My Mom, Laurie's, Medical Fund
Donation protected
Below you will find my Mom's story in case you are unfimilar with it. On April 3, 2015 my mother presented with shortness of breath, intermittent chest pain, and extreme fatigue. After a CT, she began showing signs of neurological distress. She was unable to speak, smile, etc. She was taken to imaging for a MRI.
While on the MRI table, she began seizing. Immediately thereafter she coded blue. If you are not familiar with hospital codes, blue is cardiac/respiratory failure.
She spent 8 days in the hospital many of those in ICU. While in the hospital she was taken off her treatment as a precationary messure and by no fault of her own we could not get the hospital pharmacy to acccept her medications.
Solvadi is a fairly new drug to treat Hep C and used along with Ribiverin and Peagaus it has a high success rate. Because it is new there are limited case studies. The fact are:
* There is no case studies to show how being of the meds for any amount of time will affect her treatment.
* If she is not successful the first time around on treatment, her chances of success drop significantly.
* Her best chance for success is to stay on the treatment for another 7 weeks. This way she will have the full 12 weeks of treatment, uninterrupted.
* She has a little over one week to get "prior authorization" for the shot she needs. The cost of Pegasys is over $1000 per shot.
* She has been able to get the Solvadi and Ribavirin through the manufacturers.
*She constantly suffers from fatigue, shortness of breath, and general pain/discomfort, depression, anxiety, and memory loss.
Here is her story and an update since her release from the hospital:
On November 30, 2013 while coming home from Tampa General Hospital my mother and I witnessed a catastrophic auto accident. It was 3 am and my sister Kelley had just given birth to my niece. I have medical training and as such, stopped to assist the victim. Even though universal precautions were met, while assisting me in giving aid to the woman involved, my mother was cut and there was blood-to-blood contact. Our Doctors tested both of us for HIV and Hepatitis C. My test came back as negative, but my Mother was not as fortunate. She discovered the day before Christmas, 2013, she had Hepatitis C.
A lot of people associate Hepatitis C with drug addicts and alcoholics. Many never discover the disease till severe damage to the liver has occurred. We were fortunate, but for my mother it progressed rapidly. The treatment is usually in excess of $100,000. She has suffered for over a year waiting to be approved for treatment. Thankfully the drug manufacture approved her application for help and she is now on treatment.
The drug therapy is an extremely difficult treatment. There are many side effects associated with the medications, and she has experienced them all.
I do not share this with all of you lightly, but I know the embarrassment and shame she has felt with dealing with this disease. With diseases like Cancer, everyone is familiar, supportive, and understanding. Hepatitis C however is strongly stigmatized and often assumed to be the result of an intravenous drug addiction.
The treatment will continue for a couple more months, and with some luck, she will come out the other side Hep-C free. I share this with you for a number of reasons:
Hep-C is a disease that carries heavy stigma… This shouldn’t mean that people should be afraid to talk about it.
Due to the complications with the treatment, I am now wearing even more hats (yes, more than usual) so please exercise some patience.
My mother, due to the stigma associated, has withheld telling many people about it. She has decided to change that. She realizes, as do I, that things can only change if conversations are started.
Here are a few facts about the disease:
In 2012, there were an estimated 21,870 cases of acute Hepatitis C virus infections reported in the United States. (CDC)
An estimated 3.2 million persons in the United States have chronic Hepatitis C virus infection. Most people do not know they are infected because they don’t look or feel sick. (CDC)
Approximately 75%–85% of people who become infected with Hepatitis C virus develop chronic infection. (CDC)
On Friday April 3, 2015 my mother presented with shortness of breath, intermittent chest pain, and extreme fatigue. After a CT, she began showing signs of neurological distress. She was unable to speak, smile, etc. She was taken to imaging for a MRI.
While on the MRI table, she began seizing. Immediately thereafter she coded blue. If you are not familiar with hospital codes, blue is cardiac/respiratory failure.
They intubated her and placed an NG tube.
The important points here are:
– She is currently stable.
– She is breathing on her own.
– She is under the close care of several specialists.
First, thank you to everyone for their kind words, thoughts, and prayers. In this difficult time, the support of our friends has been invaluable.
Since my last post, my mother has been discharged. While this is fantastic news, her treatment, and subsequently, her side effects are still going strong. As I’ve said before, the treatment is a grueling and excruciating process. Although some make it through the treatment with limited side effects, my mother is experiencing every effect and difficulty in the book.
Although she’s been back to the hospital, she was treated and released within a day. She is performing much better. She is still constantly suffering from fatigue, shortness of breath, and general pain/discomfort.
We both appreciate the support you’ve all shown… it means a great deal to us that our family has such wonderful friends.
