Support for Carrie & Family following Amputation

Last Thursday, June 12th, my mom (Carrie [Kathy] Hayes) was taken to Carle Health Methodist Hospital via ambulance for circulation complications with her foot. She suffers from atherosclerosis as a complication of her lifelong Diabetes Type 1. A few years ago, an arterial bypass surgery was performed on her left leg from the groin to the mid-calf to reestablish blood flow to her lower leg/ankle/foot. The recovery process, complications, and follow up surgeries and procedures proved traumatic, long, and arduous, but ultimately she was able to heal, recover, and rehabilitate and was able get back to taking part in normal activities without aid.

Thursday while we sat in the emergency room, she was experiencing a level of pain she could only describe as “the worst pain she’s ever felt in her life,” and we learned after many tests and procedures that her bypass was occluded, and may have been for some time leading up to this. She was admitted to the cardiac unit with the intention of a best case scenario: redo bypass surgery & worst case scenario: amputation. If you or someone you love has diabetes, I’m sure you have heard the warnings and horror stories about amputation and how it is often a diabetics last stand against the circulation complications from, frankly, the most brutal disease. This pain has continued and increased through the week and a half we have been here, as doctors and nurses struggled to find a pain management option that could provide her with relief and the tissue in her foot and toes began to die.

After many scans and tests the vascular surgeon found that the vein and artery options for bypass were extremely limited, and they gave us a few options to consider: 1. They go in with the intention to explore the options for bypass and perform the bypass with a (very generous) 30% chance of success. 2. Pain management and a device that could potentially help pull blood down into her foot, as a short term solution before an ultimate amputation in a matter of months. 3. Amputation from above the knee performed within a matter of days. After a day or so of contemplation, as a family, we decided to go with the hopeful option for the chance that 30% would have a miracle attached to it, and mom would go in for the bypass. It was explained that if the veins they located on the scans were not viable, amputation would need to follow pretty quickly as having two wounds with no blood flow would put her at high risk for infection and tissue death. This procedure took place on Thursday, June 19th and the veins they identified were not viable and she returned after surgery and we all knew what was coming. It has been and will continue to be a very emotional and difficult process for her, but with her health and best interests in mind, the amputation was scheduled and performed this morning (June 21st).

She will require several months in a rehab facility once she is able to move from the hospital, and will then be fitted with a prosthesis. It is a long road ahead of us as a family, with a huge upheaval of how life works for each of us, especially her.

We are creating this GoFundMe to offset the costs, medical related expenses, transportation, and the costs of Shane and I (Destinee) traveling and being with her at the hospital daily, as well as living expenses as we navigate this situation. Daily life will look very different for Mom once she returns from rehabilitation, and much of how the house exists currently will need to change and be outfitted to accommodate how her body will function moving forward.

We will keep everyone updated on her recovery process, and we love and are so grateful for everyone’s support.