So my situation is this. Early October I went into urgent care because I was having difficulty breathing. A chest xray revealed pneumonia, so they started me on antibiotics. 2 days later, my doctor contacts me because the radiologist saw something else he didn’t like and they want me to come in for a contrast chest CT. On the 14th, I had that CT scan. I was immediately referred to an oncologist, with our first meeting scheduled for the afternoon on the 15th. The morning of the 15th, the oncologist’s nurse contacts me and wants me to come in for a second contrast CT right before the meeting with the oncologist. I finally meet with the oncologist, and he lays on me that I have late-stage lymphoma. He says he wants to move fast with treatment, and schedules me for a bronchoscopy biopsy the following week, a PET scan, as well as a surgical installation of an IV port. He informs me that this is textbook lymphoma, with multiple masses ranging from .5cm to 5 cm throughout my chest, and he says they are going to assemble me a care team, and the hospital hands me final wishes packet along with a packet on who can make medical decisions for me should I become unable to do so. Cue panic mode between me, my wife and 3 kids. We start preparing for the worst, lining up how to manage things if I should kick off. I have my biopsy, and 2 days later, I’m informed that it’s NOT cancer, but sarcoidosis. I’m given high-dose steroids for the next 9 weeks, the PET scan, surgical IV port are cancelled and I’m shown the door.

The level of distress I’m in is now amplified by a now near $100,000 medial bill. (I do NOT have insurance, as I just started a new job last year and am unable to afford it.) With all the time I’ve had to take off of work for the pneumonia recovery and testing, (most of it was out of town) I’m now drowning in debt. I have around $20,000 of credit card debt that was used for a needed new full furnace/ac system in my house. I’ve always been able to keep current on the payments until now. I’ve fallen behind on CC payments, I can’t make the minimum monthly medical payment ($5,900) and even with my wife picking up a job, it’s not enough. Is bankruptcy my only option?

Wisconsin resident. I own my home but live in a mobile home park. All 3 of our vehicles are paid off, but not worth much of anything. Total savings is less than $2,000. Total CC and medical debt is just north of $120,000.