This has been a tough year. I have had 7 surgeries. I had a hysterectomy. I was diagnosed with Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Sjogren's Syndrome, Raynaud's Phenomenon, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Costochondritis, and a few other awful conditions.
Worst of all, though, I never thought that I'd be basically bed-ridden at 27, but that is sadly my reality at this point. I'm completely unable to work, and some days, simple tasks such as taking a shower are quite difficult to physically manage.
The reason for my stark disability lies in the destruction and pain due to fibrous tissue bands living in my stomach, known as adhesions. I've had multiple painful medical conditions, but this one takes the cake. It makes appendicitis and gallstones look like a trip to the beach (I speak from personal experience with these, too). Like I mentioned above, I've had several surgeries (7 this year, 14 total pelvic, and 18 total, since 2009). I've had to live in the hospital, and my quality of life is, well, quite poor.
Aside from the physical pain, this condition is physically dangerous to my health. At any given time, I could easily develop a full-blown intestinal obstruction (I have had a partial obstruction, but luckily have not had to have my intestines cut yet). I've had so many surgeries to attempt to correct/prevent these adhesions from returning, but no matter what the doctors here in the US do, the adhesions grow back in less than a week.
Before I had a hysterectomy and they were simply on my ovaries, uterus, etc, this was painful, and dangerous to my fertility. But at this point, my right intestines are glued to the right side of my stomach wall in a "tenting" fashion (according to all of my surgical reports).
After much research and through word of mouth, I found a doctor in Germany who actually specializes in adhesions specifically. He has invented and developed special tools for this surgery, as well as pioneering a new surgical technique so that he can perform pelvic laparsocopies without the CO2 gas. This means that less cells die, there is more precision, less adhesions are likely to reform. This doctor (Dr. Kruschinski) uses a special adhesion barrier to coat the areas where he excised the adhesions. Yes, the same is done in the US, but since we use gas in surgery, the adhesion barrier simply blows around and doesn't do its job.
After the initial surgery, Dr. K will look around a second time during a second surgery a few days later to make sure no adhesions are reforming and that everything looks good. He has an 85% success rate - 85%!!!! This is enormous. He specializes in cases like mine, and countless people in my position have seen him, had surgery, and continue to be pain and adhesion-free ten years later.
This is nothing short of a miracle, but unfortunately, is terribly expensive. Between stacks of medical bills from my 18 surgeries since 2009, countless autoimmune diseases I'll always have which require specialist doctor's appointments and continuous medicine, and not being able to work due to my terrible health condition, I am, essentially, broke.
I need this surgery more than I've ever needed anything else, and I must make it happen. I've set up a "Go Fund Me" account so that friends and strangers can make donations to help me fund my surgeries abroad. I know not everyone has the money to spare, but any amount is beyond appreciated, and every penny counts. Seriously.
I'm so thankful for all of the support (emotional, physical, monetary) that I've received thus far, and I'm hoping that through this fund, I can make it to Germany to have the two surgeries I so desperately need.
Please click here to read more and donate if you can! Thank you!
No comments:
Post a Comment