The Down Range Forum

Member Section => Prayer Requests => Topic started by: TAB on August 22, 2020, 09:15:30 PM

Title: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 22, 2020, 09:15:30 PM
As some of you know my mom has been in the hospital since the end of last month.  She had a septic infection in her foot and had blood sugar  in the high 400s when ems took her being non responsive.   Today was her 6th surgical  procedure.  The kind of last chance to save the leg.  With out going into graphic detail, they have removed the flesh down to the bone about as big as my hand.   Where a boot buckle would be. The infection has spread to both leg bones and tuesday they are taking the leg.  Hopefully bellow  the knee, but its 50/50 if it will be above the knee.  I will be flying in monday as she is not really lucid and i have medical poa.   
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: MikeBjerum on August 23, 2020, 06:05:23 AM
Not much of away to follow up her 90th birthday  :'( 

Will be praying for her, and for you as you care for her.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on August 23, 2020, 08:29:09 AM
Best wishes.
If she's 90 she has seen hard times before and got through them.
Never underestimate experience and determination.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 23, 2020, 10:08:03 AM
My grandmother is fine, its her duaghter, my mom that is haaving issues
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on August 23, 2020, 10:22:44 AM
 ;D Grand Parents and children are why we get gray hair.
Both are tougher than we credit and will scare the crap out us proving it.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: MikeBjerum on August 23, 2020, 01:14:58 PM
My grandmother is fine, its her duaghter, my mom that is haaving issues

Sorry!  One of my gray hairs grew the wrong way and messed me up.  All the same, praying for her healing.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Jim Kennedy-ar154me on August 24, 2020, 07:44:50 AM
Best wishes and prayers have been sent.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 25, 2020, 01:32:40 PM
Flying sucks, the 1st hop there were more Stewarts  then passengers.  The 2nd leg there was 9 other people.   Jet a is a crazy 1.10/ gallon right now do to thw excess of supply. ( in jan it was 4 something)  A 737 burns between  800-1200 gallons per hour.    The cost of running a 737 is about 3k+ fuel per hour.  Mainatance  and overhauls are an addional ammount which are hard to calculate  as it depends on so many factors its not even funny.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on August 26, 2020, 08:19:12 AM
I don't think even Rickenbacker could have showed a profit under these conditions. I've been seeing stories about American having big problems .
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 26, 2020, 11:15:46 AM
I don't think even Rickenbacker could have showed a profit under these conditions. I've been seeing stories about American having big problems .
  we bought day before tickets.  Even if everyone  on board paid that price. It might have covered the crew for the flight.   Given tha airlines buy futures on fuel, its hard to say even what they paid for fuel.   If i were a betting man the 2nd leg they lost 15-20k. 

Mom was lucid enough to sign her consent today, but they still had me cosign.  Infections can really mess with your head.

Its always a hoot to watch the misses spring what she does on other surgeons.    They get all medical real quick.   Is it good or bad that i can follow along about 95% now?

The amputation  is schelgded  for 2 this afternoon.  We are just hopeful all they have take is bellow the knee. 

Her mobility  and quality of life depends on it.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on August 26, 2020, 01:56:10 PM
Best wishes.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Pathfinder on August 27, 2020, 10:07:49 AM
Sorry, TAB, just catching up to this thread, lots going on here unfortunately.

Prayers for your Mom and grandmother, hope the surgery went well and they were able to stop the infection. Please continue to keep us posted.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 27, 2020, 10:19:04 AM
Saw her this morning post  amputation.  She is still in lots of pain as she is allergic  to opioids.   She is also allergic  to most antibiotics, which makes fighting infection a challenge.  Did not get much sleep last night. Sucks that she is lucid enough to know its gone, but not lucid enough to be able to make the decision to amputate. 
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: PegLeg45 on August 27, 2020, 02:51:01 PM
I just saw this myself .... (catching up from being out of town for ten days and then coming home to a computer with a bad power supply).

TAB I hate to hear the news.
Having someone else make the choice to take an appendage (like via accident) is tough....having to make the decision ones-self  is tougher. Once the infection is taken care of and true healing begins, there are some decent meds to help with pain, especially phantom pains. I take gabapentin (generic neurontin) and it generally keeps the phantoms at bay.

