Vee's Medical Fund-surgery & PT
2/3/2018 UPDATE
My reattached flexor tendon scars *hurt* so bad. My whole hand throbs, my wrist is bruised from exploratory procedure to find that flexor tendon and pull it up from my wrist.
**I need physical therapy to get this thumb moving again.**
Everything is time-sensitive as well. I'm walking the tightrope between scarring (which leads to lack of mobility) & too much moving (which causes rupture of the reattached tendon.
I cannot get my very needed thumb mobility back without help from a professional physical therapist.
Your kind support has helped pay for 2 physical therapy visits, for which I am grateful. (THANK YOU SO MUCH.)
I still need to reach the goal to help me pay for the next 8 weeks of therapy, though, to get this reattached tendon back to its pre-laceration mobility. Do help spread the word of this campaign.
You make such a difference!
(Quick recap: A freak accident completely severed my left thumb tendon; a glass serving dish shattered in my hands as I washed it. In a companywide lay-off, I lost my job and my medical insurance. I do not qualify for Medi-Cal, and cannot afford Covered California. I have part-time work and continue to seek full-time work. This freak accident has derailed so much.)
1/23/2018 UPDATE
Surgery went well. (Thanks for your generosity, which let me have this tendon- and mobility-saving procedure!) The surgeon had to do some exploring to find the tendon. Two incisions later, and bingo---the severed tendon way down near my wrist. I have a huge bandage on my hand and lots of pain. But it is done!
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1/22/2018 UPDATE: My initial goal was the cost of this procedure, which apparently didn't include pain meds & physical therapy. (Ugh, just got hit with that fact from the surgeon's consultation.) So I had to add that cost into the goal. Thank you so very, very much for all your help so far!!! xoxo
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Short version: I need surgery very, very soon to repair the severed flexor tendon on my left thumb. Because of a job lay-off, I don't have medical insurance and haven't qualified for any programs right now.
This surgery is necessary STAT, so I don't lose mobility in my thumb (I don't have any now), so I'll have to pay for the surgery upfront. I need this surgery in the next week, my doctor said. And then lots of physical therapy.
****I do not want to lose the use of my opposable thumb. Please help!*****
Longer version: I'm Vee , wife, mom of four, artist, and worker bee at my local Catholic parish.
I was washing a heavy glass serving bowl when it shattered in my hand. The sink was full of blood immediately, and I didn't feel the pain right then. I looked at my right hand, all was well. I looked at my left hand. I saw so, so much blood and stuff coming out of my sliced left thumb. I tried wiggling it. But it didn't move.
Then the pain came.
(Picture below is of my cleaned-up, glued-cut thumb.)
My cut was glued and taped up, and I kept tabs on it. But it has not healed.
Friday night, the doctor said it's a severed tendon and such a deep cut. "You need to get surgery on this very soon, it's time-sensitive," he said. "No doctor will work on just stitching it. You need a hand specialist immediately. This needs to get repaired as soon as possible."
I cried. I cried a lot.
Being laid off for a year and three months from a full-time job with benefits has been hard. I work part-time at my parish in a job that I love, but I only work 20 hours a week (with no chance at more) and do not have medical benefits.
Life's been hard but doable through God's grace and unexpected moments of generosity here and there. Love and joy abounds in my family as our lives have been stripped down to the necessary, the important. However, this medical emergency is unexpected and leaves me scrambling for help.
God has kept our little dinghy afloat in this sea of difficulty. We trust He will help us through this immense storm---but perhaps we need the help of some brothers and sisters. Such a medical expensive feels like it will capsize us. I pray it won't and ask that, if you can spare a little change (or a lot or a medium amount), please consider donating to this fund.
