"Tim J." wrote:
> Please forgive the length of this post, but I feel I must explain
> several of the cir***stances in hopes of identifying the appropriate
> assistance.
>
> I have a friend whose mother just returned home from a five month
> hospital stay. Due to a surgical error during an aortic aneurysm
> repair, the esophagus was nicked and developed an erosion about the
> size of a quarter before it was discovered, and this led to her
> esophagectomy. Her husband had to put his business on hold to care
> for her while she was in-patient, and now that she is out, has become
> her primary home caregiver. During her stay, his business has all but
> closed. No one is saying it out loud, but I'm not really expecting it
> to recover to the point where it can provide for their new added
> expenses, let alone their normal non-medical expenses. I think they
> have insurance from where she worked, but I understand it's not that
> great. She was on a "vacuum assisted closure" machine while she was
> in-patient, and her family would like to have her back on it at home
> to keep her recovery progressing. I checked Apria's site tonight and
> they don't appear to carry such equipment. Does anyone know of a
> place where such a machine could be rented/borrowed? The patient
> lives in upstate SC. The procedure was performed in Ohio, and the
> doctors there knew nothing of what might be available outside their
> own hospital. A couple of the nurses were able to obtain some
> supplies for her feeding tube, "drool bag", etc., before she was
> discharged, and that helped a lot.
>
> Also, I'm told her special formula (don't exactly know what it is) is
> going to run about $500-600/mo., and they will only be able to afford
> about a 1 month supply. They are getting ready to apply for Social
> Security Disability benefits, but that will take a while to process,
> plus there is the two year wait for Medicare coverage even if she is
> approved. They are also looking to apply for Medicaid, but I'm not
> optimistic about that outcome, primarily because of possible resource
> restrictions (their home, which is fairly modest, but it concerns me
> still).
>
> I thought the American Heart Association may be of help since this
> started due to the aortic aneurysm, but the ongoing problem involves
> the digestive tract. I thought the American Cancer Society may be of
> some assistance, because the primary reason for esophagectomies is
> from esophageal cancer, but she didn't have cancer. I've suggested
> they contact both next week, as the worst they can do is say no.
>
> Any suggestions where this family may be able to find assistance in
> obtaining and paying for these items?
>
> Thanks for reading and for any replies!
Suggest you try at:
http://www.eccafe.org/ecg/index.html
J
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