Support Amy Grein's Final Surgery Journey

Hello. My name is Amy Grein and I turn 36 on the 19th of December. Two days before my birthday at 10:50 AM on the 17th of December, I will be at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland for the final surgery of my ostomy bag reversal.

Which means, I will no longer have a bag! Fortunately, this time the surgeon will not have to open my incision for a 4th time.

He will use two titanium staples to staple the two pieces of small intestine that are in my bag now (loop ileostomy) together, and my new internal hardware (the J-Pouch, my new "large intestine") will be fully functional and I can use the bathroom like a normal person! Then he will stitch up the hole in my stomach, and bye-bye Bag, baby, bye-bye!

I have finally heard back from Social Security and I was denied for disability due to lack of enough work credits. But that I am eligible for Social Supplemental income which is a welfare based program, and they are only offering me monthly payments of $630, despite not giving me any payments yet.

I was also ripped off of a majority of my backpay since I applied in February 2023, right after my surgery as soon as I was able. I actually filled the paperwork out in my hospital room, but they didn't process it until Feb 2023.

I have been completely dependant upon my family for money for the last two years. I entered the hospital in December of 2022 and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis on the 8th of December. According to the surgeon, after removing my rectal stump with the last procedure, all of the Ulcerative Colitis has been removed. I had a test this past month that showed my J-Pouch is fully functional.

Needless to say I am on a very tight budget and simply cannot budget for the fuel for this trip to and from Baltimore, food, parking fees (which are insane even with a voucher), and any other miscellaneous unforseen expenses.

After the brutal first four months of recovery I will be on my own and will have to go back to work, as SSi is not realistic. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Right now, I just need to focus on having the support of my loved ones and acquaintances. Check in on me. I need it.

I need to have the most positive state of mind possible to heal in the best way possible. If this surgery is unsuccessful, I will have a permanent ostomy bag. I refuse to let that be my fate. Please help alleviate a little bit of the financial burden I am facing. I am so grateful for every single person who has contributed in the past.

Help me get back to singing karaoke once a week, to get back on my feet and become an assistant at one of these golf courses around here, where I can be surrounded by nature and in my element with all of its wildlife, mushrooms, plants, and most importantly, grass. Make art in a positive frame of mind. Last year I sold over 40 commissions, thanks to everyone I know and have met.

I have been told that the recovery from this final procedure is the worst and will take about 4 months before I start to feel like a normal human. I really can't imagine how much worse the pain can get, I have been through it in so many forms throughout this whole process. Part of me says, bring it on! The other side of me is very concerned. But I will get through it, just like I have gotten through the last of them. I am a self-proclaimed Warrior Goddess.

I love you all and hope that in a few short months that this will be my launching pad into something wonderful and new.