The Fight For Truth & SocialJustice
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Dear friends,
It took two years to finally get some results, but now I know the full extent of the injuries I sustained when I fell and broke my wrist.
Out of frustration and desperation, my primary care physician who, by his own admission shouldn't be managing this part of my healthcare, went ahead and ordered an MRI of my entire spine.
The findings in the MRI report confirmed some of the things I had long been pointing to, although not quite in the way I had imagined. There are also some things that came as a complete surprise.
During the year following my fall, I complained not only of the damage to my right hand, but also pain in the shoulders, especially the left. The new MRI elucidates why:
I am under the care of an endocrinologist for a recurrence of Cushing's Syndrome. The surprise finding of a thyroid mass will be treated by that same specialist. I am scheduled to undergo an ultrasound soon.
What to do about my spine issues is another matter. After I fell, I learned a lot about how the medical profession has changed. It used to be that one could see an orthopedist who is a generalist and would treat the whole body. Those no longer exist, at least as far as my insurance is concerned. That, I believe, is what has gotten in the way of getting timely and appropriate treatment. Orthopedists are now highly specialized and only look at one specific part of the skeleton, ignoring all others. When I was sent to see a hand surgeon, at first, my insurance kept sending me to a shoulder specialist. That specialist, without so much as an X-ray, recommended shoulder surgery on both rotor cuffs. This MRI shows that his recommendation was completely out of line and, had I agreed, I would have undergone unnecessary procedures. The next three shoulder specialists I saw were no more helpful. The only thing they were interested in was to send me to a pain specialist.
My other treatment option is to see a neurosurgeon who specializes in the spine. I saw one in 2009 when I began to experience severe lower back pain. Sadly, this particular doctor, a really good one, is no longer on my list of doctors under my insurance plan. The only way I can see him is on a cash basis, at $150 per visit. I trust his advice and think it would be smart to go see him with my MRI CD and report and get his opinion on what treatment options I should consider. He treats both the cervical and lumbar spine.
The findings on the lumbar spine show a deterioration of my condition in the ten years since I saw my neurosurgeon. The big surprise in that portion of the report is the diagnosis of a Tarlov cyst. My primary care doctor had no idea what those are. I did some research and found out that they are rare, affecting less than 5% of the population, mostly women. From the same research, the treatment options are few and mostly involve surgical intervention, something that, given the dismal choice of specialists who take my insurance, is probably ill-advised. From what I'm reading, surgical intervention is recommended only when the symptoms are especially severe. I don't think I'm there yet.
Now I know why I am no longer able to do a lot of the things I am used to doing daily. Standing, sitting, hunching over things, carrying groceries, baking, washing dishes, carrying laundry, cooking, typing, are now excruciating. I've had to give up sitting in front of my computer to type out my articles. I can't sit for as long as I need to and the constant need to shift to a different position, usually to stand or walk, gets in the way of concentrating on what I am doing. It is also terribly demoralizing.
I don't yet know how I will deal with these health issues with the resources I have at my disposal. Healthcare delivery has deteriorated a great deal more since 2016. In my county, far fewer specialists of the kind I need participate in my plan and some of the issues I need care for are rare to begin with. I know I'll need to spend $300-500 out of pocket to see doctors whom I can no longer access through insurance to make sure I get reasonable advice and don't get suckered into dangerous surgery or treatment that I don't need and may make things worse.
I do know that if I am to continue my work as a writer, I need to switch to an audio-visual format. I started a fundraiser for that almost two months ago. I raised about a third (just under $500) of the needed $1200-1400. I've so far purchased a good quality microphone, a tripod, and some editing software. I still need to buy a camera and mixing board in order to get started broadcasting.
I miss the intellectual challenge of creating thought pieces. I also need to find a way to make a living. Writing is what I've always done.
Please help me get back to what I do?
Thank you for your continued support.
Rima Regas
---
** The total raised on the main page for this fundraiser is the total amount raise since I established this GoFundMe campaign several years ago.
6/2/2019 update: I have raised $500 towards my goal.