Thank you!
We will use all money raised to cover her medical bills and any money remaining will go to help with any additional needs she has.
While on the MRI table, she began seizing. Immediately thereafter she coded blue. If you are not familiar with hospital codes, blue is cardiac/respiratory failure.
She spent 8 days in the hospital many of those in ICU. While in the hospital she was taken off her treatment as a precationary messure and by no fault of her own we could not get the hospital pharmacy to acccept her medications.
Solvadi is a fairly new drug to treat Hep C and used along with Ribiverin and Peagaus it has a high success rate. Because it is new there are limited case studies. The fact are:
* There is no case studies to show how being of the meds for any amount of time will affect her treatment.
* If she is not successful the first time around on treatment, her chances of success drop significantly.
* Her best chance for success is to stay on the treatment for another 7 weeks. This way she will have the full 12 weeks of treatment, uninterrupted.
* She has a little over one week to get "prior authorization" for the shot she needs. The cost of Pegasys is over $1000 per shot.
* She has been able to get the Solvadi and Ribavirin through the manufacturers.
*She constantly suffers from fatigue, shortness of breath, and general pain/discomfort, depression, anxiety, and memory loss.
Here is her story and an update since her release from the hospital:
On November 30, 2013 while coming home from Tampa General Hospital my mother and I witnessed a catastrophic auto accident. It was 3 am and my sister Kelley had just given birth to my niece. I have medical training and as such, stopped to assist the victim. Even though universal precautions were met, while assisting me in giving aid to the woman involved, my mother was cut and there was blood-to-blood contact. Our Doctors tested both of us for HIV and Hepatitis C. My test came back as negative, but my Mother was not as fortunate. She discovered the day before Christmas, 2013, she had Hepatitis C.
A lot of people associate Hepatitis C with drug addicts and alcoholics. Many never discover the disease till severe damage to the liver has occurred. We were fortunate, but for my mother it progressed rapidly. The treatment is usually in excess of $100,000. She has suffered for over a year waiting to be approved for treatment. Thankfully the drug manufacture approved her application for help and she is now on treatment.
The drug therapy is an extremely difficult treatment. There are many side effects associated with the medications, and she has experienced them all.
I do not share this with all of you lightly, but I know the embarrassment and shame she has felt with dealing with this disease. With diseases like Cancer, everyone is familiar, supportive, and understanding. Hepatitis C however is strongly stigmatized and often assumed to be the result of an intravenous drug addiction.
The treatment will continue for a couple more months, and with some luck, she will come out the other side Hep-C free. I share this with you for a number of reasons:
Hep-C is a disease that carries heavy stigma… This shouldn’t mean that people should be afraid to talk about it.
Due to the complications with the treatment, I am now wearing even more hats (yes, more than usual) so please exercise some patience.
My mother, due to the stigma associated, has withheld telling many people about it. She has decided to change that. She realizes, as do I, that things can only change if conversations are started.
Here are a few facts about the disease:
In 2012, there were an estimated 21,870 cases of acute Hepatitis C virus infections reported in the United States. (CDC)
An estimated 3.2 million persons in the United States have chronic Hepatitis C virus infection. Most people do not know they are infected because they don’t look or feel sick. (CDC)
Approximately 75%–85% of people who become infected with Hepatitis C virus develop chronic infection. (CDC)
On Friday April 3, 2015 my mother presented with shortness of breath, intermittent chest pain, and extreme fatigue. After a CT, she began showing signs of neurological distress. She was unable to speak, smile, etc. She was taken to imaging for a MRI.
While on the MRI table, she began seizing. Immediately thereafter she coded blue. If you are not familiar with hospital codes, blue is cardiac/respiratory failure.
They intubated her and placed an NG tube.
The important points here are:
– She is currently stable.
– She is breathing on her own.
– She is under the close care of several specialists.
First, thank you to everyone for their kind words, thoughts, and prayers. In this difficult time, the support of our friends has been invaluable.
Since my last post, my mother has been discharged. While this is fantastic news, her treatment, and subsequently, her side effects are still going strong. As I’ve said before, the treatment is a grueling and excruciating process. Although some make it through the treatment with limited side effects, my mother is experiencing every effect and difficulty in the book.
Although she’s been back to the hospital, she was treated and released within a day. She is performing much better. She is still constantly suffering from fatigue, shortness of breath, and general pain/discomfort.
We both appreciate the support you’ve all shown… it means a great deal to us that our family has such wonderful friends.
Thank you!
We will use all money raised to cover her medical bills and any money remaining will go to help with any additional needs she has.
Organizer
Zachary Bonner
Organizer
Riverview, FL