SoCalBroncoFan
Footballguy
Hey guys, I have spent the last two months in the hospital and havent been around much. Have a good read if youve got the time.
Hi. My name is Gary Carter, and the reason I am writing this is that I am one of the millions of Americans who fall into the cracks of inadequate healthcare coverage. I have some insurance, but once you get out of the hospital, the services can be woefully inadequate, slow to get started, or just unavailable.
(TL;DR: Over the last five years, I have endured herniated discs in my back, pulmonary arterial hypertension, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure. I'm currently out of money, unable to work, and awaiting approval for disability.)
My story begins in 2013. I was in a car accident in which I was rear-ended, causing me to have herniated discs. Over the next 4 years I got physical therapy for my back. There were some bad flare-ups which would lead to a number of weeks off work, but it was in 2016 when my left foot went numb that I decided to look into surgery.
But let's step back for a second. In 2015, I was doing fine. Then I started experiencing some fatigue, I would get tired climbing the stairs to my apartment and after walking short distances. I chalked it up to aging and being out of shape. I didn't think any more of it. It was when I started nearly passing out just getting up from the couch that I began to worry.
I checked into a hospital and was diagnosed with CHF (congestive heart failure). The doctor prescribed Lasix for the CHF and sent me home. This worked for a couple of weeks, but the symptoms quickly returned. It was at this time that I drove myself to Cedars-Sinai and checked myself in for testing. After nine days, they diagnosed me with PAH (pulmonary arterial hypertension).
PAH is a disease of the lungs that causes the pressures in your lungs to get out of whack. This makes your heart have to work much harder and causes fluid retention in your body. They prescribed me some medicine, and it seemed to do the trick.
For the next two years, I was symptom-free. At this time, I had looked into back surgery, and my doctor had told me I needed to lose weight for the best possible outcome. I was always overweight, over 300 pounds, and at my highest had weighed 395. Through diet and moderate exercise, over fifteen months, in February of 2018, I had gotten myself down to 240 pounds. I hadn't weighed 240 pounds since I was 14! We were making preparations to have the back surgery that would fix the damage from the herniated discs.
I worked to save money through March of 2018, when I developed odd wounds on my legs that were leaking water. My feet were also leaking through their pores. I checked into the emergency room to have the wounds looked at, and when they weighed me, I found that I had gained 120 pounds in just two months. My PAH had gone out of whack and was causing me to retain fluid again. I spent three weeks in the hospital, taking diuretics and left because I was short on money and had to go back to work. I'd taken off a portion of the weight, about 40 pounds, but thought I could do the rest at home. I was wrong.
Finally, in July of 2018, things got to their worst. Because of the water saturation in my body, my kidneys shut down. My legs started getting weak. I checked into the hospital and this time determined to stay longer -- as long as I needed to get better.
I would spend the next eight weeks in the hospital. I started out in the ICU. My heart had become very weak. My legs were unable to work anymore. I thought I was going to die. There were many nights I sat up, thinking I wasn't going to make it. I had a couple of nurses who kept my spirits alive. After about 10 days in the ICU, I was moved to the cardiac ward, where I thought I might actually get a little better. I still wasn't sure I was ever going to recover.
It was at this time I was told I would need to start taking dialysis. This was very disheartening, as I was told it could be for the rest of my life. During one of my early sessions, while I was asleep or unconscious -- I'm not sure -- I nearly coded. As they were about to shock me, I came back on my own. My blood pressure had dipped into the 40s. I was sent back to the ICU for the next five days. I eventually moved back to the cardiac ward and started feeling stronger again.
Now, I had been bedridden this whole time, only standing up to use the bathroom, bedside. I was still unable to walk. I feared I'd lost the ability. Slowly, I continued with dialysis and started to recover. I also began trying to walk, after about six weeks. At first, 10 feet seemed like a mile, and I was exhausted from it. My feet felt like they were detached from my body. I could not walk without the aid of a walker. Eventually, I built up a little strength and I was able to walk longer distances (still with the aid of a walker).
Finally, after eight weeks, I was set to be released. I was told I needed to rehab for the next two months... but that I didn't QUALIFY, because my insurance wasn't good enough. To put it mildly, this was... disheartening. I was told there were services available through the county, and that I could get outpatient rehab and a caregiver. I just needed to sign up for them. After looking into it, learning it could take up to 45 days to get a caregiver, and discovering that I only qualified for 3 visits from a wound nurse to help change the dressings on my wounds, I was left wondering what I was going to do.
I'm lucky enough to have a family take me in, the Bassmans. David, Dawn, and Nick have done more for me than I could have imagined. Unfortunately, they aren't able to do everything I need, and I don't expect them to. But I am appreciative anyway.
Currently, I am trying to get a caregiver who is proficient in wound care. I am also trying to get approved for disability. This could take up to two months. (I mean, it's not like you need the money right when you're disabled, right?) So I am now sitting here, savings depleted, wondering how to go on. Asking for help. I'm just looking for enough money to get through the next two months until I get on disability, continue to recover, and finally return to work.
I know soke ofyou donated and wont be able to help me. And i appreciate your help earlier. But if anyone is able to help. I would be very appreciative.
