Help Krysta,Life turned upside down
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Hello everyone!
My name is Krysta Barela. I can`t believe that I am in the position that I am in and asking for help. Its incredibly hard for me to do this but a teacher at my son`s Christian preschool said to me "you should set up a gofundme account, I know its hard for you to ask for help, but the community is here for you!" And it really stuck with me. So, I took her advice as my family and I are in desperate need of assistance.
My whole world, my whole life, my whole soul, has been turned upside down and challenged. I never thought I would be where I am today, and as sick as I am.
I am 28 years old, I have been married for 12 years as of June 29th of this year. My husband, Ryan, and I have been together for a total of 14 years. We have 3 absolutely amazing children together. Simona is 11, Miahna is almost 8 and Rocco is 5. Things were not always as challenging as they are today. I had a life, I had dreams, I had goals, I was even living some of the asperations that I had for myself at one point. It all started as a child for me, I would have trouble playing sports, during my soccer games my body would just shut down and it would leave me on the field shaking, breathing irregularly, light headed, and on the ground. The ambulance would come out many times in attempt to figure out what was happening to my body but no one could figure out what was wrong. I saw cardiologists, and specialists, had many tests done to try to figure out why my body was fighting me. We never found any answers. It was chalked up to anxiety, or me just "over-reacting." I have always had a passion for helping others so when I was about 24 years old, I decided to enter the medical field for work. I became a CNA (certified nursing assistant) and I was SO proud of myself! I started working in a nursing home and then transitioned into an assisted living facility and eventually I started working at the Hospital on the medical/surgical wing. I also started going to college to become a nurse. During my adult life, I was feeling very run down all the time, needing many hours of sleep and still not feeling rested, being short of breath constantly, never able to regulate my body temperature properly, having a rapid heart rate constantly, having trouble with any exercise, being light headed and many more symptoms. One day when I was appx. 25 years old, I noticed I was extremely fatigued, and my heart rate was VERY fast and pounding in my chest along with some intense chest pain. Thankfully, because of my medical background, I had a device in my home that reads my heart rate and blood pressure for me. I looked at the reading and my heart rate was 165 just standing there! I felt so, so sick, I could barely breath, my chest was hurting so bad and I felt like I was going to faint. I knew that this was not an appropriate heart rate and that something was wrong. I knew that a normal resting heart rate was 60-100. I felt like I was dying. I promptly went into the Emergency Room and they did many tests, they were stumped and could not understand why my body was behaving this way. They made a phone call to a well known cardiologist at North Memorial Heart and Vascular and described my symptoms which were unusual because I was only symptomatic if I was in an upright position. If I was laying down, my heart rate was beautiful and my symptoms would subside. The cardiologist diagnosed me with P.O.T.S. (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and dysautonomia. It is an illness that not many people have heard of, even in the medical world unfortunately, and is often called the "invisible illness" because people with P.O.T.S. do not look sick unless they are symptomatic. Which makes it so challenging for others to understand and be empathetic towards people living with this debilitating illness. Unfortunatly, this illness is a malfuntion in my autonomic nervous system in my brain. EVERYTHING that happens automatically in my body is affected and malfunctioning. Some of the things that are MOST effected are my heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, respirations (or breathing), food digestion, pupil dilation, temperature regulation, gland secretion, urination, sexual response, cardiac regulation, flight or fight response (endocrine regulation), and even right down to certain reflex actions like coughing, sneezing, swallowing, vomitting etc. After my diagnosis, I was still able to work for a little while, but my illness got progressively worse even with my heart medications and other medications to try to keep my body regulated. It happened SO fast it seemed. My heart rate, breathing, chest pain, blood pressure and fatigue have been the biggest hurdles for me to conquer. My body has basically turned on me and more days than not, I am not even able to stand up during the day. This has put tremendous strain on my marriage, my kids, my body, my social life, my working ability and litereally every aspect of my life.
