Molly's Medical Treatment
Donation protected
Endometriosis, complex migraines, chronic idiopathic uticaria, joint hypermobility syndrome, GERD, fibromyalgia, scoliosis, neuropathic pain and arthralgia - this laundry list of medical issues sounds like that of the bubble boy, but unfortunately, it only begins to cover my health issues within the past year.
At 25 years old, I would like to be finishing college, spending time out with friends and planning my future. But due to a number of chronic health conditions, I have been bogged down with illness, surgery, multiple doctors visits a week and the constant struggle of trying to support my basic needs while handling unpredictable and painful health issues. After trying my hardest to push through and remain active at my job, I have realized that a medical leave is necessary in order to properly treat my medical issues.
I love my job as a massage therapist, but despite my best efforts, my health issues have taken such a toll that I have had to take a month off work collectively over the past few months. I am forced to call out of work nearly every week in order to handle one of my many medical issues. It's been extremely difficult, as I work with many clients who suffer from chronic pain and I know they rely on me as a part of their treatment plan. Many of my clients have been forced to cancel or reschedule with an unfamiliar practitioner because of the unpredictability of my conditions. I have tried to learn integrative therapies that are less stressful on my body in order to stay actively working, but after blacking out at work, which resulted in trip to the ER, and a hospital stay just three days later following a migraine so severe that it left me with facial paralysis, I have been forced to admit that this job is too strenuous for me at the moment.
It's a sad realization, as I have been building my relationship with many of my clients for three years. But as the saying goes, you can't take care of others until you take care of yourself.
I have suffered from chronic pain for three years. It began with a deep aching in my joints that turned to burning pain down my limbs. When I get flares, I am unable to do anything except lay in bed with a heating pad. I become weak and clumsy, and often times have trouble doing something as simple as picking up a mug or walking myself to the bathroom. After a battery of medical tests to check for autoimmune, neuromuscular and infectious conditions, my diagnosis has remained tentative. I have been treated for fibromyalgia due to the severity of my pain, but all of my specialists have concluded there is likely a deeper cause.
I have recently been directed to seek genetic counseling, as my doctors believe many of my symptoms are due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. My joint pain is likely caused by my hypermobile, unstable joints. They have a tendency to partially dislocate, and there is a strong chance that I could develop osteoarthrits as a result of the constant strain of unstable joints and connective tissue. It is an excrutiatingly painful issue, but one that I have largely learned to live with. I go to physical therapy regularly, work on stability exercises and apply ice/heat to my joints as is necessary. I have been blessed to work with other massage therapists who are very knowledgable about chronic pain and have offered their services in order to help me stay comfortable and working. But the onslaught of medical crises over the past year have made working, and most normal activity, nearly impossible.
Over the past year, I have suffered from two ruptured ovarian cysts that were so painful I was bed ridden for days. I was diagnosed with endometriosis, which was successfully treated with laparoscopic excision in July, but caused me to take a week and a half off of work in order to recover. I was hopeful that this would be the end of my chronic pain, but it was only one piece of the puzzle. Soon after my surgery, I began developing allergic reactions to nearly everything I ate and touched. My work as a massage therapist has been severely comprimised due to the frequent occurrence of hives all up and down my hands and arms. There have been many days where I have been forced to leave work during my shift or call out immediately before because my hands are swelling and I am completely broken out in hives. Despite continued consults with an allergist, we have been unable to identify a cause and they persist to this day.
Due to the severity of my reactions, I have been forced to do three seperate courses of prednisone - a heavy duty corticosteroid- in order to calm down my overactive immune system. This is not without consequences, and I have dealt with residual abdominal pain and tenderness after nearly every course of prednisone. But so far, it has been the only treatment that has worked at all for the hives. And sadly, they tend to return immediately after I stop taking prednisone, making hands-on massage impossible.
I have suffered from a complex migraine variant for several years. Two years ago, I was hospitalized with the suspicion that I had a stroke - at age 23 - after a severe migraine left me temporarily blind in one eye, uncoordinated and unable to speak clearly. I began seeing a neurologist who diagnosed me with complicated migraines and put me on topiramate to help eliminate them. For the past two years, I have been mostly migraine-free, though I do regularly suffer from aura symptoms such as black spots in my vision and numbness over various parts of my body. Recently, because of my allergies, my doctors took me off this medication to see if it was contributing to my symptoms.
