot that requires medical attention twice a day for six weeks. However, because of accumulating hospital bills for the weekly care of my foot along with my brief hospital stay back in November when I thought I was having a heart attack, the hospital would not take me as a patient to have the require MRI my doctor ordered. Since the wound care center that has been taking care of my wound is connected to the hospital, I cannot see the doctor either.
I have checked into different insurance coverages here, trying to figure out how to get this test done. Up home, in Michigan, I didnt have to worry about this because I had dual coverage when I went on disability. Moving here to care for dad, I lost my secondary coverage. During the process of getting insurance again, I came to find out Florida has the worst health care and coverage according to the insurance companies and that Michigan had one of the best.
I switched over to Florida Blue, a form of Blue Cross for people on Medicare. I then found out I was mislead in the coverage. While, now, I had no co-pay to see my regular physician - I only see them once a year, my medication stayed between $23-$25 a month. I could still get medical supplies delivered but the fee had gone up for those supplies. All testing went up as well. My out-of-pocket for the MRI went from $149 to $350 if I went to the hospital and $250 if I went to an imaging center.
I now have to see an infectious disease doctor to get a picc line put in and, twice a day for six weeks, have medication through said picc line. The doctors office called me on the 13th and told me I am at risk of losing my foot and that really scared me. I'm not really sure how the picc line works other than what the doctor told me but I do know that I cannot go to get the medication because of my outstanding bill amount. I have to drive a hour to go see the infectious disease doctor and my first appointment with him is on June 27th. I'm really freaking out because I don't have the money to get the tests done.
I have mounting doctor, hospital, and medical supply bills that are continuing to accumulate. I have no clue what this next round of treatment is going to cost. I know I need to get special shoes designed for diabetics - though I am not diabetic, they are needed because of my drop foot and the nerve damage from giving birth to my son. The prosthetic doctor said these are the best bet for me. He can put in special inserts and change them when needed, they will have a "hole" cut out where the wound is so I will never walk or put pressure on the wound which is something I will have to be conscious of and worry about for the rest of my life.
I was lucky and got a knee walker through the Lyons Club in a nearby town so I can stay off my foot when I have to go out. On top of my medical needs, I found out that I need new front brakes and rotors on my dad's car. As they say: when it rains, it pours.
I have been trying to figure this all out on my own and I have realize that I have done all I can on my own, that I have no other choice but to reach out and ask for help. So I'm sucking up my pride and now reaching out so I can continue working towards healing my dang foot. I don't like asking, I know there are people struggling everywhere. I have joked that if I do lose my foot, I could be the peg leg girl at the Pirate festivals here.
Keeping the faith through jokes and smiles! God Bless and Thank you so much!!
For the past year I have been battling the wound located on the bottom of my left foot. The brace I wore for drop foot and wrong shoes rubbing the bottom of my foot caused the callus there to rupture and form an ulcer. It's been long in healing because of the location and how I walk from the drop foot and nerve damage.
The treatment has been and still is a hit and miss process, going from a cast to heavy bandages. It's resulted in my foot sweating and infections developing.
My toes now went from being straight like any normal foot to all curving inward, causing me to put even more pressure on the wound. My toes have curved because of not having the proper footwear to go with the brace needed for drop foot.
I found out a month ago that I now have an infection in the bone in my foot that requires medical attention twice a day for six weeks. However, because of accumulating hospital bills for the weekly care of my foot along with my brief hospital stay back in November when I thought I was having a heart attack, the hospital would not take me as a patient to have the require MRI my doctor ordered. Since the wound care center that has been taking care of my wound is connected to the hospital, I cannot see the doctor either.
I have checked into different insurance coverages here, trying to figure out how to get this test done. Up home, in Michigan, I didnt have to worry about this because I had dual coverage when I went on disability. Moving here to care for dad, I lost my secondary coverage. During the process of getting insurance again, I came to find out Florida has the worst health care and coverage according to the insurance companies and that Michigan had one of the best.
I switched over to Florida Blue, a form of Blue Cross for people on Medicare. I then found out I was mislead in the coverage. While, now, I had no co-pay to see my regular physician - I only see them once a year, my medication stayed between $23-$25 a month. I could still get medical supplies delivered but the fee had gone up for those supplies. All testing went up as well. My out-of-pocket for the MRI went from $149 to $350 if I went to the hospital and $250 if I went to an imaging center.
I now have to see an infectious disease doctor to get a picc line put in and, twice a day for six weeks, have medication through said picc line. The doctors office called me on the 13th and told me I am at risk of losing my foot and that really scared me. I'm not really sure how the picc line works other than what the doctor told me but I do know that I cannot go to get the medication because of my outstanding bill amount. I have to drive a hour to go see the infectious disease doctor and my first appointment with him is on June 27th. I'm really freaking out because I don't have the money to get the tests done.
I have mounting doctor, hospital, and medical supply bills that are continuing to accumulate. I have no clue what this next round of treatment is going to cost. I know I need to get special shoes designed for diabetics - though I am not diabetic, they are needed because of my drop foot and the nerve damage from giving birth to my son. The prosthetic doctor said these are the best bet for me. He can put in special inserts and change them when needed, they will have a "hole" cut out where the wound is so I will never walk or put pressure on the wound which is something I will have to be conscious of and worry about for the rest of my life.
I was lucky and got a knee walker through the Lyons Club in a nearby town so I can stay off my foot when I have to go out. On top of my medical needs, I found out that I need new front brakes and rotors on my dad's car. As they say: when it rains, it pours.
I have been trying to figure this all out on my own and I have realize that I have done all I can on my own, that I have no other choice but to reach out and ask for help. So I'm sucking up my pride and now reaching out so I can continue working towards healing my dang foot. I don't like asking, I know there are people struggling everywhere. I have joked that if I do lose my foot, I could be the peg leg girl at the Pirate festivals here.
Keeping the faith through jokes and smiles! God Bless and Thank you so much!!
Organizer
Emily Tesch
Organizer
Crystal River, FL
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