My thigh bone is NOT CONNECTED to

My Thigh Bone is NOT CONNECTED to my Hip Bone

Susan (Sue) R. Kelley

Hi: My name is Susan (Sue) R. Kelley. My husband and I retired to Riberas del Pilar, a small village in the Lake Chapala region of Mexico, half an hour from Guadalajara.

When we moved to Mexico in 2005 we had health insurance with a reputable American insurance company and the Mexican government insurance, IMSS. The American company canceled our insurance in 2009 and since we were over seventy it was impossible to find insurance at a rate we could afford. In 2010 I had a hip replacement with IMSS, however, it was only five years before the body plaster began to break up and my femur was rattling around. I needed a hip revision to correct this problem. Hip revisions are necessary when there is a recurring dislocation of the hip. When I had blood tests for the hip revision it was revealed I was in kidney failure caused by an allergy to the pain pills I was taking for the hip. I was told if I had not gone to the hospital that day I would have died.

I spent two weeks in the hospital and upon returning home spent two months on dialysis. IMSS did not have room for me at their dialysis clinic so I was forced to have dialysis at a private hospital in Guadalajara and pay out of pocket for the treatment. During the dialysis treatment I was found to have extreme anemia. Once I was finished with dialysis the anemia was corrected. It took seven months to get my kidney function back to normal.

In January 2017 I had the hip revision with a private doctor, surgery that we were required to pay for. After four months the hip dislocated three times. My doctor determined that another surgery was needed. I returned to IMSS as we could not incur further debt. I have been waiting for this surgery, bedridden, for fourteen months. In all of this time the only time I get out of my bedroom is for doctor's appointments. Through all of this, I have been on morphine patches for the pain caused by a broken leg. There is no guarantee that IMSS will ever perform this surgery as they consider it elective surgery. Never mind that I cannot get out of bed.

During this time, my husband who is 82 years old, has been doing all the marketing, cooking, laundry, taking care of my needs and all the other tasks that it takes to run a household.

Out of pocket expenses have included dialysis, specialist doctor's visits, transportation and translation in Guadalajara, prescription medicine and hygiene products. For the entire two years of the medical nightmare , twice a week I have had a nurse for bed baths and hair washing and a physical therapist to keep the damaged leg strong.

I have had several friends ask how they could help. This page is for them and anyone else who would like to contribute. I am looking forward to ending this horrific ordeal and reclaiming my life. Your help and support is sincerely appreciated.