you will not believe the type of year i've been having.
my story begins during my last year in nursing school. i found a lump on my right breast and i went to have it checked out. i didn't have much money and the insurance i had was so, so bad i only had a sonogram. the radiologist told me it was benign but he suggested having a mammogram. since he said it was benign, i opted to wait until i graduated and got better medical insurance.
i graduated may 2005 and started my job in july. i got so busy learning my job that i forgot about the lump but every month i would check it promising i would do something about it as soon as i cought a break.
during that time, my daughter moves in with my grandson because of marital problems. they were welcomed and we squeezed into a 2 bedroom apartment. at the same time, my husband was diagnosed with stenosis of the cervical vertabrea from c3 to c6. he had a laminectomy and took him until september of 2006 to return to work partially healed.
i finally cought that break on september of 2006. i went to my obgyn and had a mammogram and was referred to a general surgeon. december of 2006 rolls in and a fire breaks out in the building where we live. i was watching everything from a patient's room because i was at work, we were short staffed and couldn't leave. my husband called and told me everyone was ok but we were displaced, at least until the fire marshall could deem the building safe. i go back to the apartment to get some clothes and my grandson's gerbil and got caught by tv cameras. i appeared on the local channel and i'm afraid of what i looked like at the end of my shift, after a three-day-in-a-row shift. i never saw the interview but the people at the hotel where we stayed told me they saw me.
two days after, december 13th, i got a call from the surgeon telling me i had breast cancer. (are you thinking "oh, my goodness, can this woman take more bad news?? 'cos i did and i'm not done).
i had a double mastectomy and my husband and daughter were laid off from their respective jobs but i have long term dissability (not short term) and my husband's boss kept him on the job as long as he could. so we spend the next 71 days praying for money because we only had two small unemployment checks coming in. we filed our taxes and the return payed for our rent.
i started chemotherapy and we applied to any service that will help us support our little family cramped in a small apartment. we still have not heard from them but we counted our blessings because i still had my health insurance. april 27th of 2007 comes around and i got the news from my hospital of employemnt that i was being fired (and with that my benefits were terminated) because of the family leave act is 12 weeks nationwide but in my state, is 16 weeks. the hospital terminated me at the 16th week. we had no health insurance and we didn't qualify for state insurance because we had started a 401k when i started working and had a little bit of money put away ($3000) for our retirement. not enough to pay off bills but enough to pay for two more months in rent. i only needed two more months of benefits to finish my treatment and surgery. the hospital was not open to discuss my benefits at all.
it would have been $826 for cobra that we didn't have. what to do? the medical staff was very supportive, my ex-boss was very apologetic and my co-workers gave me the emotional support i needed. my little family kept me alive. there is one nurse's assistant who gave us $175 for groceries. we were so grateful that we were able to have a ham for easter. i am left with an incredible amount of bills and debt which i can only describe as "my fighting gift from the hospital."
needless to say, i am not going back to work at that hospital and instead, i am forced to do travel nursing because of the pay. i need to pay off all these bills. my husband was finally called back to his job and his boss was so apologetic. we were treated with more sympathy from my husband's job than we were from my hospital. my daughter found another job and graduated and is a massage therapist awaiting to put enough money together to get her license. this only discourages me from the nursing profession. i thought that hospitals would be good to me because i was a nurse, i became a good one and because i gave so much to my patients, i thought i would get that in return. i got friends who cared and sent me pictures of babies that were being born to my fellow nurses in my absence. i have to do travel, getting the worst assignments and being treated as an outsider (as i saw them being treated at my hospital) because i need to pay for those bills. i am so turned off by this career i am searching to see what is the best way to stay away from this and other hospitals. i don't wish this on anyone and i wish i had a better employer.
I was thinking of getting my insurance somewhere other than my hospital because of the liklihood that this would also happen where I work, because they are also ruthless, unfeeling b**st*rds who will sell their granny to the glue factory for a profit. Plus, our insurance sucks and is overpriced.