Here is the link to he gofundme, https://www.gofundme.com/just-trying-to-get-stronger&rcid=r01-15371491589-7ab5b6db0636467b&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w
Hi. My name is Gary Carter, and the reason I am writing this is that I am one of the millions of Americans who fall into the cracks of inadequate healthcare coverage. I have some insurance, but once you get out of the hospital, the services can be woefully inadequate, slow to get started, or just unavailable.
(TL;DR: Over the last five years, I have endured herniated discs in my back, pulmonary arterial hypertension, congestive heart failure, and kidney failure. I'm currently out of money, unable to work, and awaiting approval for disability.)
My story begins in 2013. I was in a car accident in which I was rear-ended, causing me to have herniated discs. Over the next 4 years I got physical therapy for my back. There were some bad flare-ups which would lead to a number of weeks off work, but it was in 2016 when my left foot went numb that I decided to look into surgery.
But let's step back for a second. In 2015, I was doing fine. Then I started experiencing some fatigue, I would get tired climbing the stairs to my apartment and after walking short distances. I chalked it up to aging and being out of shape. I didn't think any more of it. It was when I started nearly passing out just getting up from the couch that I began to worry.
I checked into a hospital and was diagnosed with CHF (congestive heart failure). The doctor prescribed Lasix for the CHF and sent me home. This worked for a couple of weeks, but the symptoms quickly returned. It was at this time that I drove myself to Cedars-Sinai and checked myself in for testing. After nine days, they diagnosed me with PAH (pulmonary arterial hypertension).
PAH is a disease of the lungs that causes the pressures in your lungs to get out of whack. This makes your heart have to work much harder and causes fluid retention in your body. They prescribed me some medicine, and it seemed to do the trick.
For the next two years, I was symptom-free. At this time, I had looked into back surgery, and my doctor had told me I needed to lose weight for the best possible outcome. I was always overweight, over 300 pounds, and at my highest had weighed 395. Through diet and moderate exercise, over fifteen months, in February of 2018, I had gotten myself down to 240 pounds. I hadn't weighed 240 pounds since I was 14! We were making preparations to have the back surgery that would fix the damage from the herniated discs.
I worked to save money through March of 2018, when I developed odd wounds on my legs that were leaking water. My feet were also leaking through their pores. I checked into the emergency room to have the wounds looked at, and when they weighed me, I found that I had gained 120 pounds in just two months. My PAH had gone out of whack and was causing me to retain fluid again. I spent three weeks in the hospital, taking diuretics and left because I was short on money and had to go back to work. I'd taken off a portion of the weight, about 40 pounds, but thought I could do the rest at home. I was wrong.
Finally, in July of 2018, things got to their worst. Because of the water saturation in my body, my kidneys shut down. My legs started getting weak. I checked into the hospital and this time determined to stay longer -- as long as I needed to get better.
I would spend the next eight weeks in the hospital. I started out in the ICU. My heart had become very weak. My legs were unable to work anymore. I thought I was going to die. There were many nights I sat up, thinking I wasn't going to make it. I had a couple of nurses who kept my spirits alive. After about 10 days in the ICU, I was moved to the cardiac ward, where I thought I might actually get a little better. I still wasn't sure I was ever going to recover.
It was at this time I was told I would need to start taking dialysis. This was very disheartening, as I was told it could be for the rest of my life. During one of my early sessions, while I was asleep or unconscious -- I'm not sure -- I nearly coded. As they were about to shock me, I came back on my own. My blood pressure had dipped into the 40s. I was sent back to the ICU for the next five days. I eventually moved back to the cardiac ward and started feeling stronger again.
Now, I had been bedridden this whole time, only standing up to use the bathroom, bedside. I was still unable to walk. I feared I'd lost the ability. Slowly, I continued with dialysis and started to recover. I also began trying to walk, after about six weeks. At first, 10 feet seemed like a mile, and I was exhausted from it. My feet felt like they were detached from my body. I could not walk without the aid of a walker. Eventually, I built up a little strength and I was able to walk longer distances (still with the aid of a walker).
Finally, after eight weeks, I was set to be released. I was told I needed to rehab for the next two months... but that I didn't QUALIFY, because my insurance wasn't good enough. To put it mildly, this was... disheartening. I was told there were services available through the county, and that I could get outpatient rehab and a caregiver. I just needed to sign up for them. After looking into it, learning it could take up to 45 days to get a caregiver, and discovering that I only qualified for 3 visits from a wound nurse to help change the dressings on my wounds, I was left wondering what I was going to do.
I'm lucky enough to have a family take me in, the Bassmans. David, Dawn, and Nick have done more for me than I could have imagined. Unfortunately, they aren't able to do everything I need, and I don't expect them to. But I am appreciative anyway.
Currently, I am trying to get a caregiver who is proficient in wound care. I am also trying to get approved for disability. This could take up to two months. (I mean, it's not like you need the money right when you're disabled, right?) So I am now sitting here, savings depleted, wondering how to go on. Asking for help. I'm just looking for enough money to get through the next two months until I get on disability, continue to recover, and finally return to work.
I know soke ofyou donated and wont be able to help me. And i appreciate your help earlier. But if anyone is able to help. I would be very appreciative.
Here is the link to he gofundme, https://www.gofundme.com/just-trying-to-get-stronger&rcid=r01-15371491589-7ab5b6db0636467b&pc=ot_co_campmgmt_w
