Emergency Medical Fund
*SEE UPDATES FOR MORE DETAILS*
This is really hard for me to do. I am not the type of person to ask for help. But, truthfully, I have not been doing very well. I have a large growth in my sinuses that is making it difficult for me to breathe. At this point, I do not know if it is benign or cancerous, or how deeply into my sinuses this goes, since it blocking both sides.
I do not have the funds for the appointments or transportation since our recent move has taken all of our finances and I have no insurance.
Over the past couple of weeks I have been working to find insurance to no avail. I can not be covered under independent plans due to my diabetes and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is not opening enrollment until November, and not providing coverage until January.
I have tried everything I can to take care of this at home and it's only worsened.
I now believe I am at the point where surgery is inevitable, which I am terrified of and do not have the funds for. But I need to know first, what is going on and what treatments are available to me.
I need to see specialists, due to my special circumstances having Hashimoto's, Bell's Palsy and Diabetes, as those are complications that affect any potential treatments or surgery.
I'm honestly at the point where I don't know what to do and I've cried a lot of tears about this.
My husband has asked me to set up a fundraiser to ask for help, but it has been very difficult for me to come to terms with asking for help in such a way.
This weekend I started putting this fundraiser together because I have not been able to come up with any other alternatives over the past couple of weeks and I am seriously concerned about my health.
I need help and I can't put it off any longer.
THE FULL STORY
About a month ago, I had my first severe nose bleed. It worried me immediately, because I haven't had a nose bleed since I was a small child, but I chalked it up to a fluke. A week later, more bleeding. It took over half an hour to stop the bleeding. I was panicking. My husband assured me that he gets nose bleeds from allergies, so maybe that's what it is. I tried to remain calm and think this through.
When I was examining my nasal passages in the mirror, I saw there was a small bump in the right side. It was raw and sore. Throughout the day, it would bleed for no apparent reason. Nosebleeds became a regular occurance. I tried to stay calm, because I don't have insurance and no transportation to make it to the doctor. I hoped it was just irritation and would go away.
It didn't.
Over the last couple of weeks, this fleshy mass has grown and grown. It's obstructed my breathing and prevented me from sleeping. I'd never had anything like this before and every possible scenario started racing through my mind.
NASAL POLYPS?
I started searching online and looking for answers. One website mentioned "nasal polyps."
Mayo Clinic describes Nasal Polyps as "soft, painless, noncancerous growths on the lining of your nasal passages or sinuses. They hang down like teardrops or grapes. They result from chronic inflammation due to asthma, recurring infection, allergies, drug sensitivity or certain immune disorders."
I searched Google and YouTube and found out that surgery is almost always necessary. I immediately had anxiety. I have two small children at home, I am the sole provider in our household, I've never had a surgery before. I was terrified.
DOCTORS VISITS
Still, I needed to see a doctor and find out what was going on with me and hopefully confirm whether or not it was nasal polyps. I decided to go into a local clinic and get answers.
At the appointment, the PA I saw told me that it looked like a polyp to her, but that I would have to see an ENT (sinus specialist) in order to be sure. She said I would likely need surgery. I walked home from the appointment, barely able to breathe and completely crushed.
I went home and made calls to insurance companies, tried once again to apply for the Affordable Care Act and search for any type of assistance with medical bills, since I don't have insurance. I was denied for Medicaid and ACA coverage. I found out that private insurance wouldn't cover me due to my diabetes and that coverage for surgeries couldn't happen until I paid in to a policy for at least 12 months.
I couldn't find any help.
The next day, my sinus issues were the worst yet, besides the side with the polyp, the left nasal passage (with no visible polyp) was blocked, forcing me to mouth breathe at night and have apnea-like reactions, where I would stop breathing during sleep.
EMERGENCY ROOM
I ended up having to go into the E.R. A $1,200 visit that I'm currently working with the hospital to get assistance for.
They weren't able offer any treatments or physical help in the E.R., but they did have advice. The E.R. doctor gave me a different potential diagnosis, insisting that it might not be polyps at all, but just extreme sinus inflammation. Since I have Hashimoto's (an autoimmune disease), my antibodies could be fighting inflammation and making the situation worse for me. She thought this could be the reason for the growth.
I really wanted her to be right. She told me that I would need to see my PCP (primary care physician) to get a referral, and then to see an ENT (sinus specialist) as soon as possible in order to find out exactly what was going on and get a formal diagnosis.
The goal was to see an ENT within a week of exiting the E.R., but I found out that not only is there a minimum of a one month wait, but that my initial visit could cost me well over $1,000 out of pocket, between the consultation, endoscopy, allergy and blood tests, possible CT scan, treatments and other fees.
I didn't have it.
OTHER OPTIONS?
