Monday, June 30, 2008

Yeah....So I Went Through That Stack Of Medical Bills......

It really wasn't pretty. Since we have been in the hospital 5 times since Easter weekend, the bills have gotten out of control. Not to mention all of the home health care stuff. We have added almost nine thousand dollars in bills.

The worst part is they just keep coming. Now add on top of all that, that Rhett's medical records were among thousands of people in our state who had theirs stolen from the University of Utah Health Clinics, and that makes for some pretty stressful days. I'm not worried about someone stealing my identity or Andy's, let them try. There isn't any way they could get credit, not for the life of them. Our credit is beyond shot.

But I do worry about someone going and racking up lots of bills in Rhett's name with his Social Security number. That' s the last thing we need. Of course they have offered to monitor our credit for a year, however since it has been so publicized that they will be offering this, I am sure that whoever stole all of this information will be more than happy to wait for a year to do anything with all of the numbers they took.

I did however get away for Saturday and Sunday. I felt great Sunday, all of the worries gone away. But today opening up the stack of bills made me sick with worry again. It makes one wonder how many times they can be kicked down.

I am on a trek today to find boxes. I need boxes, lots and lots of boxes.

I also am putting a call into the surgeons office. Rhett's stoma looks like it is still a brand new gaping open wound. I took the steri strips off of his incision on Saturday, and it looks fantastic. Which makes me worry about the stoma even more.

Also, the resident surgeon told me to use Desitin around it as a barrier for the stomach acid. We have been using a Baza cream, but it doesn't seem to stay on as long as the Desitin. The only thing I worry about is if it's okay to use the Desitin with the hole being so large still. I worry about the Desitin seeping into it.

When the dressing is changed it's a little puss discharge, but Rhett has been on Zithromax for 5 days. So I am pretty sure it's not infected. It's not really a whole lot of puss, just a little. I have thought about taking pictures so that you G-tube veterans out there could tell me if it looks normal or not, but I don't want to gross anyone out. Then again, with gas the way it is, I don't want to drive all the way up to PCMC for nothing. Maybe when my sister comes over tonight for his bath and dressing change I will snap a few photos and just do it anyways.

It's not gross to me, but I have seen alot, and some days I think I am immune to things. Which is very sad. I feel so bad for everything Rhett has been through. I just want him to heal and be on his way to being a normal two year old. Which he is well on his way to doing. He has gotten awfully opinionated lately. "Mine" and "No" are his two favorite words right now.

But you know what? I LOVE that.

9 comments:

Amie said...

I can totally relate to the medical bills. Brody's insurance was cancelled on him for 3 months and during that time, we managed nearly $300,000. Ouch! And we, too, received a letter about stolen SS#. Its sick to think that a year from now, people may be trying to live under my recently deceased son's name and SS#. Sometimes life isn't fair and I can totally sympathize with you!

Kate said...

I would like to see pictures of his g-tube, Pam. I'll let you know if it looks anything like Joshua's has in the past.

Niksmom said...

Pam, if you don't want to post them, feel free to email stoma pictures to me. :-) I'll give you my thoughts.

Aimee said...

Pam, if you contact the credit bureau's yourself they will also put a flag on Rhett's social security number. They also will not take off the flag until you request it. Once the flag is attached, they will not let anyone get credit off of that number until it's authenticated by you. Good luck getting everything packed. I am glad that you got to have a relaxing weekend.

Take Care....

Sandi said...

Tommy has had a gtube for awhile now and I have seen it look pretty darn nasty, post away and you'll get some comments from all of us :)

Hang in there. I check your blog often and have much respect for your family. You guys have seen more than any single family should have to go through. Each of you are in my prayers.

MAYBERRY said...

Pam, I have never met you personally. Just check your blog often, but you seem to be such a strong person. I can totally relate with the bills. They just seem to never end. And people have to remember that we have other children who have needs also (dentist visits, all of my kids are either in glasses or contacts, braces, etc.). We just take it one day at a time and keep moving forward.
-Carolyn (mom to Ashton, HRHS, dextrocardia, etc.)

Anonymous said...

I want to see these yummy photos
:0} I called to see how things were goin, I had to come hee to find out...My Aunts though hers was colostoms always looked freshish and she had it for a few years. So? But I still want to see...Are the changings going any easier?

You know who

My Three Sons said...

I understand your frustration. I had my wallet stolen years ago and they used the heck out of my credit cards at a local mall. They were causght when the police flagged my name with ALL of the stores at the mall and apparently they bought a dog at Petland and when they went to return it for the cash they were arrested. After that, I found out it was teenagers and I never got anything settled with them. One of the kids ended up stealing a car and he plead out for those charges. In return, all of the credit card fraud and theft were dropped. It took years for all the credit card companies to get straightened out. Good luck and I would contact the credit bureau and have them put a flag on Rhett's SS#.

As far as the medical bills, keep your chin up. If I win the lottery, your the first person I'm giving money to:-)

Sarah said...

My sister had her SS# stolen from utah state university. She hasn't done anything yet, though cause the gal that stole it has improved her credit LOL. She was able to get a better car loan, you never know, maybe you'll get a resposible thief.