State:: Ohio

Occupation:: Medical Assistant

I had a hysterectomy for uterine cancer in Jan 2010. The surgeon perforated my bowel. I ended up going back to the hospital two days later and that is the last time I remember anything until April. I had went septic, ended up in a coma, on the vent, all my organs failed. I had to learn how to eat, walk and breath on my own! I went to three atty’s to sue this doctor but no one would touch it. I now have all these medical bills that I can not pay. I feel in America why can’t the surgeon be liable to pay for the extra medical bills that I have to pay. I was out of work for eight months my short term disability ran out. I just had surgery again for repair of my abdomen two weeks ago. I feel like the walking dead!

While I was in the hospital fighting for my life my mother became paralyzed from the waist down. She was 84. Mom could not get any help from Medicare or qualify for Medicaid so I paid on my credit cards $23,000.00 for two months care for her since I could not take care of her. I could not pay any longer. She ended up in the hospital and went to a nursing home which paid for her for 100 days only then they kicked her out! I had to scrap up more money until she could get on Medicaid with another nursing home. Now the nursing home that kicked her out is suing me for the amount mom could not pay for $25,000.00. In The state of Ohio children are responsible for indigent parents. Only in America could this happen. If I were in Canada at least my Medical bills would have been paid. I do not know how they take care of their elderly but I am sure it is better than they do in America and kick you out on the street if you can not pay. The last nursing home my mother was at was a nightmare. She had tumors on her spine that was inoperable and she was in terrific pain. The pharmacy at the nursing home ran out of her morphine for three days! She had a stage 4 bed sore because they did not turn her. I fought the whole time she was in there. They did not bring her meals sometime and she would call me to bring her something to eat. I could go on and on what they did not do. But the last couple of months I had Hospice come in and she was treated like a queen. If you do not have people to help you ( some family member etc ), you are going to die sooner than you think in America!