Over the next week or two, I tried every over the counter drug and natural remedy that I could come up with. I asked friends for help and recommendations on Facebook. Some of the remedies helped for a while, but nothing has given me long-term relief. The growth keeps increasing in size and I have no choice but to make an ENT appointment, and pray to God that I can come up with the funds somehow.
Over this past week, I wracked my brain to come up with ideas for raising the funds myself. The last thing I wanted to do was ask for help, but I haven't been able to generate the funds otherwise and I can't wait anymore. Each day I have more and more anxiety about my breathing issues and I'm not sleeping well.
Most nights, I stay up while my family sleeps, because the inflammation seems to get worse at night. I nap during the day and sleep only 2-4 hours at a time when my sinuses are at their clearest.
It's been difficult, most of all feeling like I have not been there as much as I should be for my kids because of the stress and trying to balance work and not fall behind on things during this difficult time.
My husband has been amazing, managing ALL of the parenting and household tasks while I'm going through this.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
As some of you may know, we recently moved to Texas from South Dakota, so we could raise our kids closer to their culture, and closer to family and friends. This was a big move and a huge risk for us, but it was also a very important and long awaited transition for our family.
Unfortunately, we have used all of our savings and income in order to cover the move and all of the expenses involved. I haven't had extra income to put into a medical fund for myself and I need to ask for your help.
I am going through something right now that is rapidly accelerating and I have no insurance to cover the costs that I cannot cover myself. I need to come up with the funds within the next month, so that I can be seen once the ENT doctor is available.
Below is a snapshot of the expenses that I am projecting based on the rates provided to me by the doctors I will have to visit.
EXPENSES
These are the projected expenses, barring a potential surgery, which would come at a later date if the doctor can provide no other alternatives.
Hashimoto's Specialist Visit:
$300
1st ENT Visit:
$300 Exam + $400 Endoscopy = $700
Radiology:
CT Scan = $400
Labs:
Allergy Tests, Biopsy and Blood Work = $300
2nd ENT Visit:
$300 Exam + $400 Endoscopy = $700
Medications and Treatments:
$300
Transportation:
$300
Unforseen Costs:
$200
In total, the cost of the initial consult, treatment appointments will be around $3,000. I am adding an additional $200 for any costs or treatments that I might not have considered. The total amount of funds I need to raise is $3,200.
There is a possibility that surgery may be needed in the future, but I have no idea of the cost for that at this time, so I will have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
My 1st appointment with the ENT is scheduled for Wednesday, August 24th.
REWARDS
Because I truly believe in helping each other and I would never ask for anything without also giving something in return, I want to offer each and every one of you who donates, something that can also help you to move forward in your life.
As a web designer, graphic designer and digital strategist, I can offer a number of products and services that can help you to improve your brand presence and/or website.
Please take a look at the reward levels on this fundraiser to see if any of them are a good fit for you and your business.
If you would like to make a donation without receiving a reward, that's fine. Just type in your own dollar amount during the donation process.
If you are interested in receiving one of the rewards mentioned, all you have to do is select that reward from the options when you make your donation.
GIFTING YOUR REWARDS
Please also note, that you can gift your rewards to another blogger, entpreneur, family or friends. If you know someone who is in need of a template or service listed here, please consider making a donation as a gift in their name. In order to transfer your gift, please message me with the name and email address of the person you are gifting your donation to.
REWARD FULFILLMENT
I will be contacting each person who gives in order to make arrangements for reward fulfillment. My hope is that I can complete all rewards before the end of the year, but please be patient with me, as I am not 100% sure on how extensive my health issues will be or if surgery will be involved. If you have a deadline for your reward, you can contact me to specify your deadline or special requirements. I will do my best to accomodate every donor within the timeframe that works best for you.
OTHER WAYS TO GIVE
If you're not able to give through GoFundMe, you can also donate to my PayPal account by using this link:
Please include a note with your donation, including the reward you would like to receive or email me using the contact info below.
HOW TO CONTACT ME
You can connect with me through this GoFundMe page and will be able to send me messages if you have comments, questions or requests. If you are unable to reach me here for any reason, please visit http://www.chantillypatino.com/contact/ to get in touch with me directly.
THANK YOU
I am extremely grateful to all of my family, friends and colleagues who have taken the time to talk with me about this over the past couple of weeks. You have given me great advice, shipped care packages, sent extra work my way to help offset some expenses and been a constant source of support.
I appreciate all of your kindness and thoughtful messages more than you know.
I'm now at the point where I can no longer handle this myself and so I need ask for your help.
I am looking for donations, in any amount, to help me reach this financial goal and get in to see the specialists that can help me to shrink or remove this growth immediately.
My family needs me and I need to resolve this issue so I can continue to be healthy and take care of my financial responsibilities.
Any help that you could provide would be appreciated by me, my husband, and my two beautiful little kids who just want their mommy back.
Thank you in advance, for all of your support and love. I appreciate it more than you know.
Sending you hugs and lots of love from South Texas.
❤ Chantilly