Feel free to message me with questions.

My prayers go out for y'all.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Rastus on August 31, 2020, 11:03:43 AM
I've been a way for the month.  I'm sorry to hear this.  What a trial for her.

I'll be praying for you all.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 31, 2020, 03:33:02 PM
Thanks peg, they are taking a bit more today.  Hoepful closing her wed or thursday.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: PegLeg45 on August 31, 2020, 06:02:26 PM
Do you know if they plan to use a wound-vac?
I was the first person our local hospital ever used it on back in 2003. It's a great device. I credit my doctor's decision to use it with saving the major portion of my leg. It certainly kept them from going above my knee and kept infection from setting in because I had what they termed as a dirty wound from a compound fracture of the femur.

Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on August 31, 2020, 07:07:20 PM
Do you know if they plan to use a wound-vac?
I was the first person our local hospital ever used it on back in 2003. It's a great device. I credit my doctor's decision to use it with saving the major portion of my leg. It certainly kept them from going above my knee and kept infection from setting in because I had what they termed as a dirty wound from a compound fracture of the femur.
  yes, she has already  had several of them.  She does not have one now as she has been bleeding alot and it increases blood loss.  They will put one on in a day or so.  Still pus coming out of the bone.  They took off about another 4 inchs of leg. ( 10 cm  which is jusy over 4 inches)  next step is above the knee if this does not stop the infection.  This is surgry # 11 so far.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 04, 2020, 03:37:25 PM
They were finally able to close up the keg last night.  Got a call from the vascular  surgeon  about 9:30.  She kept getting  bumped by emergencies.  They are looking to transfer her to a skilled facility  end of next week.   Where she will be for the next 2 months or so.   She will have spent ~40 days in the hospital and about 30 in icu.  The statements i have seen for the bill, that is only for her 1st 20 days and do not include the surgeries is close to 600k. I am sure it will be well north of a mill by the time she is out and i am guessing close to 2 by the time she gets hone... her out of pocket $0!   I am flying home tomorrow night.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: PegLeg45 on September 04, 2020, 03:53:11 PM
Medical has went sky high.
In 2003 my 30 days in ICU and a couple weeks on the ortho floor along with over a dozen surgeries mixed in pushed close to 300k.

Best wishes and prayers for her continued healing.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Timothy on September 04, 2020, 04:22:43 PM
Medical has went sky high.
In 2003 my 30 days in ICU and a couple weeks on the ortho floor along with over a dozen surgeries mixed in pushed close to 300k.

Best wishes and prayers for her continued healing.

Needless to say but been there myself...  Nearly $750k

My best to yer momma’s healing, TAB!
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on September 04, 2020, 07:16:20 PM
Health insurance GOOD.
My 1st Heart attack was 65,000 and I paid $100 for the ambulance ride between hospitals.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 05, 2020, 01:38:59 AM
Health care costs are a joke, there is no reason for them to be this high. 

Whats wrong is you can take every thing some  one will earn in a life time, in a matter of 1 months time.  I know what she is getting in retirement. If 100% of that went to pay the bill it would be more than 50 years to pay it off.

Hell my knee last year was over 100k.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on September 05, 2020, 09:31:18 AM
It's in regulation and consolidation.
Just like with education or capitalism.
Every time the do gooders meddle prices go up and quality goes down.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Rastus on September 08, 2020, 06:43:28 AM
It's in regulation and consolidation.
Just like with education or capitalism.
Every time the do gooders meddle prices go up and quality goes down.

Exactly. 

25 years ago when the boys were sick we learned some tricks.  We brought our own diapers, Tylenol, etc.  It messed with my credit because the hospital tried to charge for it ($10 for a single Tylenol) and I would not pay for it.  We actually told the nurses not to write that stuff down because we'd be charged...they did it anyway.  Administration......
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: PegLeg45 on September 08, 2020, 01:59:28 PM
Exactly. 

