It Started Innocently Enough

My dive into medical bill madness started innocently enough. For several years I experienced numbness, tingling and pain, including shooting pain, in each of my arms and hands. It was just something I tolerated, though I used my hands a great deal. Working with computers all day and spending lots of time in the kitchen - Italian and Portuguese - caused it to be worse. I finally decided to do something about it. Consulted a well know surgeon in my town, was evaluated and came up with a treatment plan I could live with.

I needed thumb reconstruction from arthritis and carpal tunnel surgery for the pain in each hand. Each surgery could be done in one visit and the recovery time for the thumb would be 3-4 months. Most of that time I would be in a hard cast and not fully functional with the operated hand.

The first surgery was done the first of June. I could hardly use that hand so the right hand would have to pick up the load and the longer it carried the work load the worse my symptoms in that hand were. However, I was so pleased with the results from the surgery I just plowed ahead.

I had the next surgery scheduled for September. I had done some yard work on Monday and hurt my left shoulder. Tuesday I was in a lot of pain so I decided to see the doctor. I was lying down and jumped up too fast, was hit with a spell of vertigo and fell. I landed on the operated left arm and hand. I was able to call 911 and was taken to Emergency at SMH. Result was blood clots (hematomas) on both left and right side of my brain temporal lobes. I had emergency surgery to drain the left side and had 16 staples in my head. I had half my hair shaved off and the younger hospital employees said my hair cut "Rocked"'

The right side was left to resolve since it was much smaller with less blood. After 5 days and two surgeries I was released and returned home.

I developed neuropathy in my fingers, numbness in part of the left hand and shooting pains as well. I was scheduled for nerve testing and the result was to have another surgery to release the pinched nerves in shoulder and elbow and repair the thumb. Surgery was scheduled for the next week on Friday.

Three days before the surgery I had my follow up with the neurosurgeon which included a scan of my brain. Good news and not so good news. The left side had drained and healed well. However the right side had not resolved, the clot had actually got bigger. The surgeon recommended another follow up.

The following night I had severe chest pains and again had to be ambulanced to the hospital. Another 3 day stay, lots of tests and scans and no clear diagnosis. But the surgery on the elbow and had had to be rescheduled.

Last week the elbow and hand surgery was done and follow up has shown it was successful, however the numbness, pain and weakness continues and may last several months.

The scan has been repeated on the right side and I will have to have my right temporal side drained. That surgery is scheduled next week.

Though I am retired I could not rely on just social security so I had been working to get by. I did not retire until 72 and now at 75 was working again. But that all stopped when I had the first surgery so I have not been able to work since June.

So 6 months, four surgeries, and three hospitalizations later with one surgery still to be done and I have medical bills which seem insurmountable to me. Any support you can give will be so gratefully appreciated.

Some folks have asked how the amount I am asking for was to be used.

Hospital Copays: $1470 and $840

Scanning: $540

Ambulance: 2 x $250 = $500

Anesthesia: $390 + $220 = $610

Surgery center copays: 2 x $140 = $280

Misc: prescriptions, dressings etc. = $145

Total= $4,385