Chronic Pain, Chronic Stress
Donation protected
I've had chronic pain since I was 12. 15 years later, I'm still undergoing tests to diagnose the source. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia last year, but my current doctor thinks it may have been a misdiagnosis, or that I have fibro on top of another disease. My doctor is currently looking at MS or ALS.
My current insurance is very limited (because I work at a non-profit) and one test maxed it out for the year. I know that in the next several months, I need at least one MRI, and potentially two surgeries.
I'm asking for help so I can afford these tests and find out what's wrong, and treat it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A little more information about me and my medical past:
When I was 12, I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (in my right arm). I was the youngest person my doctor had ever seen with CTS.
When I was 15, I was diagnosed with migraine headaches.
Around the same time, I developed CTS in my left arm, as well as tendinitis in both arms.
During my high school years, I sprained, strained or developed tendinitis in my right ankle and right shoulder. I consistently missed school because of colds, flues, ear infections and more.
When I was 20, I had carpal tunnel surgery. It helped - for a few years.
For all these issues, only the symptoms were treated. None of the many doctors I saw thought to look for an underlying cause.
Until a year and a half ago, when I brought up the idea of fibromyalgia. The doctor performed the "touch test", which is a way to determine if fibro is present. In this test, the doctor touches 18 spots along the body; if the patient has pain or tenderness in 11 of the 18, s/he most likely has fibro. I had pain in all 18 spots. I started a fibro treatment plan.
Six months later, my symptoms were intensifying, and I was displaying symptoms not typically associated with fibromyalgia. I was seeing a new doctor, and she decided that fibro might not be the right diagnosis for me. She said my new symptoms pointed towards a neurological disorder, something like MS or Myasthenia gravis. She ordered an MRI and sent me to a neurologist.
The neurologist agreed and sent me in for an EMG - which studies how the nerves react to stimuli. This test came back negative, so the neurologist ordered another MRI, with a spinal tap to possibly follow.
That was when my insurance ran out. So far, we've only been able to rule out myasthenia gravis. I still need a number of tests to diagnose my problems.
Please help, won't you?
My current insurance is very limited (because I work at a non-profit) and one test maxed it out for the year. I know that in the next several months, I need at least one MRI, and potentially two surgeries.
I'm asking for help so I can afford these tests and find out what's wrong, and treat it.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
A little more information about me and my medical past:
When I was 12, I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (in my right arm). I was the youngest person my doctor had ever seen with CTS.
When I was 15, I was diagnosed with migraine headaches.
Around the same time, I developed CTS in my left arm, as well as tendinitis in both arms.
During my high school years, I sprained, strained or developed tendinitis in my right ankle and right shoulder. I consistently missed school because of colds, flues, ear infections and more.
When I was 20, I had carpal tunnel surgery. It helped - for a few years.
For all these issues, only the symptoms were treated. None of the many doctors I saw thought to look for an underlying cause.
Until a year and a half ago, when I brought up the idea of fibromyalgia. The doctor performed the "touch test", which is a way to determine if fibro is present. In this test, the doctor touches 18 spots along the body; if the patient has pain or tenderness in 11 of the 18, s/he most likely has fibro. I had pain in all 18 spots. I started a fibro treatment plan.
Six months later, my symptoms were intensifying, and I was displaying symptoms not typically associated with fibromyalgia. I was seeing a new doctor, and she decided that fibro might not be the right diagnosis for me. She said my new symptoms pointed towards a neurological disorder, something like MS or Myasthenia gravis. She ordered an MRI and sent me to a neurologist.
The neurologist agreed and sent me in for an EMG - which studies how the nerves react to stimuli. This test came back negative, so the neurologist ordered another MRI, with a spinal tap to possibly follow.
That was when my insurance ran out. So far, we've only been able to rule out myasthenia gravis. I still need a number of tests to diagnose my problems.
Please help, won't you?
Organizer
Mallory Giunchigliani
Organizer
Rohnert Park, CA
