Please Help Natalie With Her Medical Bills!

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Hello! My name is Natalie Adams and I am 25 years old. After years of struggling, I was recently diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Through this journey, I have been denied by many doctors dismissing my pain due to my age, and have had multiple misdiagnoses. This diagnosis is degenerative, which means it will get worse over time. Finally getting an answer to all of my health problems is a great feeling, but this is not an easy diagnosis to process and live with.

In August of 2021, I woke up in excruciating pain that continues to this day. Over the past 2 years, many new symptoms have popped up that continue to get worse. A few of the struggles I face daily are chronic pain, extreme fatigue, mobility impairments, stomach and intestinal problems, heart rate rising and dropping rapidly with movement causing fainting, joint injuries and dislocations, dizziness and nausea, dental problems, and countless more symptoms that make it difficult to function and decrease my quality of life.

I have seen many doctors and specialists, had countless tests run, many x-rays and MRIs, been through procedures and surgeries, IV infusions, many different physical therapy treatments, and have been stuck with more needles than I ever hoped to in my lifetime.

On June 13th, 2023 I was finally diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. This condition is a lack of collagen in the body, causing ligaments and tendons to not be able to hold my joints stable, among many other problems. This condition also often runs concurrently with POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome), MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome), and Dysautonomia. POTS is a condition that causes an excessively reduced volume of blood to return to the heart after standing up from a lying down position. This makes me very dizzy and lightheaded when I stand up and walk, and causes me to faint with too much walking or quick movement. MCAS is a condition in which I experience repeated episodes of the symptoms of anaphylaxis such as hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and severe stomach and intestinal problems. I particularly struggle with low blood pressure and stomach/intestinal problems. Dysautonomia is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system that controls involuntary function, which can cause a multitude of problems all over my body. I am currently awaiting test results for POTS and MCAS, and my doctor thinks it is likely I have them, as well as Dysautonomia.

Along with these conditions, I have also been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Meniere's Disease, and Autoimmune Inner Ear Disorder (AIED). RA causes severe joint pain, and the other two conditions cause an excess of fluid in my inner ear, leading to dizziness, nausea, and hearing loss, among other things. Due to AIED, I currently wear hearing aids and will become fully deaf at some point in my lifetime. This is very hard and heartbreaking as a musician and someone whose career and life rely on hearing ability.

All of these doctors, testing, and conditions have caused quite a bit of medical debt. I take over 20 medications daily to attempt to keep my conditions manageable and let me function as normally as I can. Due to my symptoms, I have had to change my career goals from being a basketball coach, to being a professional musician, to being a Band Instrument Repair Technician. However, I have had to cut down from working full-time to working 3 shorter days a week, and I still struggle to get through work. I have some upcoming medical procedures and surgeries that will greatly improve my quality of life, but they are not cheap. On top of existing medical bills and future costs, I have had to purchase hearing aids, a motorized wheelchair, other mobility aids, wraps and braces, and many more things. I have been denied disability assistance due to not being "disabled enough," so a disability lawyer to fight that decision will also be in the future.

Anything that you can give would be greatly appreciated! Funds will be used to pay for upcoming treatment and to get out from under current piling medical bills. Having less worry about how to pay for these things would help me be able to focus on healing and feeling better. Thank you so much for reading all of this and thank you so much for your donation! It means more than you will ever know to me in this tough time.