Rodney’s Recovey

Hi! My name is Falin Ivey, I am Rodney’s wife. Rodney and I share a large, beautiful family of 4 boys and 3 girls. The 3 girls live at home with us, our youngest son is currently in college at A&T and comes home on some weekends and of course school breaks, and we have an adorable 6 month old grandson who lives at home with us as well.

While our teenage/college age children at home do have part time jobs, they are still very much dependent on us for support.

Rodney and I have always prided ourselves in working hard and taking care of our family together. Rodney works full time and multiple part time jobs, and I work full time on night shift as a nurse so that one of us always available to care for our youngest daughter who is 3 years old and assist in anything the other children and our grandson need.

In January of 2022, Rodney was hospitalized for the first of which ended up being four times for severe abdominal pain, infection and need for IV antibodics. After multiple CT scans and XRays, visits with GI specialists who felt that this pain he was experiencing was a result of recurrent diverticulitis. The only way to know for sure was to have a colonscopy, but he was never well enough through the year and never had enough time (6 weeks) between “flare ups” to be eligible for one. Having a colonoscopy done during a time the colon is inflamed is dangerous as it highly increases the risk of bowel perforation.

By November of 2022, it was made clear by GI and general surgery that Rodney would need surgery. However, he needed months of treatment first to make this surgery safe and to once again decrease the risk of any life threatening complications.

Rodney has endured an insurmountable amount of pain and tremendous weight loss, following doctors orders to do everything he could to make it through until he could have this colonoscopy to see once and for all what was causing this abdominal infection, pain, and weight loss. On Feb 1, the day came. The planned 45 minute procedure was quickly aborted as the GI specialist was unable to get a scope through his GI tract. Upon waking up from anesthesia, Rodney’s escalated pain and persistent vomiting prompted another series of scans. He was admitted to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery to remove his sigmoid colon, the mass that was found inside of the sigmoid colon, the appendix (that had now ruptured possibly during the colonscopy attempt) and part of his ileocecal colon that were all adhered to this mass as well.

Rodney came home on 2/12 and is recovering. Full recovery from this surgery alone is expected to take a couple of months total.

I have been out of work since 2/1 also, staying with him throughout his hosptial stay, taking care of him at home as well as our children, our house, and as you can a imagine, the mountains of paperwork that come along with two full time employees being out of work, etc.

I will be going back to work tonight and family will be staying with Rodney while I am gone until he is able to fully move about on his own.

Rodney was fortunate to have sick time, but it’s nearly used up. We have gone from his two incomes (full and part time jobs) and mine, to only mine.

We are asking anyone who is willing and able to help for financial assistance to help keep our family afloat during this difficult time. Please,

if you are able to donate, no about is too small.

The funds will be used for medical bills, assistance with our utility bills and groceries, our mortgage, medication, incredibly expensive medical supplies, home health that Rodney is receiving and child care for our youngest as Rodney cannot care for her while I am at work.

At his post op visit yesterday, we learned Rodney will have to have 1, maybe 2 additional surgeries to have complete recovery. The next one will be no sooner than 6 months, and in the meantime he is working on resting, recovering, and gaining the strength back to undergo this next surgery.

He will undergo again, very costly testing and outpatient procedures to prepare for the next surgery starting in 5 months. Thank you all for your outpouring gestures of love, phone calls, texts, cards, visits, meals, and most of all prayers. We have not been through this journey alone by any means and all of your support has been noticed and truly and greatly appreciated.

Thank you and God bless you all,

The Ivey’s