Kim and Mack's Fight: No Insurance, Big Bills

I am NOT one to EVER ask for help, but I really need it right now!!

Hi, my name is Kim Henderson. I am reaching out asking for your support during a very hard time. My boyfriend, Mack Day, has had a very traumatic week. It started last Sunday when he awoke with an epistaxis (nosebleed) that lasted for hours. After about 5-6 hours, when we couldn't get the blood to stop flowing, we decided that we needed to go try to get medical attention. We went to the hospital in Winder, where the first of many visits began.

The doctor first tried to use medication in his nose (nasal spray) to try to constrict the blood vessels to stop the bleeding and then clamped his nose tightly. That didn't work, so they installed a Rapid Rhino inside his nose, which consists of the doctor installing and inflating a posterior balloon inside his nose as far as it can go and then inflating the balloon to provide pressure to try to stop the bleeding. This usually stops the bleeding, per the doctor, and then you follow up with an ENT in 2 days to have the rhino removed and then evaluate to see what, if anything, needs to be done next. Well, this didn't last 10 minutes, and he continued to bleed out.

He had so much blood in his stomach from his nose draining down the back of his throat, he ended up throwing up about 1-1.5 liters of blood. I asked if they had an "on-call" ENT there, and they said they didn't. The doctor then evaluated his nose again and ended up cauterizing what he thought he saw was the problem, and then we were given instructions to follow up with an ENT. Everyone at the hospital in Winder was great; they were very quick to try to get the problem fixed. Once at home, nothing was getting any better; there was no relief, and then not long after we were home, the blood started pouring again. He took it easy, hoping it would get better through the night, but it didn't.

Monday, we decided to go to NE GA in Braselton to have a doctor look and see if they could figure out what was going on. They tried to use medication to restrict the blood vessels, clamped his nose again, and then decided to install a much longer rhino inside his nose, packed it, and told us to follow up with an ENT in 2 days to have it removed and evaluated. I asked the doctor at this hospital about calling in an on-call ENT, and they informed us, like the hospital in Winder, that they don't usually call an ENT in unless your hemoglobin drops drastically (to 6). Once we thought we were fixed up again, we came home. He stayed on the sofa, took it easy, only getting up to use the restroom, and tried to see if it would stop. We thought he was good. His nose started bleeding again during the night. We didn't know if it was from having the rhino installed (2nd time) and maybe he had some blood that may have not bled out and maybe was just left over from the initial bleed or what was going on. He took it easy and laid around on the sofa all day Tuesday so he could try to get to work on Wednesday. He went to work on Wednesday but was only there a few hours until it started pouring out again. I called several ENT offices, everywhere, to try to get him in to see what was going on. Which was hard at the last minute. I finally found an ENT in Johns Creek; he went, and they performed a procedure in the office where the ENT took 2 cm out of his septum and cauterized his nose for the 2nd time. We were confident that it was fixed. He left the ENT with no aftercare instructions, no medication, nothing. I called and spoke with that office on Thursday, letting them know he was in pain, no instructions were given, and he was still bleeding. They seemed to not be concerned since they were paid over $400.00, which we didn't have, to fix the problem the day before, and informed me that he was probably still bleeding because his blood pressure might be elevated. They told me that he could go back to the hospital if the bleeding didn't stop for them to check. WHAT?????? They weren't worried about anything. They got paid. This was very upsetting.

Thursday night, the bleeding still had not stopped, and we were back at NE GA Braselton. They did blood work and other things and ended up admitting him. His hemoglobin DROPPED TO 6!!!!!! He was transported by ambulance to NE GA Gainesville on Friday morning, where we have been since. Dr. Baskin, ENT out of Braselton, performed surgery on him Friday afternoon. Surgery was supposed to take about 1-1.5 hrs but ended up taking 3 hrs. The doctor went in and looked at everything, cauterized the main artery, packed his nose as far up in his head, cheek/face, and nose as he could, and is very confident that it is fixed. We still don't know why this happened. Mack doesn't have a history of nosebleeds; nothing like this has ever happened. The doctor said sometimes things happen, and we don't know why. This is one of them. We will probably never know why this started, but we feel confident that he is finally fixed up.

The doctor kept him in the hospital the past 2 days, since Friday, trying to get his hemoglobin up. It has been at a steady 6. It has been a LONG exhausting week for us both! He has had to have 4 bags of blood since he lost so much. His blood pressure has been low; he was very anemic from the blood loss. This was a life-threatening event! It was very scary!

Why did this happen? We might never know why! Why him? Why did it take so long to figure out what was going on, and why did it have to get so bad before someone figured it out? IDK.

Is there a possibility that it could happen again? Yes, but the doctor is very confident that he is fixed, and we don't have anything to worry about, and I am confident as well. Dr. Baskin is wonderful. He was very detailed about everything. We couldn't have asked for a better doctor. He will have to go in a week to have his packing taken out of his nose and assessed by Dr. Baskin, and we will move on from there.

Mack was out of work all last week.

The doctor is not letting him return to work for at least 2 weeks, possibly 3. That means he will be out of work for at least a month! The doctor doesn't want him working, straining at all, bending/lifting anything. He basically wants him on the couch for the next 2 weeks for sure, but he might be out longer. Mack doesn't have medical insurance. He doesn't have sick pay or vacation time. He is STRESSED out as well as myself, worrying what his job will do since he was already out last week and will be out for the next 2 weeks, possibly more, depending on what the doctor says. Bills don't go away; they only continue to build. Our rent is due along with all of my other bills, including car insurance, cell phones, water, and power for the house. I will need to get groceries for us, and I will need gas to get to work and back, and I will need to buy dog food, etc. The bills from our 3 hospital visits, as well as the hospital stay and ambulance ride, will be coming in quickly. He will need medications and follow-up visits with the ENT and possibly other doctors as well.

I can't do everything alone! I think I can, as do most women, but I can't. I need help! I certainly wouldn't ask if I didn't need it!

We have 3 emergency room visit bills coming, an in-office ENT procedure visit that we paid out of pocket ($405.00) and didn't have, an ambulance ride, and a 4-day stay in the hospital along with all his medications. On top of that, all my household bills are due along with rent, and I can't cover it all!

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated! I pray to GOD every day that everything will work out, and it will! Thank you for anything you can help me with! Much LOVE to everyone!

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