Dear President Obama,
Please fix this.
Please.
My 13 year old has been cleaning and irrigating AND packing the hole in my left armpit for almost two weeks now. She has been doing a fabulous job and putting with mom's yelping and crying during the packing process. We have at least another two weeks to go before this thing will be completely healed - per the surgeon that I saw again on Thursday. At least he didn't cut me again. It must heal from the inside out so that there is no risk of more infection. The good news is that it is healing - it's not a deep as it was - although putting packing in and removing same is still unbelievably painful.
Here's my problem.
My 13 year is doing this.
Why?
Because although I am disabled, I work, so therefore am not considered 'homebound'. I therefore don't qualify for a home healthcare nurse. Doesn't matter that I can't reach the wound because of my paralysis - because I work. I don't qualify. Says who? My health insurance company. I was told by the surgeon and the nurse who called me that I would have to 'find' someone to do this for me. Well who would they suggest? I am a divorced, single parent. My own parents are deceased and any other family I have lives too far away to help. Most of my friends are just like me - single and working - or married AND working and/or they live out of state, or in the case of a few - out of the country. The nurse at the elementary school where I work is not allowed to help me - per the health department. I have been disabled since I was 5, however nobody ever told me to sit back and let the government take care of me - I was encouraged to go to college and get a job. I did. I have worked since I was 17 years old and most of it full time - even while in college. Apparently, according to my insurance company, one must be a tax burden and/or sit on one's bum at home in order to qualify for a home health care nurse. Despite my disability, I am a contributing, tax paying member of society. I don't collect a disability check - although I could. My disability does prevent me from doing a lot of things - but going to work to do my job is not one of them. It does however, prevent me from doing things like irrigating, cleaning a packing a wound where this one is located - something I was told MUST be done twice daily. If it were on my stomach or my big toe - I'd be able to care for it with my left hand, but alas it is near my left armpit - I can't reach it with my left hand and can't even see it in the mirror with becoming a contortionist. So my daughter is doing this disagreeable chore. I am very proud of her for doing it - but she is only 13 and should not have to do things like this. She is NOT a nurse. She is a 13 year old. She should be worrying about homework and texting friends - not the disgusting mess in her mothers armpit.
I chatted with a friend of mine who lives in the UK the other day and he told me that if I lived there and had this issue -there would be a traveling regional nurse in my home everyday. Free of charge. The nurses here charge $150 dollars per visit if they're not covered by insurance - that's $300 a day times 4 weeks. You do the math. Even if they are covered, it's about $14 dollars a day times 4 weeks - which again, for some is still expensive. $400 covers my car insurance, phone, internet, mobile and cable bills for the month. For people living on a budget, a bill like that can screw everything up.
In chatting with another friend who owns his own business and shop - he has to buy his own insurance for his entire family which is costing him $400-$500 dollars a month. He has 3 children and has to make sure that they are covered. It's almost double what I pay and I pay for 'family' insurance as well.
Again, I beg you - please fix this. What the opposition can't seem to get through their head is that if we make healthcare available to everyone - people will most likely be proactive about going to the doctor and being well, we'll have a lot less illness because things will be caught early and treated early so in the long run things will be cheaper. One would think they would be able to see this, but they simply can't, or won't. I really wouldn't mind a bit extra taken for my paycheck if I didn't have to pay for all the insurance I have and I knew that it was going for healthcare.
Please.
My 13 year old has been cleaning and irrigating AND packing the hole in my left armpit for almost two weeks now. She has been doing a fabulous job and putting with mom's yelping and crying during the packing process. We have at least another two weeks to go before this thing will be completely healed - per the surgeon that I saw again on Thursday. At least he didn't cut me again. It must heal from the inside out so that there is no risk of more infection. The good news is that it is healing - it's not a deep as it was - although putting packing in and removing same is still unbelievably painful.
Here's my problem.
My 13 year is doing this.
Why?
Because although I am disabled, I work, so therefore am not considered 'homebound'. I therefore don't qualify for a home healthcare nurse. Doesn't matter that I can't reach the wound because of my paralysis - because I work. I don't qualify. Says who? My health insurance company. I was told by the surgeon and the nurse who called me that I would have to 'find' someone to do this for me. Well who would they suggest? I am a divorced, single parent. My own parents are deceased and any other family I have lives too far away to help. Most of my friends are just like me - single and working - or married AND working and/or they live out of state, or in the case of a few - out of the country. The nurse at the elementary school where I work is not allowed to help me - per the health department. I have been disabled since I was 5, however nobody ever told me to sit back and let the government take care of me - I was encouraged to go to college and get a job. I did. I have worked since I was 17 years old and most of it full time - even while in college. Apparently, according to my insurance company, one must be a tax burden and/or sit on one's bum at home in order to qualify for a home health care nurse. Despite my disability, I am a contributing, tax paying member of society. I don't collect a disability check - although I could. My disability does prevent me from doing a lot of things - but going to work to do my job is not one of them. It does however, prevent me from doing things like irrigating, cleaning a packing a wound where this one is located - something I was told MUST be done twice daily. If it were on my stomach or my big toe - I'd be able to care for it with my left hand, but alas it is near my left armpit - I can't reach it with my left hand and can't even see it in the mirror with becoming a contortionist. So my daughter is doing this disagreeable chore. I am very proud of her for doing it - but she is only 13 and should not have to do things like this. She is NOT a nurse. She is a 13 year old. She should be worrying about homework and texting friends - not the disgusting mess in her mothers armpit.
I chatted with a friend of mine who lives in the UK the other day and he told me that if I lived there and had this issue -there would be a traveling regional nurse in my home everyday. Free of charge. The nurses here charge $150 dollars per visit if they're not covered by insurance - that's $300 a day times 4 weeks. You do the math. Even if they are covered, it's about $14 dollars a day times 4 weeks - which again, for some is still expensive. $400 covers my car insurance, phone, internet, mobile and cable bills for the month. For people living on a budget, a bill like that can screw everything up.
In chatting with another friend who owns his own business and shop - he has to buy his own insurance for his entire family which is costing him $400-$500 dollars a month. He has 3 children and has to make sure that they are covered. It's almost double what I pay and I pay for 'family' insurance as well.
Again, I beg you - please fix this. What the opposition can't seem to get through their head is that if we make healthcare available to everyone - people will most likely be proactive about going to the doctor and being well, we'll have a lot less illness because things will be caught early and treated early so in the long run things will be cheaper. One would think they would be able to see this, but they simply can't, or won't. I really wouldn't mind a bit extra taken for my paycheck if I didn't have to pay for all the insurance I have and I knew that it was going for healthcare.