Jessica Bailey Cervical Spine Treatment

Hello family and friends of the Baileys! My name is Samantha and I’m Jessica‘s sister. I am reaching out to you to give you some breaking news on the Baileys, a little history on what their family has been going through over the last 8+ years and also to ask for your help.

As many of you know, the Bailey family has been on a very difficult journey over the past eight or so years due to Jess’ health. She has always been a fearless, adventurous and passionate woman ready to take on the world; however, in 2013, shortly after having their oldest daughter, Zoe, Jessica‘s body began to deteriorate. She showed signs of extreme postpartum depression and anxiety, yet the doctor simply encouraged her to go outside, eat a better diet and talk with her pastor. During that season, Jess clung to the Lord and battled through anxiety and depression while caring for baby Zoe. Her symptoms seemed to be more concerning than what her doctor was telling her and his generic diagnosis never sat well.

In 2014, when their second daughter, Erin, was five months old, Jessica’s body began exhibiting even worse symptoms. In just two weeks, she lost 20 lbs. One morning marked the beginning of a very difficult two weeks. She was awakened by a pounding and racing heartbeat. Over the course of the week, her resting heart rate remained between 120-180 bpm and her anxiety was at a fever pitch as her body was signaling red alert that something was drastically wrong. Many evenings she was only able to get 1-2 hours of sleep if any at all and was up pacing through the house waiting for her body to calm down. Andrew took Jessica to physician after physician but they all dismissed it as postpartum depression and anxiety and told her to go home and take a nap. Her wise aunt, who is a nurse, told her to follow her gut and make the decision she thought was right for her body. They immediately drove to the emergency room where Jess was given a significant amount of medication to lower her heart rate and stabilize her out of control thyroid. She was in an emergency/critical situation called a thyroid storm and had been living that way for a week. The ER staff looked at her with wide eyes of shock when they found out she had been living that way for a full week. She was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and subsequent Thyroid Eye Disease and remained hospitalized for 7 days while they got the medications on board to help her body calm down. Her mom played a crucial role in caring for the kids during this time and continued to step in to care for Jess and the kids as future health storms would arise. Andrew and Jess don’t know how they would have made it to this point without her selfless and servant hearted support.

Through the experience with the physicians during her thyroid storm, Jess learned that she had to lean on the advice of medical professionals but at the same time be a diligent advocate for herself. After returning from her stint in the ER Jess located and began working with a world-renowned functional medicine doctor in Austin, who specializes in helping people with autoimmune diseases. Within a few short months of making drastic dietary changes and taking over 50 supplements per day, the ultrasound of her thyroid and blood work revealed that her thyroid and immune system were healing. The antibodies in her body were non-existent and the levels were stable. In cooperation with her endocrinologist, she was able to safely get off all her medications. This was a significant triumph and boosted her confidence to care for her body.

She had made a monumental leap in her health as she tackled the issues from her thyroid, but Jessica was still experiencing other symptoms. The disfunction in her body can best be described as a chronic game of whack-a-mole without an end in sight. Through it all Jess has kept her faith in the Lord and increased in prayer for wisdom. Some of the conditions she has dealt with have been Lyme disease, mold illness, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, autoimmune diseases, Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome, extreme sensitivities to food, environment and sensory inputs, leaky gut, limbic system impairment (brain) and dysautonomia (imbalance in the autonomic nervous system).

A low point in her journey occurred in 2018 when they returned back from their 10 year anniversary. Jessica’s body reacted strongly to the flights to and from their trip, but it was unclear why. Upon returning to their home, Jess’s body completely shut down and they quickly figured out the home was contributing to her illness. After testing revealed mold, mycotoxins and cell tower radiation were a significant problem that her weak system could not process. They were forced to remediate and sell their newly renovated home that they had only lived in for four months and moved in with Andrew’s parents. Jessica’s symptoms included: heart rate and blood pressure fluctuations, vision changes, respiratory sensitivities, panic attacks, insomnia, depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and remembering, difficulty swallowing, widespread pain, muscle stiffness and weakness, chronic fatigue, electromagnetic problems, sensitivities to light, sound and smells and the list goes on and on. At one point, she was down to only a handful of food options that her body would tolerate and weighed less than 100 lbs.

For 7 months, Andrew’s parents were able to help with the kids (Zoe, 5; Erin, 3; Jace, 1), gave Jess support to begin healing and partnered with Andrew in shouldering the overwhelming responsibility. What a gift and blessing that season was for their family. She started a protocol to detox her body of mold and rehabilitate the limbic system area of the brain which was causing her to be so sensitive to everything. She slowly began to regain her health. Once she had semi stabilized, they purchased, renovated and moved into an RV so that Jess could keep progressing in her recovery in an environment with minimal triggers to her system. After being in the RV for 11 months they were able to move into the rent house where they currently reside. They’ve moved 5 times over the last 5 years and are thankful to put down roots in Keller and have some stability for their family.

