Surgical Procedure for my son, Chaos

HISTORY

Chaos became my son December 2012. Back then, between adoption fees & hospital, I spent just over $70k to become his mama and get him healthy. My then-insurance spent another $200,000 or so.  

My son was born addicted to opiates, which I did know when I chose to adopt him.  I didn't know how rough it was going to be, but even if I had, I'd have made the same choice.

He and I spent 40+ days in the hospital, while he was weaned with the aid of Methadone, Clonizapam, & Phenobarbital. It was a horrible process.  The team at Eastern Maine Medical Center literally saved him...and I still stay in touch with many of them 7 years later.

But he healed.  Slowly but steadily. He's hyper-energetic as a result of his early struggles. Walked at 7 months, swam without floaties at 2yrs, and at 3 he hopped on a bicycle and . . . just rode away.  He copes with his anxiety, learning issues, and hyperactivity by athletics.

He has complex reactions to medicines. Allergy meds make him appear to be a tiny, angry drunk. For his dental surgery a few years ago, they couldn't get him to stay under anesthesia.  

Such extreme addiction in utero has had complications psychologically and in learning disabilities, too. He started school late (at 6.5) as part of our strategy to handle that. That was Fall 2019.

COVID-19
Then, this summer he--and I--contracted the coronavirus.  We were locked down. Curbside groceries. No exits. My partner lost a full time job because they wouldn't agree to work-at-home, and with my health and Chaos' health history, our risks were high. We did all the things, even wash groceries & santitize every counter and handle constantly, and we still caught it.

I recovered. 

Several months later, my now-7 yr old's son's wheezing and coughing and lack of air are worsening rather than improving.  Rounds of steroids, nebulizer treatments, and antibiotics haven't "fixed" whatever is going on. The latest X-rays show increases in scarring and worsened inflammation.

So this week we have a surgical procedure.  They are putting a scope in his lungs, probable biopsy, and . . . we shall see.

I'm hoping they see the reason, and it'd mild, and . . . he improves. Lack of lung function is no good in general. Lack of lung function when you are used to 6-7 hours of exercise has been wretched for him.

MY HISTORY

Some of you know me from my writing, and before-baby that job was very good to me. It's how I was able to afford adoption.  Readers continue to be great, and I'm still working, but focus on my son has been rather life consuming.

Between baby (Dec 2012) and now, my savings were completely depleted from his health issues and my own.  I found ways to make it work, but the comfortable nest egg is at $0 now.

I had 6 hospital events  (a couple surgeries, a partially collapsed lung, and one awkward round of convulsions) in 2016, which prompted me to sell my home and liquidate everything to move to a small house in the desert.

Progress was great until I had a small stroke in 2018. What reserves I had are depleted.

NOW

I found out on Friday that tomorrow Chaos will be undergoing this minor surgery. If not for his medicine reactions, I'd be calmer. I'm hopeful the procedure will fix everything or give them an answer so they can fix it. I'm terrified they'll find something we can't easily correct. 

Ideally, this procedure will be the start of getting better, but the insurance--as of now--will leave me with between $7k-15k if all goes well.  I'm already at $1k of a bill before we start.

I'm hoping that will be the end of it, and if tomorrow that figure decreases ,somehow I'll update my figure to reflect that. If it increases, I'll adjust it that way, too.

I know life is tough for too many people right now, and I wasn't going to ask. However, many friends bombarded me with notes that it's okay to accept help, so . . . I'm asking. I appreciate anything you can add to take the edge of this latest obstacle.  

And I appreciate any prayers you can send up. Obviously, they work. Between his cessation of breathing at birth and ongoing psychological challenges, my stroke, etc, I think prayers have created a pretty amazing result. We're here. We're still standing. And I have faith that the medical folks at Phoenix Children's Hospital will work their magic.

I just need to pay for that magic.