In November of 2015 (last year), I was at Subway in Monticello, I was not feeling that well. I was there alone picking up food for my family. I was standing up, filling a drink and the drink dispenser, and all of the sudden my body shut down. My blood pressure PLUMMETED! I had basically no warning before my body flattened out, I took 2 steps backwards because my eye sight was going dark and I was trying to find a chair to sit in, but I didnt make it to one. I fell completely flat on my back in the middle of Subway, taking down tables and chairs with me as I fell. I passed out. Luckily there was state troopers having their dinner there as well and I think it was by the grace of God that they were there. When I came to, I noticed everyone was staring at me. No one besides the police officers offered to help at all, and no one tried to catch me when I was falling. The officers told me they thought I hit my head on a chair when I went down and they sat me down, got me some water and then ended up leaving when i had started drinking my water. No one else offered any help to me once the officers left. I was there, sitting alone. Everyone just staring at me like I was some freak of nature or something. It was one of the loneliest experiences of my life. After that incident, my cardiologist took me out of work and also deemed me "unsafe to drive." I could no longer work, drive or go to school for my dream career. I continuted to feel sicker and sicker every day. Barely able to stand, feeling like I am dying everyday from the intense chest pain, unbearably high heart rate (often in the 150s, 160s, and 170s) uncontrollably low blood pressure (many times my blood pressure reads something like 74/42, normal blood pressure is 120/80) scary light headedness, and gasping for oxygen, I have such a hard time even attempting to walk around the house and going up a flight of stairs is literally impossible at times, and now I have started fainting, which sends everyone on edge. My children are afraid, I am afraid, my friends are afraid. We never know when it will happen and I am terrified that I will hit my head or fall down the stairs, especially if I am the only one home with my children. Because of the constant lack of blood flow to my brain, I am also faced with severe short term memory loss which effects everything I do and is extremely scary to me.
Because of how sick I have become recently, and how my illness has progressed so rapidly, my cardiologist was no longer able to help me and suggested I go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive one way. They are the ONLY clinic in the state with a POTS specialist. My condition is not well known or well researched at this point. I had to wait several months before there was an opening available. I was down there for a week of testing the first week in May of this year. Unfortunately, I had recieved news that some of my test results came back unfavorable. I had a few blood tests that suggested my adrenal glands were over working which could cause major problems in my body, I also had an abnormal EKG which was indicitive of me having had a heart attack at some point. During my testing with my previous cardiologist, I had to have a cardiac catheterization which required the doctors to go into my artery and into my heart. I had many issues after that test and remember distinctly symptoms of a heart attack that woke me up in the middle of the night so it didnt really surprise me that my EKG showed that abnormality. But it is extremely scary! My body went through so many tests that I wasnt even able to walk by they end of the 3rd day. I was wheelchair bound at the Mayo. I was completely exhausted and having a hard time even moving. Because of the testing that came back, they want me to come down there for an additional 2 weeks of tests, however, I am not able to afford going back there for that amount of time. I have been out of work since Novemeber, and it is extremely expensive for me to go down there, pay for hotels, parking, gas, and the hospital bills that I have to pay before being seen again. My husband was taking time off work as well, to take me to my doctor visits, because I was not able to drive myself, and he would take off work if I am feeling very ill and not able to watch the kids at home. We are in financial ruins right now. Its so embarrasing to say that. But its the honest truth. We are struggling with everything right now financially. We are behind on our bills, trying to live off of one income that is less than full time because of my illness and the stress is piling up even more than our financial burden. I dont even know what to do anymore.
Because of everything that is going on, my husband and I have decided to take a breather. He is not staying at home with us at the moment. It has just been so hard , and so stressful. He has been doing so much for the kids and I. And everything is just piling onto our marriage. That makes things even more difficult for me. Just in the last year, my illness has taken my career, my marriage (for the time being at least), my ability to do things for and with my children, my social life, my joy, my body, my financial security, my everything. I am asking for help, and its the hardest thing I have done to date. Its so embarrassing. But I am hoping and praying that things will turn around soon. For me, and my family. I have 3 beautiful children that count on me and I need to be able to be their mother the way they need again.
ANYTHING that is given will be so appreciated!!! I can not express my gratitude towards anyone that takes the time to read my message, and sends a prayer or anything! We are in desperate need of it! I am letting go of my pride to ask for help, I am counting on the love of my community and God to help us through this devestating time in our lives! Any financial gifts that I recieve will be put towards my current and future bills with Mayo Clinic so that I can continue to get treatment from them to figure out what else is going on with my broken body, as well as any traveling expenses to get there, and any past due bills that need to be paid as well as groceries and necessities for my children and I to live and any medical costs/ treatments and pharmacy bills to ensure that I get better as fast as I can by the greatest medical staff in the state so I can continue to be a great mother to my wonderful, 3 beautiful, amazing, wonderful babies! I am trying to raise some funds as soon as possible so I can schedule my 2 weeks of appointments with Mayo Clinic and ensure that all of my bills are up to date so I can lessen the stress of worrying if we will continue to have our car to get to these appointments, continue to be able to be current on our rent, and make sure we have everything taken care of so the only thing that I will have to concentrate on is healing. Thank you to EVERYONE who even takes the time out of their day to read this! I greatly appreciate it! Anything that is given will be appreciated! 5.00, 10 cents, a prayer, it ALL helps!!! All prayers are loved and welcome in our time of need as well! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! This means so much to my family and I. Words just cant express our gratitude!!!! <3
My name is Krysta Barela. I can`t believe that I am in the position that I am in and asking for help. Its incredibly hard for me to do this but a teacher at my son`s Christian preschool said to me "you should set up a gofundme account, I know its hard for you to ask for help, but the community is here for you!" And it really stuck with me. So, I took her advice as my family and I are in desperate need of assistance.