25 years ago when the boys were sick we learned some tricks.  We brought our own diapers, Tylenol, etc.  It messed with my credit because the hospital tried to charge for it ($10 for a single Tylenol) and I would not pay for it.  We actually told the nurses not to write that stuff down because we'd be charged...they did it anyway.  Administration......

Now they scan everything with a bar code scanner and it adds it to your bill. If they screw up something like a syringe or IV bag, they toss it and scan another one and you pay for both....even though they screwed it up.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 08, 2020, 04:39:01 PM
Now they scan everything with a bar code scanner and it adds it to your bill. If they screw up something like a syringe or IV bag, they toss it and scan another one and you pay for both....even though they screwed it up.


The scaning thing has made huge improvments  is preventing mistakes.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 10, 2020, 01:58:29 PM
She made it too the skilled nursing facility last night.  She will be there  any where from 2 weeks to 2 months.  It all depends on her pt. 
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 13, 2020, 03:24:50 PM
Hey peg, sent you a pm
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: PegLeg45 on September 15, 2020, 01:20:04 PM
Hey peg, sent you a pm

Got it.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 22, 2020, 07:56:34 PM
Made home today
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Rastus on September 22, 2020, 08:07:36 PM
I'm glad she made it home.  As you know it's going to be a tough go of it for her.  It's a good thing you sold your business...
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on September 22, 2020, 11:06:55 PM
I'm glad she made it home.  As you know it's going to be a tough go of it for her.  It's a good thing you sold your business...


Going to need more $$$$ bought  a house for her to stay at for about 6 months.  Than i have to rent it out until capital gains is over.  Not really  a big deal, she had a 2nd floor condo.  Which is not going to work.  So i bough a house a couple blocks from her condo.  Had her stuff  moved there and she has basicly round the clock care now. Which is not cheap. About  $750/ day.  About half is covered, the other half  i am paying for.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on October 27, 2020, 09:30:50 PM
Got the statement  for the surgeries today.  920k

The hospital stay was only a few hunderd under $800k.  Still waiting  on the care home and 6 weeks of home health care.  I was guessing 1.5 total, looks like it will be 2.5 after all is said and done.

Edit, looking over the 127 pages, it still does not include all the drugs from steptember.   Some things seem very reasonable  like the amputation  was under 3k for the 1st part of it.  Others are just nuts like 24k for 1 dose of an iv drug.    The last surgry where  a guy came from oakland and worked on her for 4.5 hours was 124k
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Rastus on October 27, 2020, 11:14:59 PM
Those prices are nuts. 

Best of luck with that.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on October 27, 2020, 11:37:28 PM
Her total out of pocket is $10 for her copay for the meds she was sent home with.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on October 28, 2020, 09:33:47 AM
Insurance is worth it.
Glad to hear she didn't get hosed.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on October 30, 2020, 03:58:23 PM
Insurance is worth it.
Glad to hear she didn't get hosed.
  even if she did, i would tell her to file bk. She has about 125k in assets.  Even if she had to sell everything( which i can not see a judge doing)  i would just buy her a new car and house.   I bought her a new car for her 60th bday.  I already bought her a house to stay in.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: Timothy on October 30, 2020, 04:06:38 PM
Chapter 7 only allows $5,000 in cash.  Not sure on assets.

I just filed...  :(

Glad yer mom is doing better!
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: TAB on January 19, 2021, 04:50:33 PM
Ok so happy day. She got to try on the prosthetic  for the 1st time.


Total billed so far is 2.4 mill.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: tombogan03884 on January 20, 2021, 08:32:29 AM
Ok so happy day. She got to try on the prosthetic  for the 1st time.


Total billed so far is 2.4 mill.

DON'T LET THAT DARN CHUCK GOINS NEAR HER !

He'll have her putting it on backwards to mess with you.   ;D
Glad to hear she is progressing well.
Title: Re: My mother.
Post by: PegLeg45 on January 20, 2021, 01:46:15 PM
DON'T LET THAT DARN CHUCK GOINS NEAR HER !

He'll have her putting it on backwards to mess with you.   ;D
Glad to hear she is progressing well.


Maybe.  :o