Support Carlee’s Endometriosis Journey
Donation protected
Hi good humans!
Many of you may not even know this because she has been pretty good at hiding it, but Carlee has been dealing with increasingly debilitating pelvic pain and other symptoms for nearly two decades, even more severe in the last 5 years. Like many others, she waited far too long to be taken seriously and was diagnosed with endometriosis only recently. They’ve attempted conservative treatment with medications and pain management therapies without any success. It wasn’t too long before she ran out of paid sick days and had no choice but to go unpaid when dealing with episodes of such severe pain. Between health insurance premiums, medication costs, clinic & hospital bills, and trying alternative therapies, she has drained her savings. Yet the bills don’t stop coming and her pain is only getting worse… Therefore, the next step in managing this life-long disease is an exploratory laparoscopic surgery with possible endometriosis excision, which she has scheduled later this June. With reduced income and health insurance limitations, the financial strain is becoming significant and overwhelming for Carlee and her family.
I have created this GoFundMe because Carlee needs our help, and she won’t ask for it so I’m asking you for her.
100% of funds raised will go towards paying her bills including groceries, transportation and lodging for appointments, and current and future medical debt (co-pays, supplies, medications, therapies, etc).
Carlee’s Health Journey:
Around November 2019, Carlee began having what she thought was another episode of the intermittent right pelvic pain she had been dealing with since she was 10 years old. It usually lasted just a couple weeks and went away on its own. However, this time it continued into the new year without repose, and she was worried it could be something more serious this time. Unfortunately, her appointment with her primary care to address the ongoing pain had been cancelled indefinitely due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pain never went away and instead waxed and waned for many more months. Although it was uncomfortable and worrisome, Carlee kept herself distracted by working overtime and on-call as a medical technician in the ICUs and ORs in multiple Twin Cities Metro Hospitals throughout the height of the pandemic. Finally, nearly a year after this pain “episode” began, she was able to see her primary care doctor. Basic labs were run and an ultrasound was performed - “No abnormal findings and no further investigation necessary,” was the answer and “diagnosis” she received.
The pain didn’t go away… In fact, it gradually got worse and the intermittent severe exacerbations became more frequent. With the worsening pain came a whole myriad of other symptoms, and it all began to interfere with her daily life. In the summer of 2021, Carlee began searching for answers. She was sent to specialist after specialist, who all claimed “it wasn’t within their specialty’s scope” and sent her back to her primary again and again. Lots of tests, harsh medications, invasive ultrasounds, ER visits, and a colonoscopy later and still no answers and no relief. She was mentally and physically exhausted, and she wanted to give up.
In 2022, Carlee started exploring alternative options to manage not only her physical symptoms but now her mental health symptoms as well. She’s tried supplements, TENS, chiropractic, accupuncture, cupping, massage, Reiki, talk therapy, OT/PT, and more. While she has had some relief from these therapies, the pain has vengefully persisted.
Carlee moved back to her hometown in 2023 to spend time with her family, save money for grad school, and focus on bettering her mental and physical health. However, managing her pain and associated symptoms has become increasingly difficult and expensive, and she has had to miss more work than she ever has.
There is light on the horizon, though. Carlee is scheduled to have an exploratory laparoscopy and possible endometriosis excision at the end of June. Although there is no guarantee, we are hopeful to finally have some answers! (And the possibility for even temporary pain relief is enough for us to beam with optimism!)
However, answers and relief come with a hefty cost. Endometriosis is a life-long disease with no known cure, so treatment is usually aimed at controlling symptoms. Therefore, endometriosis often leaves a significant financial burden on its sufferers. According to a 2019 NCBI study, the average annual cost of endometriosis is $20,898 per person.
I know everyone’s financial situation is different, but we are asking that people donate whatever they can - every little bit will help! And if you can’t donate please consider sharing Carlee’s GoFundMe on your social media pages. Your contributions, whether monetary or through spreading the word, would mean the world. Our goal is to raise at least $10,000 for Carlee, and we can’t do it without your help!
Thank you in advance for all of your support, much love…
Sienna
Information about Endometriosis:
Endometriosis is an increasingly common condition in women in which endometrium-like tissue is detected outside the uterine cavity. The incidence of the disease in females of reproductive age is estimated at 5 to 15 %; the main symptoms are dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, and infertility. Despite extensive research in this field, the exact pathogenesis of endometriosis remains not fully understood. Although endometriosis is considered a benign condition, it has been demonstrated to share some characteristics with malignant tumors such as tissue invasion, cell damage and death, and spread to distant organs. In fact, endometriosis has been found in nearly every part of the body, including the brain.
According to the NHS, endometriosis is among the 20 most painful conditions. It is a chronic disease associated with severe, life-impacting pain associated with periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and/or urination, chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility. While pain is subjective, endometriosis ranked amongst conditions that are known to “leave sufferers in too much agony to perform normal tasks” and significantly impact quality of life.
Resources:
Instagram:
@the__endo__space
@surviving.endometriosis
@mybattlewithendo
@theendohood
Organizer and beneficiary
Sienna Johnson
Organizer
St. Paul, MN
Carlee Heiling
Beneficiary