My condolences to you for all your troubles, it sounds like Job from the Bible. I hope things turn around for you soon.
jewelhouse, thanks for your reply and i'll explain the benefits. short term disability starts (usually but not always) approx. 2 weeks after being absent from work due to illness. long-term disability starts after (in my case) 71 days of such absence. i had no short term dis. so for 71 days we had two very small unemployment checks trying to pay rent, cars, car insurances, utilities, school loans, etc. after my long term disability kicked in, we had to catch up with all the bills (which we still haven't). my long term disability is 60% of my original pay which does not include the shift differentials. i used to work weekends and nights so it came to (roughly $37 / hr). now, i'm not even taking home $18/hr. which is very stressfull because it does not cover enough for our bills, even with my husband's return to work. i tried to reach to "nurses house", the american cancer society and several other organizations but it has been several months and the only one that answered was nurses house and they are questioning us about our needs not being serious enough, even though we are slowly drowning.
and to answer your benefits question, my health benefits were taken away from the hospital when they fired me. short term and long term disability is more like an insurance that you pay while you work for a "just in case" type of scenario which is what happened with me and the breast cancer. thank god i had it, and because i have been paying for it, that can not be taken away from me even after my separation with the hospital. is sort of like a life insurance: just because you die, doesn't mean that your beneficiary does not get the payoff that you bought for them. know what i mean?
ps: no question is insensitive when you are trying to inform yourself. insensitive would be for you to make fun or kick someone who is already down. arm yourself with information so the same thing will not happen to you. i praise you for asking. ask away!
Thanks so much. I am not going to be passive any more. If there is a silver lining to this cancer, it is that I don't fear any more what the consequences might bring simply because I am trying to do what is right for a population that deserves it. We are warriors whom, like the firemen who go into the blazing building go in while everyone else goes out, we take on the vomit, the feces, the mucus, the punches, the swearing and all the other situations that everyone else runs away from. I'm not afraid to say: even the doctors.
I was so moved when I read your posts. You seem like such a strong, amazing woman, wife and mother and nurse. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Stay strong!!!!
Oh Dear,such a pity for what you had to go thru but in all things,i tell you to be strong cos all things worketh out for good for those that love God.I pray God to strenghten you in your condition.Trust God for he'll see you thru.
Thank you guys. Everytime I read your messages, I get a surge of strength. You give me hope. I'll keep you posted with the letters. I sent them this morning.
I am so sorry for all the stuff you've had heaped on you this year. I am praying that you find relief from your heartache and physical pain soon.
Please accept my hugs and good thoughts.
I sincerely hope that the worst is behind you and you can now focus on getting back on track with your life! It sounds like you have an awesome family support system!
I just read your story, and I am so very sorry for all your hardships and misfortunes. I have seen people go through many bad things, but so many times, they end up in a better position, and become a stronger person for all the things they had to go through. I know that Catholic or Christian or other religious affiliated hospitals seem like they should be compassionate, but the truth of the matter is that they are some of the least compassionate people around. I mean they try to brainwash people, condem people, try to impose their way of life onto others who don't believe the same things they do. The hospital I have been doing my clinicals at gives a sermon, for Goodness sake, over the hospital intercom system every evening. I just couldn't believe that they would impose their belief system onto poor sick people. That seems to be the rudest and most intrusive things I have ever encountered. These religious organizations are anything but kind and caring. They instill fear into people is what they do. I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience with your hospital, and if there is anything I can do to help, please feel free to send me a private message. Best wishes for you.
Thanks to all of you! Especially to you Nurse2bky. Your warm heart makes me want to do more for all of us.
As you know, I had written to my state attorney about this and send several letters to newspapers and tv stations. I got a message back from my state attorney and they gave me a case number. I am sending a second letter to the newspapers and tv stations letting them know what happened. Pray, you guys. Pray that this will be of benefit to all of us.
Hotomalis, I am proud of you for standing up. You seem like such a strong and courageous person. Keep us posted as to your progress, and you are in my prayers.
There is some news. I got a letter from the Attorney General and I got a Public Inquiry number. I'm not sure what this means but they said they would be in contact with me soon. I have not heard anything from them yet.
However...I also got a phone call from a local TV station associated with FOX. There is one reporter who took on the case and he is investigating a little deeper on this matter. This might help for us to get better treatment from hospitals. Let's keep praying.
Thanks you guys! Let's see how far we can take this.
FireStarterRN, BSN, RN
3,824 Posts
I was thinking of getting my insurance somewhere other than my hospital because of the liklihood that this would also happen where I work, because they are also ruthless, unfeeling b**st*rds who will sell their granny to the glue factory for a profit. Plus, our insurance sucks and is overpriced.
My condolences to you for all your troubles, it sounds like Job from the Bible. I hope things turn around for you soon.