My whole world, my whole life, my whole soul, has been turned upside down and challenged. I never thought I would be where I am today, and as sick as I am.
I am 28 years old, I have been married for 12 years as of June 29th of this year. My husband, Ryan, and I have been together for a total of 14 years. We have 3 absolutely amazing children together. Simona is 11, Miahna is almost 8 and Rocco is 5. Things were not always as challenging as they are today. I had a life, I had dreams, I had goals, I was even living some of the asperations that I had for myself at one point. It all started as a child for me, I would have trouble playing sports, during my soccer games my body would just shut down and it would leave me on the field shaking, breathing irregularly, light headed, and on the ground. The ambulance would come out many times in attempt to figure out what was happening to my body but no one could figure out what was wrong. I saw cardiologists, and specialists, had many tests done to try to figure out why my body was fighting me. We never found any answers. It was chalked up to anxiety, or me just "over-reacting." I have always had a passion for helping others so when I was about 24 years old, I decided to enter the medical field for work. I became a CNA (certified nursing assistant) and I was SO proud of myself! I started working in a nursing home and then transitioned into an assisted living facility and eventually I started working at the Hospital on the medical/surgical wing. I also started going to college to become a nurse. During my adult life, I was feeling very run down all the time, needing many hours of sleep and still not feeling rested, being short of breath constantly, never able to regulate my body temperature properly, having a rapid heart rate constantly, having trouble with any exercise, being light headed and many more symptoms. One day when I was appx. 25 years old, I noticed I was extremely fatigued, and my heart rate was VERY fast and pounding in my chest along with some intense chest pain. Thankfully, because of my medical background, I had a device in my home that reads my heart rate and blood pressure for me. I looked at the reading and my heart rate was 165 just standing there! I felt so, so sick, I could barely breath, my chest was hurting so bad and I felt like I was going to faint. I knew that this was not an appropriate heart rate and that something was wrong. I knew that a normal resting heart rate was 60-100. I felt like I was dying. I promptly went into the Emergency Room and they did many tests, they were stumped and could not understand why my body was behaving this way. They made a phone call to a well known cardiologist at North Memorial Heart and Vascular and described my symptoms which were unusual because I was only symptomatic if I was in an upright position. If I was laying down, my heart rate was beautiful and my symptoms would subside. The cardiologist diagnosed me with P.O.T.S. (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and dysautonomia. It is an illness that not many people have heard of, even in the medical world unfortunately, and is often called the "invisible illness" because people with P.O.T.S. do not look sick unless they are symptomatic. Which makes it so challenging for others to understand and be empathetic towards people living with this debilitating illness. Unfortunatly, this illness is a malfuntion in my autonomic nervous system in my brain. EVERYTHING that happens automatically in my body is affected and malfunctioning. Some of the things that are MOST effected are my heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, respirations (or breathing), food digestion, pupil dilation, temperature regulation, gland secretion, urination, sexual response, cardiac regulation, flight or fight response (endocrine regulation), and even right down to certain reflex actions like coughing, sneezing, swallowing, vomitting etc. After my diagnosis, I was still able to work for a little while, but my illness got progressively worse even with my heart medications and other medications to try to keep my body regulated. It happened SO fast it seemed. My heart rate, breathing, chest pain, blood pressure and fatigue have been the biggest hurdles for me to conquer. My body has basically turned on me and more days than not, I am not even able to stand up during the day. This has put tremendous strain on my marriage, my kids, my body, my social life, my working ability and litereally every aspect of my life.
