I need some help and some advise. I have a surgery on hold, one in which I don't know if I should do to begin with. My ankles are shot and I actually need two new ankles. I don't qualify so far because it is degernerative in nature called Anterior tibial tendon disorder. It hurts. On top of that my big toe has degenerated and they want to replace the toe joint. This joint causes me more pain on top of the ankle pain that cannot be fixed.
In the back ground I have a legal case againts some family members to get me out of a trust that is hurting my ablility to live where I do. This going through an agency that is pro-Bono. I have to take whatever time slot is available, they give you a time limit in which to respond. I am near the top of the list and already talked to one lawyer who could not do my kind of litigation.

If I do this surgery, I will not be going anyplace for a month. My pain doc. really doesn't want to treat for more pain while I wait for my lawyer to come through. Should I do the surgery, in hopes I can walk better and please my doctors, or should I hold out and settle my family affairs while I can.?My doctors are pushing me into the surgery. I wonder if it is worth it to go through to begine with as my ankle is already caputs. It seems to me I am fixing only a small part of the whole problem and it will just be more and more surgery as my joints fail. I am very confused on what to do. Can I ask here for ideas and help?
If i don't take care of the legal issues, I will eventually loose my home. ginnie

Please call the lawyers office and see if they do HOME visits for the disabled, or IF they to phone visits while you are recovering. Many will be happy to discuss your stuff on the phone after you have gone down to their office and filed the right paperwork to give them permission to discuss your case.

You can also choose to be bumped down the list for a month while waiting on healing if no other options exist. you wont lose your place in line, but you will be allowing others to cut ahead of you for a period of time while you heal.

I hope you figure it out.

Thanks for your response. The last lawyer I spoke to was almost 2 hours away from my area. There isn't a guarantee anyone even in my county would see me about the legal issues. A home visit isn't going to happen with this agency or any other. No lawyer working pro-Bono is going to come to me, especially if I am out of town. Of course I would ask if I could send my case to him. I already have it in a presentalbe fashion. I have been working toward this for 10 years Dej. I will loose the home if I do not get out of my situation. I am being asked to pick between my surgery and my home. This is not going to be easy to figure out at all. I had to go to my State Rep. to get the help this far. ginnie

I'm not sure if I quite understand but I'm guessing that the family trust is preventing you from getting help? Is that right? If so, have you talked to family members about this? The lawyer involved with the trust? I would think there is some avenue that would be simple and quick for you to remove your name from the trust. Also, are you be denied the surgery because of the trust? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I understand.

As for the surgery, do the drs. feel that you will eventually need further surgery after this one is done? I do think that if it impedes on your quality of life then you should really consider getting it done. The goal should be to improve your quality of life and thus, feel better.

Hi, thanks for your input. My home is in a trust my mother gave me. We pooled our money to buy this home. My family must sign off on the house if I am to move. I no longer can pay for the taxes, and my insurance is dropped. My family won't sign off, as they stand to benefit when I die from the sale of this home. My government took all monies away from me that were to be used to pay for taxes and insurance. One hit from a storm, and I am homeless with no money, nowhere to go. I have medicare/medicaid. I am not even allow to "have" the amount this home costs to have and maintain. I have to move, or the state will eventaully come after me for non-payment of taxes, or a storm will take me out. My family has put me at risk of my life, as I live in a flood plane on an island. the island home is worth more to them than my safety. I am being forced to live in a place I can't afford, and if I leave it, they get it. Mom and me never thought my family would put money over the issue of my health. I am disabled, and evacuations are terrible to go through. Not to mention this place could be a pile of rubble after a storm with me not then having a home or anything at all. We evacuated three times in 04 and this island is sinking. renourishment is every year almost to keep the beaches. I am 127 steps from the beach. this causes taxes to go up, to where now it is out of my reach.
Then I have the issue of my toe and ankle. Having the surgery won't fix my ankle and my ability to walk. It only stops some of the pain from a destroyed joint. It is a mess. My joints all over my body are going out, one at a time, where do I get to say, enogh is enough? ginnie

I have degenerative joint disease. My joints are going to continue to degenerate, and there will NOT be an end to the number of surgeries I will require to repair them as they go out. That is my issue. My spine is in terrible shape, I don't want any more spinal fusions either. I don't want the ankles, knees, hips finger joints all replaced. I do not want to be the bionic woman! ginnie

Your family stands to lose too should you not be able to pay the taxes. Let them know that. Let them know that they too will lose should the taxes not be paid. Have you considered selling the place and getting something that you can manage. Even selling your portion of the house to family? Or does your family have to be involved in the sale as well. Either way, I will pray that your family opens their eyes to the situation and help you out. You certainly don't need that kind of stress.

As for the surgery, I'm so sorry. It seems to be a difficult decision. While the surgery won't fix anything, it may help with the pain. Sometimes being out of pain can bring such a sense of well-being. Medicare and Medicaid should pay for the surgery so that shouldn't be an issue. In that case, I say go for it to relieve the pain and have some sort of better quality of life.

Again, saying some prayers for you.

I wouldn't want to be the bionic woman either. I am so sorry you have to deal with this. It does sound very painful!

Yes they know. If I loose the house they do too. They do not care. They must sign off in order for me to sell the house or move. conditions of the trust. I must break the trust, prove that they are abusing me, or have the trust itself sell the house for me and put me in another location. I already turned over trustee to my son. He is not in opposition to me. It is the rest of the family. Have to find out if he can sell the house, break the trust, or in some way get me out of here. This has to go before a lawyer to get out of my situation.
as far as medical goes, I don't know what to do at all. ginnie

If you sell your house won't you get a portion of the sales profit and thus be able to move into a manageable home for yourself?

I don't understand the legality of a trust that forces you to live there or lose everything.. I can understand your Mother's share being divided among your siblings and you, but the money you put toward the purchase of said house and the euivilent increased value, is yours alone.

I hope you get this resolved as soon as possible, so you may be able to better care for your health.