Aragon Family Medical Bills & Debt

Well, never thought I'd have to write this, but here we are. As many of you know, my last two years have been filled with health issues.

Below is my best attempt at summarizing the last 2 years of my health journey, including 3 extensive surgeries within 16 months, multiple ER visits, countless specialist, functional health, and PCP visits, and on-going chronic back pain (for which I’m trying to find a solution). The total expense above does not reflect the tens of thousands of dollars we’ve already spent on medical bills over the last two years.  

In May 2019 I began growing large ovarian cysts, which landed me in the ER and then the gynecologist office for multiple visits. It took until March 2020 for me to find a compassionate and competent gynecologist who finally diagnosed me with stage 4 endometriosis. At that time, I had to have immediate surgery for massive ovarian cysts (I'll spare you the exact details for those who get squeamish). Our insurance covered a portion of the very expensive surgery (over $100,000), but we were still left with a bill for thousands of dollars. If you feel like seeing my social media post about it, here you go: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9lCPmvpZ93/

In October 2020 I ended up in the ER (again) for the same thing, except the cyst was even larger this time. I needed to have immediate surgery yet again. I wrote a little about it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CH4NIAtBiBP/

As I tried to recover after the second surgery, I managed to injure my legs multiple times, one time leading me to the ER (again).

Then this summer happened. At the beginning of June (2021), as I was in the middle of writing my first trade book with Moody Publishers, my mid and upper back gave out, causing me excruciating pain in my back, ribs, and chest. I couldn’t take in a full inhale without terrible pain, so I ended up in the ER. They found that my heart was producing excess troponin, which led them to believe I might have had a cardiac episode or that I had a blood clot. So I had to be admitted to the hospital for tests and observation until they ruled those things out. But by the time I was discharged, there was no diagnosis nor any helpful advice about how to manage my pain. I wrote about this rather traumatic hospital visit here (in a poem because, well, it’s me): https://www.instagram.com/p/CPuQoZphx6D/

So since June, I’ve been hopping around from PCP, to various specialists, to various functional health professionals in order to figure out what’s wrong with my back and how to find relief. On the traditional medicine side of things, I’ve been to my PCP, a neurosurgeon, and most recently a pain doctor. On the functional health side of things, I’ve been to a sports chiropractor, a medical massage therapist, quite a few regular massage therapists, an acupuncturist, a physical therapist, a neurological chiropractor, and I’m sure I’m forgetting someone else in this list (I’ve also done cupping and cryotherapy).

As I’ve been trying to manage my pain and find a way forward, I’ve had to quit my editing job and decline multiple work/project opportunities that I would have loved to do (and which would have helped us financially). The pain has been too much, and I’ve had to use my days calling insurance, new specialists, filling out forms, advocating for myself, and going to endless appointments. I also try to be a good student, so I’ve been doing my yoga, PT stretches, chiropractic stretches, swimming (which I love!), heating and icing, and lots of turmeric tea and supplements. Still, my pain remains debilitating (with the exception of when I take an almost inappropriate amount of painkillers, which is exactly what I don’t want to do, especially for three months in a row).

In the middle of all this, I had to rush to the ER twice (one time by ambulance) in July because of excruciating pelvic pain caused by...you guessed it...endometriosis and ovarian cysts (this time 8 of them!). I had to have another unexpected surgery, which was largely successful (thanks, Dr. Stine!). I wrote about it here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CR61nbuB3n0/

But recovering from surgery means doing a lot of lying down and sitting, which made my back worse. So now I’m back to trying to find healing for my back.

As of today, I found a great soft tissue specialist who will be doing treatments on my back for the next few months to remove the build up of scar tissue in my back. This will be immensely helpful in the long run, but of course, the pain is still pretty terrible right now. So my pain doctor wants to do a procedure on me that will possibly diagnose me for joint degeneration in my neck and back. Once I’m diagnosed, I have a few options for treatment that will (hopefully) provide significant relief for perhaps a year or more. My insurance, however, has currently denied our request for this procedure, stating that I’ll have to wait until after September 4th to (maybe) get approved. So the pain doctor is appealing this, and I’m doing what I can to advocate for myself with my insurance company. Please pray I’m able to have this procedure done ASAP, so I can finally access treatment for my neck and back.

Not working on top of trying out all kinds of different avenues for pain management has been...expensive. Our family, friends, and church have all chipped in significantly in the last couple years, and especially in the last few months. But we now find ourselves overwhelmed in medical debt and upcoming medical bills. I had always heard about how diseases and chronic illnesses are financially draining, and now I see it up close and personal.

As I’ve shared little bits of my health journey on social media, multiple people (many who I don’t know personally) have urged me to start a GoFundMe to pay my medical debts and expenses. I’ve been overwhelmed by the many messages of encouragement, prayer, and compassion I’ve received from you all. Thank you!

So, never thought I'd have to write this, but here we are. Thank you for reading my story and considering our need.

Love,

Quina (and Jon...and Jael!)