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Mom's Medical Recovery Expenses

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This is something I really wanted to avoid doing but at this point in time I have no choice but to swallow my pride and ask for help on behalf of Mom. 

Up until the day before Thanksgiving Mom had been doing great. Her kidneys had been recovering and strength and energy were returning nicely.

Every day the weather allowed, I would walk Mom out to the gazebo where we'd sit and watch the ducks in the pond while enjoying the day. After that we'd always walk to my truck, she'd climb in and we'd go for a ride. We'd listen to her 50s music and she'd sing along as we rode around Florence and Darlington, SC.

Then on the morning of Nov 22nd, I woke up to find Mom complaining about chest and/or stomach pain. I wasn't sure if it was a cardiac event or she was extremely constipated. Mom has a history of constipation and fecal impaction and it was especially likely now because of the diuretics she was on drying her out.  Unsure of what was what, I quickly gave her 4 chewable aspirin and called 911.

911 arrived.  I explained what I thought was going on. They said they expected a UTI was responsible for the confusion and asked her I wanted her taken to the hospital. Of course I did.

What happened next changed Mom's and my life forever.

The EMT's  who came to our 911 call this time decided they were going to carry Mom out by her arms and legs. I protested.  I didn't want Mom to be carried out like a sack of potatoes. Their response was that the stretcher weighed 200lbs and with Mom in it they would not be able to carry her out. I told them I have seen it done before. They responded that perhaps last time it was 2 men and that because this time it was a woman and a man it was simply too much to weight for them if they used the stretcher.

I had no choice but to trust these medical professionals if I wanted to get Mom to the hospital. Being as I had no idea if it was cardiac related or not, getting Mom to the hospital was of the utmost importance.

They grabbed Mom by the arms and legs and hoisted her up, her bottom hanging and swaying as she cried out in agony while they carried her out of my living room, across my porch, down there stair and to the stretcher at the end of my stone patio. It took them 3 tries to get her on the stretcher properly. The first two attempts smacked her into the side of the stretcher.

At the hospital I tried to help the doctor and nurse with as much info as I could give. I explained about her taking her very first dose of Xyzl in case her situation was caused by an allergic reaction to the new medicine. I explained about the lasix and her history of constipation, fecal impaction and passing out from vasovagal responses. I told them about the aspirin I had given her. I explained her kidney issues. I tried to relay every bit of medical history that I felt was relevant to how Mom  was acting and feeling that morning.

My initial assumption when i called 911 that morning was that whatever was happening, Mom would hopefully be home that night and at the very worst her stay in the hospital would only be  a day or 2. I had her to the hospital a few times in the preceding weeks and she had been diagnosed with renal issues and a healthy heart. I was really hoping that whatever was wrong would be something an enema, an antibiotic or something simple would resolve.

They eventually explained to me that her traponons were elevated. Shortly later she was admitted to the hospital and moved to a room of her own.

What happened next was completely unexpected.

A doctor came in and explained they knew what was causing her so much pain. The scans they had done had determined she had a broken right hip.

Mom had not fallen. In fact her Physical Therapist worked with her less than 24 hours ago. She was walking well the day before. She had walked for the  therapist. She walked for me to climb in my truck for our daily ride. At the end of the night she walked from the bathroom to lay down in bed for the night.  She was in the same spot when I checked on her at around midnight and she was still in the same spot when I went to wake her that morning. She never fell.

Only one thing made sense. The only way Mom's hip could have been broken was by the way the EMT's manhandled Mom and carried her 170 pounds of fragile 73 year old bones swaying and swinging.

Mom spent about a week in the hospital. The case manager and doctors asked if I wanted her to go to rehab.  I told them of course I did. It was what was needed to get Mom healed and back on her feet. The ortho doctors then told  me that surgery was not an option becuase of her demineralized (weakened) bones,  her medical history, her age and her dementia. They told me that with bed rest the bones could heal on their own and with physical therapy she could be walking again, though there may be some pain.

They decided bed rest was the only options for her healing and recovery,. Twelve weeks of bed rest to be exact.

Shortly after case management came to the room and spoke to me. They informed me that because of Mom's need for 12 weeks of bed rest, she did not qualify for inpatient rehabilitation and was being discharged to home health.

"Are you kidding me????" was my reaction.

They were not. And her we are a week and a half later. I have set the living room with a hospital bed for Mom. She has her oxygen. I have a rolling, height adjustable, tray for feeding her.  Keeping her clean and comfortable is our number 1 priority.

Through out this, I have quickly run out of funds.

I once worked fron home for Apple. The work at home job allowed me to take care of Mom. However after almost 2 years with Apple my FMLA (family medical leave) time ran out. Soon after, my employer let me go.  That was back in March of this year (2017). I have been unable to find a job that allows  me to take care of Mom and make some income at the same time. Caring for Mom is round the clock. There is no schedule to when she will need me to help with something, whether its to feed  her, change her depends, walk with her or any of the other countless needs of her I have to take care of on a daily basis. So ever since March Mom  and i have been living off what little I had saved up and her social security income. It's been tight.

Mom's current situation has put us under even more financial stress.

When they discharged Mom to home health, I had no idea that home health nor medicare would cover transportation for Mom to her doctors office. Just this month alone we have two appointments. One with her primary doctor and one with orthopedics. Mom is non ambulatory and can put any weight on her right hip for 12 weeks. She must be transported to any doctors appointments by a stretcher. A bit of research and I quickly learned that each trip by medical transport to and from her doctors office is close to $500. On top of that, keeping Mom rolled to different sides, keeping her clean and keeping her dry is of the utmost importance so that she does not develop sores or worse yet, infection from being bed ridden for so long.
The linens, the mattress pads, the wipes, and several other medical supplies that get consumed many times per day are adding up faster and faster.  Medicare does not cover any of this stuff. Had she been admitted to inpatient rehab, all this stuff would have been covered.
However, now it is left to me and it has become overwhelming.

I ask everyone who can, no matter how large or how little, please help me raise as much money as I can to help take care of Mom.  This month alone it's going to cost us near $1000.00 to get Mom to the two doctors appointments. One appointment (Mom's primary doctor) is the 14th, this Thursday and the othe one (orthopedics) is Dec 27th.

Please, if you can, help.  Please help me make sure Mom recovers from this as best as possible so that  she can get back outside to watch the ducks, go fishing and go for walks with me again.  Your help will really make a difference.

Please share this wherever you can so we can get as much help as possible.

With all my heart, I thank everyone and I know if Mom could say so herself, she would thank you too.

Jared

Organiser

Jared Pease
Organiser
Darlington, SC

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