Andi (Anne) Ryan Mackey Medical Journey

Anne Mackey is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi guys,

You may know me as Andi Ryan, Anne Mackey or BakerStreetHedgehogs, depending on where you know me from. I've fallen on some interesting times recently, and some friends recommended I create a go fund me.

I have struggled with my health on and off for several years; however, more recently, these issues have become increasingly more concerning and yet no less baffling to the doctors than my previous symptoms have been.

Over the past several months, I have developed several alarming and, to date, undiagnosable issues. It began with full-body hives when in contact with my animals if they had eaten specific foods, then my lymph nodes began reacting fiercely to any insect bite. I began to develop a significant facial rash along with exhaustion and migratory pain, which caused me to miss a substantial amount of work. Then my feet, legs, and hands swell, especially at night, they have remained swollen for the past 3-4 months at varying levels. The exhaustion, migrating pain etc have not subsised either. My throat closed completely one night in my sleep due to a massive acid reflux attack, and the fluid buildup in my body overall frequently causes respiratory distress in the evenings while laying flat. Episodes of feeling like my lungs are on fire, periods where there is a crackling sensation when my abdomen is pushed on, pain with every breath for several months and the list goes on.

My primary care pysicians are stumped, even going so far to say they don't know how much more they can do before they throw up their hands. They have run significant bloodwork, completed scans, and have provided referalls to several specialists, all of whom have come up empty and referred me back to primary. Rhumetology found no evidence of a autoimmune disorder, cardiology also found no issues with the heart, and gynecology suspected an androgen tumor but found no evidence of one.

At this point I have made the decision to begin working with the Stram Center and potentially other specialist organizations for more exotic causes to this condition, however healthcare as a whole and these specialists in particular are expensive and are not covered by insurance or are covered only in part. I have also experienced several ER visits in conjunction with these medical issues.

In addition to the medical bills my animals have recently also had a number of health issues, one of my hedgehogs Adler has been diagnosed with Lymphoma (which we are not treating but exotic vets are $ for a visit at all), another hedgehog Watson suffered a minor stroke, a homeless cat appeared on my porch and has required medical attention, and a female cat in the houst just gave birth and is now also having complications.

My car also failed in the walmart parking lot on Friday and had to be towed, and we will not know for several days if it is salvagable or not which requires renting a car in order to be able to attend the numerous doctors appointments I have each week.

I'm not one to ask for money, but it currently feels like I'm in a losing battle both physically and financially, so if anyone is interested in supporting me in this adventure, it would be accepted and appreciated.

Facial Rash - Waiting on Dermatology Apt next month to determine cause