*** The $$ amounts you see are cumulative since the establishment of this GoFundMe campaign in 2016.
----
I established a GoFundMe account for the purpose of raising sufficient funds to set Blog#42 on a path to growth in 2016. My goals are to expand readership, license interesting content, and invite guest writers to contribute their expert opinions on the topics covered on the blog.
Since it was established in July of 2014, articles on Blog#42 have been read nearly 130,000 times.
I have given up trying to submit my writing to other publications and I am now devoting what amounts to full-time hours to the blog. And what could be more American than starting your own business?
My first big project will be to complete my Precariat series of articles, followed by the publication of an expanded version of the series in e-book format.
My goal for 2016 is to turn the blog into a full-fledged web-based magazine focused on social justice and the new, post-Great Recession economy, with a small staff of writers and editors.
There are a lot of things that need to go into expanding a website:
* Pay writers & editors for their hard work
* Drive traffic through advertising
* Acquire licenses for image and video stock
* Cover hosting and domain costs
* Cover site development and optimization costs
Won't you please help me reach my goal of raising $25,000 as Blog#42's budget for 2016?
There are a lot of reasons why I am trying to make RimaRegas.com an important resource:
* Raise awareness of social injustice
* Put the spotlight on economic injustice
* Educate the public on the topics the MSM aren't
* Focus the discussion back on the facts
* Cut through the talking points and smokescreens
This is what the New York Times had to say about me in a feature covering the paper's most influential commenters:
Ms. Regas said she commented to stay sharp as a writer, hoping to get back in the business after completing the education of her daughter, who has both autism and epilepsy.
She also maintains a blog that offers extended analysis of her Times comments and thoughts on raising a disabled child.
“I have the time, I have the inclination, I write,” she said.
You can read more on the NYTimes website.
This means so much to me as an American and a human being, it is what I live and breath each and every day. It is my aim to cut through the noise machine that is the corporate media of today and continue to produce real, authentic news, analysis, and opinion pieces that gives a measured and strong voice to the Progressive movement.
I would be deeply grateful if you could help me achieve my goals and, as a thank you, all contributions $100 and over will receive a free copy of the Precariat ebook.
My most sincere thanks,
It took two years to finally get some results, but now I know the full extent of the injuries I sustained when I fell and broke my wrist.
Out of frustration and desperation, my primary care physician who, by his own admission shouldn't be managing this part of my healthcare, went ahead and ordered an MRI of my entire spine.
The findings in the MRI report confirmed some of the things I had long been pointing to, although not quite in the way I had imagined. There are also some things that came as a complete surprise.
During the year following my fall, I complained not only of the damage to my right hand, but also pain in the shoulders, especially the left. The new MRI elucidates why:
I am under the care of an endocrinologist for a recurrence of Cushing's Syndrome. The surprise finding of a thyroid mass will be treated by that same specialist. I am scheduled to undergo an ultrasound soon.
What to do about my spine issues is another matter. After I fell, I learned a lot about how the medical profession has changed. It used to be that one could see an orthopedist who is a generalist and would treat the whole body. Those no longer exist, at least as far as my insurance is concerned. That, I believe, is what has gotten in the way of getting timely and appropriate treatment. Orthopedists are now highly specialized and only look at one specific part of the skeleton, ignoring all others. When I was sent to see a hand surgeon, at first, my insurance kept sending me to a shoulder specialist. That specialist, without so much as an X-ray, recommended shoulder surgery on both rotor cuffs. This MRI shows that his recommendation was completely out of line and, had I agreed, I would have undergone unnecessary procedures. The next three shoulder specialists I saw were no more helpful. The only thing they were interested in was to send me to a pain specialist.
My other treatment option is to see a neurosurgeon who specializes in the spine. I saw one in 2009 when I began to experience severe lower back pain. Sadly, this particular doctor, a really good one, is no longer on my list of doctors under my insurance plan. The only way I can see him is on a cash basis, at $150 per visit. I trust his advice and think it would be smart to go see him with my MRI CD and report and get his opinion on what treatment options I should consider. He treats both the cervical and lumbar spine.
