My mum had a stroke....

I

Imoe

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On the 13th March, my mum had a stroke. My mum just turned 60 and was fit as a fiddle. It was unexpected and came as a shock. This was her first serious illness in her entire life. Sadly, she never made it and died on the 31 March, due to complications.

Besides the sorrow we as a family have to deal with, it is the ever increasing payments to the hospital and doctors that treated her. Due to the circumstances on the day she developed the stroke, we had no option but to place her in a private hospital. She never had any medical aid.

The costs thus far has exceeded R200 000 for the few days she stayed in ICU. Everyday we continue to receive more bills, inflating the figure.

It will take me a lifetime to pay this off. To those who have elderly dependants, take out a hospital plan or some sort of medical insurance. You never know when something happens.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your mum Imoe. Condolences to you and your family. My dad passed away and the bills were horrific, especially the anesthetist. Scary stuff. Just pay off what and when you can. Big hugs!!!
 
:cry: I know what you are going through, you and your family are in my prayers :)
 
Sorry for your loss, and for the situation you are in. My dad is bedridden after a stroke and can't do anything for himself. His medical plan doesn't cover everything and it is sickening to see this fatcat dr's charging 3x medical aid rates so that they can pay off their luxurious lives.

It is heartbreaking to see a loved one in this state and no way for anyone to 'live'. Surviving a severe stroke I have realised is worse than dying. It is hell.
 
Geez that's awful, my deepest condolences man. I lost my mom last year in May (though to a 5 year battle with cancer so it wasn't as sudden shock to grasp). Are you sure she doesn't have any policies which could go towards clearing the debt?
 
Sorry for your loss.

My father was about to change his medical aid to a hospital plan and three days before he did, he had a mild stroke. Bills reaching R500K. Three years later he had another one and all I can say is get at least a hospital plan.

The bills after surviving a stroke are astronomical as well. Advice from the Neurosurgeon is "recovery starts with yourself and how your mindset is, There will be all kinds of doctors visiting you and claiming they can fix you.... Physio is about the only thing that helps". Since then my father has recovered and found a passion of riding his scooter across the country.

But his mind set was walking and getting his leg to function, Once he felt pain and pins and needles in his leg from walking, he just pushed harder as his leg had gone from numbness to having feeling. It took about 2 years to get his leg, arm and eye working again.
 
Sorry for you loss. Wishing you and your family long life.

My dad had a stroke 6 months ago, he survived though but has some permanent damage.
 
Grimspoon said:
Sorry for you loss. Wishing you and your family long life.

My dad had a stroke 6 months ago, he survived though but has some permanent damage.
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Did you eventually go see a doctor with that suspected heart condition you had some time ago? or was it someone else?
 
Sorry for all the people who lost their loved ones.

Really sad to see how health care in SA is taking the average man in the street to the cleaners. I am glad i have a hospital plan, but from some of the posts, i think even that is not enough any more.

Oh boy :(

OP, good luck with the bills - i hope they stop increasing and that you get to pay it off very soon.
 
Thank you all for the well wishes. To those who are in a similar plight I wish you all well, may it be easy on you.
 
sorry about your loss. I wonder why they keep sending the bills seeing as they failed your mom!! bloody bastards!!!
 
zululami said:
sorry about your loss. I wonder why they keep sending the bills seeing as they failed your mom!! bloody bastards!!!
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The cold reality is that hospitals are businesses. The family probably signed docs holding them finacially liable. if the mother signed by herself then maybe the family could say that the hospital and doctors must wait and claim from the estate..
 
OP,

I'm sorry for your loss and hope you get this all resolved quickly. Did you sign the docs? Maybe try making payment arrangements.

if there are any policies try get them to pay out and pay that towards the bills.
 
shame sorry to hear about your mom. can't be easy. :cry: especially having to pay all the medical bills now.
 
Sorry to hear about your loss.

There is something seriously wrong in the medical industry.
 
Sorry to hear, had a similar issue.

PS: they can not touch you past the estate. If you can not pay it and have nothing of value in the estate, tell em good luck and move on. Good thing was that most my mom's assets where transfered to me before she passed. So there was not much they could lay claim to.
 
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