My hives did not resolve. Instead, I suffered from two debilitating migraines. The first ended with me blacking out at work and collapsing. I was rushed to the emergency room to recover, and it was there that I was informed that this had been another severe migraine (and possibly a seizure).
Three days later, I was admitted to the hospital to, once again, rule out a stroke when my face became paralyzed and drooped downward. I was unable to move the left side of my face at all and my lower lip dragged halfway down my face on my right side. The above photo was taken after ten hours in the hospital when my face began to recover. I can move both sides of my face now, though it still painful and lopsided. After two days in the hospital and a clean CT scan and MRI, I was cleared of a potential stroke and was diagnosed with another complicated migraine. I have been advised to start wearing a medical ID bracelet due to the severity of my migraines, and was instructed to stay out of work until my condition stabilizes. The possibility of collapsing while working on a client is very real and I cannot put myself or my clients at this risk of harm.
I want nothing more than to stay working in order to help my clients. I take my job very seriously, and I have fallen absolutely in love with my life as a massage therapist. Being a part of my clients' recovery journey when it comes to pain management is so fulfilling, and I commit to my clients 100 percent. But my health has proven that, right now, I need to take care of myself first. It's one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I believe it is best in the long run.
I started this campaign in order to help with living expenses and treatment. As I am 25 years old, I will be kicked off of my parents' health insurance in six months. I have been trying to seek proper care and treatment with our providers, and I would like to continue with the excellent doctors I have found through our insurance. I don't know if my new insurance will cover the battery of specialists I have had to see. That could become extremely expensive if my new insurance does not cover my current practitioners and it would be impossible to continue treatment without a financial buffer to cover what insurance doesn't.
The funds from this campaign will also help to cover my basic living expenses as I continue to try to navigate the process of pallative treatment. Taking a leave of absence in order to focus on recovering means I will have no source of income in the short term. The funds would also help in case I end up requiring disability benefits, as they do not come immediately and are often times rejected during the first application.
I have tried so hard to continue to work and stay with my clients through all of this. But with each new crisis I am forced to realize how necessary a medical leave really is.
Thank you so much for considering a donation. I've tried my best to work through these issues, but it's time for me to take a break and take care of myself.
At 25 years old, I would like to be finishing college, spending time out with friends and planning my future. But due to a number of chronic health conditions, I have been bogged down with illness, surgery, multiple doctors visits a week and the constant struggle of trying to support my basic needs while handling unpredictable and painful health issues. After trying my hardest to push through and remain active at my job, I have realized that a medical leave is necessary in order to properly treat my medical issues.
I love my job as a massage therapist, but despite my best efforts, my health issues have taken such a toll that I have had to take a month off work collectively over the past few months. I am forced to call out of work nearly every week in order to handle one of my many medical issues. It's been extremely difficult, as I work with many clients who suffer from chronic pain and I know they rely on me as a part of their treatment plan. Many of my clients have been forced to cancel or reschedule with an unfamiliar practitioner because of the unpredictability of my conditions. I have tried to learn integrative therapies that are less stressful on my body in order to stay actively working, but after blacking out at work, which resulted in trip to the ER, and a hospital stay just three days later following a migraine so severe that it left me with facial paralysis, I have been forced to admit that this job is too strenuous for me at the moment.
It's a sad realization, as I have been building my relationship with many of my clients for three years. But as the saying goes, you can't take care of others until you take care of yourself.
I have suffered from chronic pain for three years. It began with a deep aching in my joints that turned to burning pain down my limbs. When I get flares, I am unable to do anything except lay in bed with a heating pad. I become weak and clumsy, and often times have trouble doing something as simple as picking up a mug or walking myself to the bathroom. After a battery of medical tests to check for autoimmune, neuromuscular and infectious conditions, my diagnosis has remained tentative. I have been treated for fibromyalgia due to the severity of my pain, but all of my specialists have concluded there is likely a deeper cause.