The findings on the lumbar spine show a deterioration of my condition in the ten years since I saw my neurosurgeon. The big surprise in that portion of the report is the diagnosis of a Tarlov cyst. My primary care doctor had no idea what those are. I did some research and found out that they are rare, affecting less than 5% of the population, mostly women. From the same research, the treatment options are few and mostly involve surgical intervention, something that, given the dismal choice of specialists who take my insurance, is probably ill-advised. From what I'm reading, surgical intervention is recommended only when the symptoms are especially severe. I don't think I'm there yet.
Now I know why I am no longer able to do a lot of the things I am used to doing daily. Standing, sitting, hunching over things, carrying groceries, baking, washing dishes, carrying laundry, cooking, typing, are now excruciating. I've had to give up sitting in front of my computer to type out my articles. I can't sit for as long as I need to and the constant need to shift to a different position, usually to stand or walk, gets in the way of concentrating on what I am doing. It is also terribly demoralizing.
I don't yet know how I will deal with these health issues with the resources I have at my disposal. Healthcare delivery has deteriorated a great deal more since 2016. In my county, far fewer specialists of the kind I need participate in my plan and some of the issues I need care for are rare to begin with. I know I'll need to spend $300-500 out of pocket to see doctors whom I can no longer access through insurance to make sure I get reasonable advice and don't get suckered into dangerous surgery or treatment that I don't need and may make things worse.
I do know that if I am to continue my work as a writer, I need to switch to an audio-visual format. I started a fundraiser for that almost two months ago. I raised about a third (just under $500) of the needed $1200-1400. I've so far purchased a good quality microphone, a tripod, and some editing software. I still need to buy a camera and mixing board in order to get started broadcasting.
I miss the intellectual challenge of creating thought pieces. I also need to find a way to make a living. Writing is what I've always done.
Please help me get back to what I do?
Thank you for your continued support.
Rima Regas
---
** The total raised on the main page for this fundraiser is the total amount raise since I established this GoFundMe campaign several years ago.
6/2/2019 update: I have raised $500 towards my goal.
*** The $$ amounts you see are cumulative since the establishment of this GoFundMe campaign in 2016.
----
I established a GoFundMe account for the purpose of raising sufficient funds to set Blog#42 on a path to growth in 2016. My goals are to expand readership, license interesting content, and invite guest writers to contribute their expert opinions on the topics covered on the blog.
Since it was established in July of 2014, articles on Blog#42 have been read nearly 130,000 times.
I have given up trying to submit my writing to other publications and I am now devoting what amounts to full-time hours to the blog. And what could be more American than starting your own business?
My first big project will be to complete my Precariat series of articles, followed by the publication of an expanded version of the series in e-book format.
My goal for 2016 is to turn the blog into a full-fledged web-based magazine focused on social justice and the new, post-Great Recession economy, with a small staff of writers and editors.
There are a lot of things that need to go into expanding a website:
* Pay writers & editors for their hard work
* Drive traffic through advertising
* Acquire licenses for image and video stock
* Cover hosting and domain costs
* Cover site development and optimization costs
Won't you please help me reach my goal of raising $25,000 as Blog#42's budget for 2016?
There are a lot of reasons why I am trying to make RimaRegas.com an important resource:
* Raise awareness of social injustice
* Put the spotlight on economic injustice
* Educate the public on the topics the MSM aren't
* Focus the discussion back on the facts
* Cut through the talking points and smokescreens
This is what the New York Times had to say about me in a feature covering the paper's most influential commenters:
Ms. Regas said she commented to stay sharp as a writer, hoping to get back in the business after completing the education of her daughter, who has both autism and epilepsy.
She also maintains a blog that offers extended analysis of her Times comments and thoughts on raising a disabled child.
“I have the time, I have the inclination, I write,” she said.
You can read more on the NYTimes website.
This means so much to me as an American and a human being, it is what I live and breath each and every day. It is my aim to cut through the noise machine that is the corporate media of today and continue to produce real, authentic news, analysis, and opinion pieces that gives a measured and strong voice to the Progressive movement.
I would be deeply grateful if you could help me achieve my goals and, as a thank you, all contributions $100 and over will receive a free copy of the Precariat ebook.
My most sincere thanks,
Organizer
Rima Regas
Organizer
Mission Viejo, CA