Letter from my sister
This letter is to document the continuous decline in Jeanette French’s health.
Jeanette moved from Florida in May 2001 to Northern Virginia in order to live closer to her family. She moved into a townhouse with her sister in Springfield, Virginia. After being in the Northern Virginia area for approximately 5 months she began employment with the State Farm Insurance Company during October 2001.
Jeanette has always been a very adventurous and active person. However, after moving into the townhouse with me (her sister) she began experiencing unexplained pain in her legs and feet in addition to having carpal tunnel symptoms. She began to experience insomnia and resorted to taking allergy medicine at night which made her drowsy enabling her to sleep.
She sought the professional help of numerous podiatrists, hoping to find relief for the pain in her feet. She even visited doctors outside of her HMO at her own expense because the persistent pain in her feet was causing limitations as far as walking, standing, etc. The doctors provided various arch supports, etc.; however, they provided no relief to her discomfort.
Her discomfort seemed to escalate requiring her to have to go to bed as soon as she got home from work, often staying in bed the entire evening until the next morning. She seemed to be having discomfort and pain throughout her body more often.
After living with me for approximately 9 months, Jeanette was diagnosed as having fibromyalgia. Her carpal tunnel symptoms had increased, limiting her ability to perform repetitive tasks both at home and work.
As her condition progressed, it became necessary to stay in bed more often for longer periods of time. This was due to complete body pain (i.e., aching and pain throughout her body, migraine headaches that lasted for days, overall weakness). It reached a point that it started to affect her ability to maintain good attendance at work.
After receiving the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, she applied to be protected under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) through her employer. Her condition had progressed to the point that she was literally forced to miss work because of the severe chronic pain that she was experiencing.
Jeanette, normally a very family-oriented person, stopped participating in a number of family events because her condition required her to remain in bed, sometimes for more than one day. She rarely leaves home and when she does she remains close to home because her ability to function for a long time without having to rest and/or lie down has been greatly diminished due to her chronic pain.
It became necessary for her to rely on pain medication on a daily basis to just make it through the day.
Because of the chronic pain and her current employment problems she has experienced a great deal of stress, anxiety, and depression. This has required numerous medications to help her.
In addition, to the chronic pain that has become her daily challenge, she has had to add layers of padding to her bed because her discomfort has reached such a level that its uncomfortable for her to lay down on her bed. She applies heat and ice to the various areas on her body to try and obtain some relief to the severe and constant pain.
As her condition progresses, other symptoms become part of her condition, such as, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome requiring frequent and painful trips to the bathroom, unable to tolerate climbing stairs because of leg and knee pain, pain and stiffness in all muscles.
Because there is no cure for this condition, and Jeanette’s symptoms continue to become progressively worse, it has become apparent that she is unable to maintain a normal schedule. Her “bad days” are much more frequent than her “good days”. In view of the fact that she needs frequent rest periods and experiences such a high level of chronic pain routinely, she is unable to hold down a job.
Obviously, I have known Jeanette all my life and she has always been an adventurous, physical, and active person. She has traveled all over the United States, participated in many types of activities such as horseback riding, hiking, biking, and white water rafting. She has never led an ordinary, mundane life nor has she ever been a lazy, lethargic person. This condition has radically changed her life and left her a prisoner in her own body. She still has the desire and craving to live a normal life, however, the diagnosis she has been given indicates that this isn’t possible.
It is my opinion that it is totally impossible to expect someone in this condition to function at the levels of expectations given to a normally functioning individual. It is also unreasonable to expect them to maintain a daily working routine that someone else can achieve with little or no effort because they are free from the constant pain and deterioration of their entire body.
Please consider this documentation and as an eye-witness account of the continued deterioration of my sister’s health and her inability to perform and function at a normal level.
Thank you
Jeanette's sister
Jeanette moved from Florida in May 2001 to Northern Virginia in order to live closer to her family. She moved into a townhouse with her sister in Springfield, Virginia. After being in the Northern Virginia area for approximately 5 months she began employment with the State Farm Insurance Company during October 2001.
Jeanette has always been a very adventurous and active person. However, after moving into the townhouse with me (her sister) she began experiencing unexplained pain in her legs and feet in addition to having carpal tunnel symptoms. She began to experience insomnia and resorted to taking allergy medicine at night which made her drowsy enabling her to sleep.
She sought the professional help of numerous podiatrists, hoping to find relief for the pain in her feet. She even visited doctors outside of her HMO at her own expense because the persistent pain in her feet was causing limitations as far as walking, standing, etc. The doctors provided various arch supports, etc.; however, they provided no relief to her discomfort.
Her discomfort seemed to escalate requiring her to have to go to bed as soon as she got home from work, often staying in bed the entire evening until the next morning. She seemed to be having discomfort and pain throughout her body more often.
After living with me for approximately 9 months, Jeanette was diagnosed as having fibromyalgia. Her carpal tunnel symptoms had increased, limiting her ability to perform repetitive tasks both at home and work.
As her condition progressed, it became necessary to stay in bed more often for longer periods of time. This was due to complete body pain (i.e., aching and pain throughout her body, migraine headaches that lasted for days, overall weakness). It reached a point that it started to affect her ability to maintain good attendance at work.
After receiving the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, she applied to be protected under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) through her employer. Her condition had progressed to the point that she was literally forced to miss work because of the severe chronic pain that she was experiencing.
Jeanette, normally a very family-oriented person, stopped participating in a number of family events because her condition required her to remain in bed, sometimes for more than one day. She rarely leaves home and when she does she remains close to home because her ability to function for a long time without having to rest and/or lie down has been greatly diminished due to her chronic pain.
It became necessary for her to rely on pain medication on a daily basis to just make it through the day.
Because of the chronic pain and her current employment problems she has experienced a great deal of stress, anxiety, and depression. This has required numerous medications to help her.
In addition, to the chronic pain that has become her daily challenge, she has had to add layers of padding to her bed because her discomfort has reached such a level that its uncomfortable for her to lay down on her bed. She applies heat and ice to the various areas on her body to try and obtain some relief to the severe and constant pain.
As her condition progresses, other symptoms become part of her condition, such as, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome requiring frequent and painful trips to the bathroom, unable to tolerate climbing stairs because of leg and knee pain, pain and stiffness in all muscles.
Because there is no cure for this condition, and Jeanette’s symptoms continue to become progressively worse, it has become apparent that she is unable to maintain a normal schedule. Her “bad days” are much more frequent than her “good days”. In view of the fact that she needs frequent rest periods and experiences such a high level of chronic pain routinely, she is unable to hold down a job.
Obviously, I have known Jeanette all my life and she has always been an adventurous, physical, and active person. She has traveled all over the United States, participated in many types of activities such as horseback riding, hiking, biking, and white water rafting. She has never led an ordinary, mundane life nor has she ever been a lazy, lethargic person. This condition has radically changed her life and left her a prisoner in her own body. She still has the desire and craving to live a normal life, however, the diagnosis she has been given indicates that this isn’t possible.
It is my opinion that it is totally impossible to expect someone in this condition to function at the levels of expectations given to a normally functioning individual. It is also unreasonable to expect them to maintain a daily working routine that someone else can achieve with little or no effort because they are free from the constant pain and deterioration of their entire body.
Please consider this documentation and as an eye-witness account of the continued deterioration of my sister’s health and her inability to perform and function at a normal level.
Thank you
Jeanette's sister
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home