I have recently been directed to seek genetic counseling, as my doctors believe many of my symptoms are due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. My joint pain is likely caused by my hypermobile, unstable joints. They have a tendency to partially dislocate, and there is a strong chance that I could develop osteoarthrits as a result of the constant strain of unstable joints and connective tissue. It is an excrutiatingly painful issue, but one that I have largely learned to live with. I go to physical therapy regularly, work on stability exercises and apply ice/heat to my joints as is necessary. I have been blessed to work with other massage therapists who are very knowledgable about chronic pain and have offered their services in order to help me stay comfortable and working. But the onslaught of medical crises over the past year have made working, and most normal activity, nearly impossible.
Over the past year, I have suffered from two ruptured ovarian cysts that were so painful I was bed ridden for days. I was diagnosed with endometriosis, which was successfully treated with laparoscopic excision in July, but caused me to take a week and a half off of work in order to recover. I was hopeful that this would be the end of my chronic pain, but it was only one piece of the puzzle. Soon after my surgery, I began developing allergic reactions to nearly everything I ate and touched. My work as a massage therapist has been severely comprimised due to the frequent occurrence of hives all up and down my hands and arms. There have been many days where I have been forced to leave work during my shift or call out immediately before because my hands are swelling and I am completely broken out in hives. Despite continued consults with an allergist, we have been unable to identify a cause and they persist to this day.
Due to the severity of my reactions, I have been forced to do three seperate courses of prednisone - a heavy duty corticosteroid- in order to calm down my overactive immune system. This is not without consequences, and I have dealt with residual abdominal pain and tenderness after nearly every course of prednisone. But so far, it has been the only treatment that has worked at all for the hives. And sadly, they tend to return immediately after I stop taking prednisone, making hands-on massage impossible.
I have suffered from a complex migraine variant for several years. Two years ago, I was hospitalized with the suspicion that I had a stroke - at age 23 - after a severe migraine left me temporarily blind in one eye, uncoordinated and unable to speak clearly. I began seeing a neurologist who diagnosed me with complicated migraines and put me on topiramate to help eliminate them. For the past two years, I have been mostly migraine-free, though I do regularly suffer from aura symptoms such as black spots in my vision and numbness over various parts of my body. Recently, because of my allergies, my doctors took me off this medication to see if it was contributing to my symptoms.
My hives did not resolve. Instead, I suffered from two debilitating migraines. The first ended with me blacking out at work and collapsing. I was rushed to the emergency room to recover, and it was there that I was informed that this had been another severe migraine (and possibly a seizure).
Three days later, I was admitted to the hospital to, once again, rule out a stroke when my face became paralyzed and drooped downward. I was unable to move the left side of my face at all and my lower lip dragged halfway down my face on my right side. The above photo was taken after ten hours in the hospital when my face began to recover. I can move both sides of my face now, though it still painful and lopsided. After two days in the hospital and a clean CT scan and MRI, I was cleared of a potential stroke and was diagnosed with another complicated migraine. I have been advised to start wearing a medical ID bracelet due to the severity of my migraines, and was instructed to stay out of work until my condition stabilizes. The possibility of collapsing while working on a client is very real and I cannot put myself or my clients at this risk of harm.
I want nothing more than to stay working in order to help my clients. I take my job very seriously, and I have fallen absolutely in love with my life as a massage therapist. Being a part of my clients' recovery journey when it comes to pain management is so fulfilling, and I commit to my clients 100 percent. But my health has proven that, right now, I need to take care of myself first. It's one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I believe it is best in the long run.
I started this campaign in order to help with living expenses and treatment. As I am 25 years old, I will be kicked off of my parents' health insurance in six months. I have been trying to seek proper care and treatment with our providers, and I would like to continue with the excellent doctors I have found through our insurance. I don't know if my new insurance will cover the battery of specialists I have had to see. That could become extremely expensive if my new insurance does not cover my current practitioners and it would be impossible to continue treatment without a financial buffer to cover what insurance doesn't.
The funds from this campaign will also help to cover my basic living expenses as I continue to try to navigate the process of pallative treatment. Taking a leave of absence in order to focus on recovering means I will have no source of income in the short term. The funds would also help in case I end up requiring disability benefits, as they do not come immediately and are often times rejected during the first application.
I have tried so hard to continue to work and stay with my clients through all of this. But with each new crisis I am forced to realize how necessary a medical leave really is.
Thank you so much for considering a donation. I've tried my best to work through these issues, but it's time for me to take a break and take care of myself.
Organizer
Molly Regan
Organizer
Middle River, MD