In November of 2015 (last year), I was at Subway in Monticello, I was not feeling that well. I was there alone picking up food for my family. I was standing up, filling a drink and the drink dispenser, and all of the sudden my body shut down. My blood pressure PLUMMETED! I had basically no warning before my body flattened out, I took 2 steps backwards because my eye sight was going dark and I was trying to find a chair to sit in, but I didnt make it to one. I fell completely flat on my back in the middle of Subway, taking down tables and chairs with me as I fell. I passed out. Luckily there was state troopers having their dinner there as well and I think it was by the grace of God that they were there. When I came to, I noticed everyone was staring at me. No one besides the police officers offered to help at all, and no one tried to catch me when I was falling. The officers told me they thought I hit my head on a chair when I went down and they sat me down, got me some water and then ended up leaving when i had started drinking my water. No one else offered any help to me once the officers left. I was there, sitting alone. Everyone just staring at me like I was some freak of nature or something. It was one of the loneliest experiences of my life. After that incident, my cardiologist took me out of work and also deemed me "unsafe to drive." I could no longer work, drive or go to school for my dream career. I continuted to feel sicker and sicker every day. Barely able to stand, feeling like I am dying everyday from the intense chest pain, unbearably high heart rate (often in the 150s, 160s, and 170s) uncontrollably low blood pressure (many times my blood pressure reads something like 74/42, normal blood pressure is 120/80) scary light headedness, and gasping for oxygen, I have such a hard time even attempting to walk around the house and going up a flight of stairs is literally impossible at times, and now I have started fainting, which sends everyone on edge. My children are afraid, I am afraid, my friends are afraid. We never know when it will happen and I am terrified that I will hit my head or fall down the stairs, especially if I am the only one home with my children. Because of the constant lack of blood flow to my brain, I am also faced with severe short term memory loss which effects everything I do and is extremely scary to me.
Because of how sick I have become recently, and how my illness has progressed so rapidly, my cardiologist was no longer able to help me and suggested I go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive one way. They are the ONLY clinic in the state with a POTS specialist. My condition is not well known or well researched at this point. I had to wait several months before there was an opening available. I was down there for a week of testing the first week in May of this year. Unfortunately, I had recieved news that some of my test results came back unfavorable. I had a few blood tests that suggested my adrenal glands were over working which could cause major problems in my body, I also had an abnormal EKG which was indicitive of me having had a heart attack at some point. During my testing with my previous cardiologist, I had to have a cardiac catheterization which required the doctors to go into my artery and into my heart. I had many issues after that test and remember distinctly symptoms of a heart attack that woke me up in the middle of the night so it didnt really surprise me that my EKG showed that abnormality. But it is extremely scary! My body went through so many tests that I wasnt even able to walk by they end of the 3rd day. I was wheelchair bound at the Mayo. I was completely exhausted and having a hard time even moving. Because of the testing that came back, they want me to come down there for an additional 2 weeks of tests, however, I am not able to afford going back there for that amount of time. I have been out of work since Novemeber, and it is extremely expensive for me to go down there, pay for hotels, parking, gas, and the hospital bills that I have to pay before being seen again. My husband was taking time off work as well, to take me to my doctor visits, because I was not able to drive myself, and he would take off work if I am feeling very ill and not able to watch the kids at home. We are in financial ruins right now. Its so embarrasing to say that. But its the honest truth. We are struggling with everything right now financially. We are behind on our bills, trying to live off of one income that is less than full time because of my illness and the stress is piling up even more than our financial burden. I dont even know what to do anymore.
Because of everything that is going on, my husband and I have decided to take a breather. He is not staying at home with us at the moment. It has just been so hard , and so stressful. He has been doing so much for the kids and I. And everything is just piling onto our marriage. That makes things even more difficult for me. Just in the last year, my illness has taken my career, my marriage (for the time being at least), my ability to do things for and with my children, my social life, my joy, my body, my financial security, my everything. I am asking for help, and its the hardest thing I have done to date. Its so embarrassing. But I am hoping and praying that things will turn around soon. For me, and my family. I have 3 beautiful children that count on me and I need to be able to be their mother the way they need again.
ANYTHING that is given will be so appreciated!!! I can not express my gratitude towards anyone that takes the time to read my message, and sends a prayer or anything! We are in desperate need of it! I am letting go of my pride to ask for help, I am counting on the love of my community and God to help us through this devestating time in our lives! Any financial gifts that I recieve will be put towards my current and future bills with Mayo Clinic so that I can continue to get treatment from them to figure out what else is going on with my broken body, as well as any traveling expenses to get there, and any past due bills that need to be paid as well as groceries and necessities for my children and I to live and any medical costs/ treatments and pharmacy bills to ensure that I get better as fast as I can by the greatest medical staff in the state so I can continue to be a great mother to my wonderful, 3 beautiful, amazing, wonderful babies! I am trying to raise some funds as soon as possible so I can schedule my 2 weeks of appointments with Mayo Clinic and ensure that all of my bills are up to date so I can lessen the stress of worrying if we will continue to have our car to get to these appointments, continue to be able to be current on our rent, and make sure we have everything taken care of so the only thing that I will have to concentrate on is healing. Thank you to EVERYONE who even takes the time out of their day to read this! I greatly appreciate it! Anything that is given will be appreciated! 5.00, 10 cents, a prayer, it ALL helps!!! All prayers are loved and welcome in our time of need as well! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! This means so much to my family and I. Words just cant express our gratitude!!!! <3
Organizer
Krysta Barela
Organizer
Big Lake, MN