I'm Drowning In Medical Bills, Please Help Me!

My name is Don Shetterly and I’m drowning in medical debt. I am a person that hates asking for help and money. All my life I have been self-sufficient, doing things on my own. Unfortunately, I’m in a place in life where I need help.

On top of having major medical conditions, I am considered disabled so my days of holding a job have come to an end.

On December 12, my life was upended and changed forever. I’ve never been good about going to regular doctor visits, because of my fear and anxiety. Right now, I wish I had gone sooner!

When I went to the emergency room that Sunday, I was in severe pain. For me to admit I need medical attention is a very big thing. For months I had fought what I thought were panic attacks and anxiety, but it turns out they were a lot more.

I was struggling to sleep at night. The minute daytime turned to darkness, I would freak out. Lying down I felt like I was going to suffocate and die. The only time I got any sleep was when I was completely exhausted. If I tilted or reclined, I was awakened in fear. Medication didn’t help.

My legs and feet were swelling, and so was much of my body. I struggled to walk and was using a wheelchair to get from the couch to the bathroom. Unfortunately, our shower is upstairs, so bathing became a three-hour process with me feeling like I’m about to pass out on the stairs.

When I went to the ER, my body was so swollen that I couldn’t put clothes on and had to wrap a blanket around myself. My husband helped me put my socks on, but shoes would not fit. My feet and legs were that swollen.

I could barely get into the car to get to the ER. Every movement hurt and I was frightened beyond belief.

After some examination time, the doctor informed me that I had “systolic congestive heart failure.” I had no idea what that was, and the first thought was “Oh my God, I’m dying.’ It is not a combination of words anyone wants to hear.

I found out that I also had diabetes Type 2, hypothyroidism, hypertension, a blood clot and other things. It was like my body decided to go to hell all at once.

I had so much fluid built up on my lungs and heart. My EF (ejection fraction) for my heart was around 30-35% when it should be twice that. The fluid was what was keeping me from lying down and sleeping at night because it literally felt like I was drowning – which I was with my lungs.

They admitted me to the hospital and began antibiotics and other procedures on me. They ran many different tests.

All the time, I was thinking about having no job and no insurance. I kept telling them this in the ER and they said, not to worry. I found out later that the hospital would work with me on the bill. I’m so thankful for that.

However, it is the individual providers that are making me drown in bills. I’ve tried to work with several and some are working with me, but many are not. One just sent me to collection. How do you pay for this stuff when you have no money?

I’ve been healthy all my life and thought I was doing all I could to stay healthy. I ate right and didn’t drink or smoke. I tried to get exercise but probably not as much since the covid pandemic started. I tried to de-stress and live a good life. Now I’m lucky if I can walk 2 minutes or even down the driveway to my mailbox and back. Most of the time when I do that, I’m winded and out of breath. Sometimes I get chest pains. So I can’t go very far. I’m trying, but it is difficult.

I get exhausted very easily. Often I take several naps a day, but they don’t leave me feeling refreshed. If my eyes want to close, they close. I sleep whether I want to or not. It is part of the congestive heart failure. After all, my heart is only pumping 50% of what it should be to the body.

With the diabetes, my eyesight is severely suffering now. I can barely see to type on the computer and my husband has to do most of this. Seeing any objects up close is difficult. If I try to cut things up in the kitchen for a meal, I have to be very careful that I can see what I’m cutting before I slice it with a knife.

Recently I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and restless leg syndrome. While the new meds are helping, it is still difficult to wear clothes on my legs or use soap on them in the shower (including drying them or even having water run on them).

It is a big challenge for me to function in a day. My husband does most things for me which frustrates me because I’m not used to having someone do that. I’ve always been self-sufficient in daily activities and earning an income.

This is why I need help. Our medical bills are piling up and I’ve got no way to pay them. It isn’t like we are wealthy or have a lot of income.

I hope you can help even a little bit. I hate asking for money, but I’m not sure what else to do. We tried to get insurance, but the cost was so high that we would have chosen whether we could eat or have health insurance. That’s a horrible choice to have to make.

Thank you for anything you can give to help me. I appreciate it more than you know.

Thanks to Jeff for his help in putting this together.

Where will the money go?

Current unpaid medical bills: $14,394

Upcoming appointments & labs: $5,500

Ongoing medications: $4,800

Chair lift to get up the stairs: $15,000 approximately