Post by minx on May 18, 2018 14:44:09 GMT -5
Was talking a friend in AZ, and mentioned that I hadn't heard from a mutual friend in a while - how was she?
Weeeell. Her husband was in the hospital - he had been having back pain for several months.
They went to the doctor at least 5 times, but weren't referred to a specialist despite asking
They went to the ER twice and were sent home with pain meds, even though they asked for a X-ray or scan to be done, because something wasn't right.
Finally all came to a head last month. He woke up in total pain, and couldn't stand.
They called an ambulance, and by the time he got over to the ER, he couldn't move his legs.
Transferred over to a level 1 trauma hospital at 2am, and they called out a surgeon - he has a strep infection that has spread to his spinal cord.
The surgery was successful, and he's not paralyzed, but he's going to be on IV antibiotics for the next 6-8 weeks, and then oral ones for a year.
In addition, he has to learn how to stand and walk again due to the nerve damage. Right now, he can only sit up or get out of bed if he's strapped into a plastic clamshell - it takes two people to get him into it.
He was supposed to come home Monday, but they just told him it will be postponed until June. Not a bad thing at this point, as his wife (my friend) is scrambling to get all the medical supplies (walker, wheelchair, hospital bed, and so on) delivered to their house before he gets there.
Oh, and let's talk about insurance - because they're both self-employed (she's a LCSW, and he's a psychologist), they have a crappy plan. They are totally and completely grateful that they have any insurance at all of course, but on top of their premiums, they are racking up bills left and right, because not every doctor, PT, OT, ect participates with their insurance. She said that right now, their focus was on getting through each day - they'd worry about consulting the bankruptcy lawyer when things settle down some. And of course, he can't work, so God only knows what will happen to their practice.
Today she found out that their insurance will not cover a home health aide - it will cover a nurse coming in once or twice a week to check his PICC line, but nothing else. Since he can feed himself and nothing more without assistance at this point, the care manager at the hospital asked her if she wanted to start looking at assisted living facilities, which of course are not covered either. She and her husband haven't turned 50 yet.
And yes, they have talked with a lawyer - he looked at the medical records and said they have an excellent case for malpractice, but at the same time it will take years to work it's way through the system, and they will be under a microscope for all of that time because they will bear the burden of proof to show that this has been disabling. Nice huh?
But no worries - we have the best damn medical system in the world! The world!
Weeeell. Her husband was in the hospital - he had been having back pain for several months.
They went to the doctor at least 5 times, but weren't referred to a specialist despite asking
They went to the ER twice and were sent home with pain meds, even though they asked for a X-ray or scan to be done, because something wasn't right.
Finally all came to a head last month. He woke up in total pain, and couldn't stand.
They called an ambulance, and by the time he got over to the ER, he couldn't move his legs.
Transferred over to a level 1 trauma hospital at 2am, and they called out a surgeon - he has a strep infection that has spread to his spinal cord.
The surgery was successful, and he's not paralyzed, but he's going to be on IV antibiotics for the next 6-8 weeks, and then oral ones for a year.
In addition, he has to learn how to stand and walk again due to the nerve damage. Right now, he can only sit up or get out of bed if he's strapped into a plastic clamshell - it takes two people to get him into it.
He was supposed to come home Monday, but they just told him it will be postponed until June. Not a bad thing at this point, as his wife (my friend) is scrambling to get all the medical supplies (walker, wheelchair, hospital bed, and so on) delivered to their house before he gets there.
Oh, and let's talk about insurance - because they're both self-employed (she's a LCSW, and he's a psychologist), they have a crappy plan. They are totally and completely grateful that they have any insurance at all of course, but on top of their premiums, they are racking up bills left and right, because not every doctor, PT, OT, ect participates with their insurance. She said that right now, their focus was on getting through each day - they'd worry about consulting the bankruptcy lawyer when things settle down some. And of course, he can't work, so God only knows what will happen to their practice.
Today she found out that their insurance will not cover a home health aide - it will cover a nurse coming in once or twice a week to check his PICC line, but nothing else. Since he can feed himself and nothing more without assistance at this point, the care manager at the hospital asked her if she wanted to start looking at assisted living facilities, which of course are not covered either. She and her husband haven't turned 50 yet.
And yes, they have talked with a lawyer - he looked at the medical records and said they have an excellent case for malpractice, but at the same time it will take years to work it's way through the system, and they will be under a microscope for all of that time because they will bear the burden of proof to show that this has been disabling. Nice huh?
But no worries - we have the best damn medical system in the world! The world!
