Donation protected
I am giving you the story from the beginning.
My troubles began around the 2nd week of May, 2015. I don't normally get sick but I was under a tremendous amount of stress in every area of my life: financially, socially, mentally, housing wise etc. In fact, it was keeping me up night and day. My body became so tired and worn out that I succumbed to catching the flu. I went through about 2 weeks of aches, chills, night sweats, and a fever and then I recovered. Yet, it seemed that I never fully recovered.
Basically, after my flu episode, I developed a deep hacking cough. It was completely disgusting sounding and incredibly painful. The cough would start from the bottom of my feet and systematically work its way up my body. By the time it got to my stomach, my stomach would clench (if you have experienced the stomach flu, the sensation was similar to the dry heaves). My chest, throat, and nose would even clench and it would seem like an invisible giant just kept covering my nose, throat, and lungs - torturing me. Then to add insult to injury, I would barely endure the Invisible Giant's Upper Respiratory slow tortuous strangulation of me when several minutes later another invisible giant would come along and give me the sensation of pushing me undrer water, thereby giving me the feeling of being held down under water and slowly drowned.
At night time, I always experienced the worst of the aforementioned sensations so I would pray for a peaceful sleep yet I knew the dreaded torture that was to await me as soon as I closed my eyes. In fact, my breathing became so labored and difficult at night, that I would often wake up almost every two hours because I couldn't breathe. Eventually, I could no longer sleep lying flat so for about the past 8 months of this horrid affliction, I slept sitting up on my couch, propped up on pillows. If I tried to lay flat, it felt like I was drowning in the mucus and fluids that were over accumulating in my lungs.
This is why getting up in the mornings became seemingly impossible and I was getting so short of breath that my words would often cut out and if they did not cut out, the smoker's sounding hacking cough would interfere with my ability to speak. So, I just stopped doing many activities and I almost became a shut-in. Also, it was like another kind of slow torture listening to people tell me about all of their activities and wondering if I would even be able to breathe again.
Long story short, after a 10 day stay (May 1st - thru May 10) at Harbor UCLA Mediical Center in Torrance, Ca. after I drove myself into emergency. They discovered that I have a rare auto-immune disorder called Churg-Strauss or vasculitis. This condition is so rare that the odds for developing it are 1 in 1 million. This auto-immune disorder has been attacking my heart and lungs.
Right now, I am out of the hospital and I am expected to fully recover. Because of this illness, at the very end of it you have rapid weight loss, so at one point I was only 100 pounds. I am now 110 and gaining.
My doctors want me to rest for at least 2 months and my income will be severely depleted due to this situation. The Go Fund Me Page would really help me to survive.
Thank you for any help that you may be able to provide me with.
Teresa
My troubles began around the 2nd week of May, 2015. I don't normally get sick but I was under a tremendous amount of stress in every area of my life: financially, socially, mentally, housing wise etc. In fact, it was keeping me up night and day. My body became so tired and worn out that I succumbed to catching the flu. I went through about 2 weeks of aches, chills, night sweats, and a fever and then I recovered. Yet, it seemed that I never fully recovered.
Basically, after my flu episode, I developed a deep hacking cough. It was completely disgusting sounding and incredibly painful. The cough would start from the bottom of my feet and systematically work its way up my body. By the time it got to my stomach, my stomach would clench (if you have experienced the stomach flu, the sensation was similar to the dry heaves). My chest, throat, and nose would even clench and it would seem like an invisible giant just kept covering my nose, throat, and lungs - torturing me. Then to add insult to injury, I would barely endure the Invisible Giant's Upper Respiratory slow tortuous strangulation of me when several minutes later another invisible giant would come along and give me the sensation of pushing me undrer water, thereby giving me the feeling of being held down under water and slowly drowned.
At night time, I always experienced the worst of the aforementioned sensations so I would pray for a peaceful sleep yet I knew the dreaded torture that was to await me as soon as I closed my eyes. In fact, my breathing became so labored and difficult at night, that I would often wake up almost every two hours because I couldn't breathe. Eventually, I could no longer sleep lying flat so for about the past 8 months of this horrid affliction, I slept sitting up on my couch, propped up on pillows. If I tried to lay flat, it felt like I was drowning in the mucus and fluids that were over accumulating in my lungs.
This is why getting up in the mornings became seemingly impossible and I was getting so short of breath that my words would often cut out and if they did not cut out, the smoker's sounding hacking cough would interfere with my ability to speak. So, I just stopped doing many activities and I almost became a shut-in. Also, it was like another kind of slow torture listening to people tell me about all of their activities and wondering if I would even be able to breathe again.
Long story short, after a 10 day stay (May 1st - thru May 10) at Harbor UCLA Mediical Center in Torrance, Ca. after I drove myself into emergency. They discovered that I have a rare auto-immune disorder called Churg-Strauss or vasculitis. This condition is so rare that the odds for developing it are 1 in 1 million. This auto-immune disorder has been attacking my heart and lungs.
Right now, I am out of the hospital and I am expected to fully recover. Because of this illness, at the very end of it you have rapid weight loss, so at one point I was only 100 pounds. I am now 110 and gaining.
My doctors want me to rest for at least 2 months and my income will be severely depleted due to this situation. The Go Fund Me Page would really help me to survive.
Thank you for any help that you may be able to provide me with.
Teresa
Organizer and beneficiary
Liz M
Organizer
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
Teresa Figueroa
Beneficiary