She’s been diligently and relentlessly advocating for herself along the way working with over 15 providers ranging from traditional physicians, specialists, functional medicine physicians, a naturopath, functional neurologists, upper cervical chiropractors, a psychiatrist and integrative doctors.

In December 2020, things suddenly shifted once again as she found herself in the worst condition she had been in to date. Jess was having episodes of sudden neurological disfunction causing near black outs while driving, sudden heart rate and blood pressure swings, digestive symptoms and convulsions leading to trips to the ER nearly every other week. Despite several scans, blood draws and EKGs, the doctors could not identify the cause of her symptoms. Through tears and sleepless nights, she cried out to God to show her what was going on. While researching late in the night, she came across a video of Dr. Ross Hauser explaining cervical spine instability (loose ligaments in the neck) and the symptoms caused by it. Jessica realized this could be the underlying root of her mysterious symptoms for all these years. The light bulb went off in her mind when she realized she had received a chiropractic adjustment the day before the first episode that landed her in the ER. She found a local upper cervical chiropractor who specializes in a specific, gentle and non-invasive adjustment to the top vertebrae which supports the skull and is the catalyst for the alignment of the rest of the spine. The x-rays, MRI and specialized CT scan showed what Jess believed to be true, her vertebrae were twisted and getting worse as time went on. Her cerebral spinal fluid flow, blood flow and brain stem were being choked. After a few adjustments she was finally able to sit down for the first time in 49 days without triggering an episode.

Throughout 2021, she has routinely worked with a couple of upper cervical chiropractors and has experienced great healing, but has not been able to maintain the alignment of her upper cervical spine. This confirms the ligaments are in fact damaged and need treatment. Dr Hauser’s clinic, located in Fort Myers, Florida, draws patients from all over world and is one of the finest clinics for the delicate area. They have over 25 years of experience and a stunning track record treating patients who have similar stories to Jess. At the bottom of this page is a graphic and short video of Dr Hauser explaining complications caused by upper cervical instability. You can also read more about what they do at this link: Caring Medical 

The process begins with four days of intensive diagnostic testing to determine the specific needs of each patient. The treatment consists of specialized prolotherapy injections to help the body regenerate the ligaments in the neck. Once these ligaments are functioning properly, they will start holding her vertebrae in place as they were designed to and will alleviate the pressure off her brain stem, arteries and vagus nerves. Her brain will in turn be freed up to fully communicate with the rest of her body. After stimulating her ligaments and aligning her vertebrae they will eventually start rehab to strengthen her neck muscles and correct the curve in her neck to bring even further relief and support.

The Baileys are a fun and passionate family. They love to serve, encourage, pray with and come alongside others who are suffering. They love to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. This is an amazing opportunity to give our encouragement, prayers and finances and come alongside the Baileys as they approach the finish line of this long and arduous season. The growth in their walks with Christ, their marriage and bond as a family is beyond their wildest dreams. They are thankful for all that God has done through this long season of suffering, but boy are they ready to move on and turn their attention and focus to serving and helping others walking through similar hard seasons. They are looking forward to enjoying one another without all of the intense restrictions, limitations and “what ifs”. Zoe, Erin and Jace can’t wait to play with and experience the real momma that has been buried under the layers of the last 8 years. Andrew and Jess long to run with the passion and zeal they’ve always had for the Lord and build His Kingdom however He desires.

Will you help us get the Baileys to the next chapter of the story God has written for them?

The bulk of their income has been spent on Jess’s health restoration over the past 8 years and they don’t have the complete funds for this final piece of the puzzle. Dr Hauser is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialist who chooses to not work with insurance companies because of their constraints limiting his ability to care for his patients. The Baileys leave Tuesday, July 13th, to begin their month long stay next to the clinic for diagnostics and the first three treatments. Due to the severity of Jess’ case (based on medical history, imaging and interviews with the Caring Medical team), Dr. Hauser felt it best to stay near the clinic to expedite healing and recovery. They are hopeful that after three treatments her neck will be stabilized enough to allow her to fly for the remaining visits.

There are several costs associated with their trip, chief among them being the cost of Caring Medical. The other expenses: places to stay, food, transportation, etc. add up quickly, but they’ve worked diligently to see how they can steward everything as best as possible. The total out of pocket cost is $25,436 which gets the Baileys all the way through this initial trip to Florida and the monthly treatments Jess will need over the next few months.

This family is an open book and welcomes any questions, tips, etc. you have. Jess and Andrew also wanted to be sure and let y’all know that they are happy to help however they can if you, your spouse or someone you know and love is struggling with chronic illness. They get it and would love to come alongside and help however they can: prayer, encouragement, a listening ear, practical tips and medical referrals. Ask away. They also wanted to mention how grateful they are to the Lord for sustaining them, giving wisdom, providing miraculously and the kindness and support of their families, friends and church community over the years. It’s definitely taken a village. They are humbled and grateful and are eager to be on the giving and serving side of life for a change very soon!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." - James 1:2-5

The many syndromes caused by upper cervical instability: