Please help with my medical bills

Hi, my name is Rebecca, and I’m in need of help with the costs of medical care, and mounting bills.

I have been off work on unpaid leave all year, due to suffering from 4 chronic illnesses; advanced stage 4 endometriosis, degenerative neck and back issues (including a damaged coccyx, which sends nerve pain down my leg), chronic daily migraines, and chronic depression. It has also been discovered, while getting tests done for my existing conditions, I had an inconclusive lump on my thyroid (which has now been removed, and was thankfully benign), stage 3 chronic kidney disease, and Bradycardia (low heart rate). Due to this, I have had to rely on benefits to survive, and have not been able to pay my mortgage going on 9 months now, and the last financial assistance from the bank has just finished, and I am now requiring to pay back the last 9 months of my half of the mortgage, which is $9152, on top of the usual monthly mortgage payment. I had hoped that I would have been able to return to work before the end of the year, but unfortunately, I’m still struggling with everything going on with my health, and haven’t been able to return to normal.

For the last 4 months, I have had to make the decision to prioritise my medications due to financial strain, which includes having to forgo 3 medications I desperately need, but can no longer afford, as none of them are on the PBS. This includes my pain medication, which is $300 every 20 days. I am now in constant pain, 24/7, and am not coping well at all, which resulted in a cracked back molar from clenching so hard, that I needed a root canal to try and repair the damage. My current medications cost around $750 a month, and I have gotten to the point where it’s no longer financially possible for me to keep going, as this equates to half my benefits a month.

I am also at the point, where I have to keep postponing medical appointments, as I cannot afford the upfront fees to attend.

My life is stuck in a constant catch 22, where I can’t afford to get better, but can’t afford to keep being sick, either. I just need some help, so I can get myself well enough to return to work in some capacity at least, whilst also not losing my house in the process. Homelessness on top of everything else would be heartbreaking, especially considering my 70 yr old widowed pensioner mother and I share the mortgage (along with my 2 cats).

Due to the severity of my endometriosis, my specialist has deemed me as a high-risk surgical patient. This is also due to the fact, that my last 2 endo surgeries (I have had 6 surgeries for endo and ovarian cysts, in 4.5years), I have ended up with DVT, and have then had to go on a 6 month blood thinner treatment. Surgery is now only an absolute last ditch effort for treatment, even though my pain levels have skyrocketed again, and I feel this is now the only option I have left, again, at trying to manage my pain. I am also now needing a colonoscopy, to determine if my endo has gone into my bowel, but again, I had to cancel, as I don’t have a spare $2800 for this procedure.

Any donation you can give, would be greatly appreciated, and will help alleviate the stress (financially, emotionally, and mentally).

Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

Bec