The healthcare system failed me - help!
Donation protected
As you may or may not know, I was rushed to the ER earlier this week for an emergency spinal surgery. I am a self pay client meaning I have no health insurance.
—
This injury began in January and by March it had gotten so bad that I saw a specialist. A chiropractor. Out of my own pocket.
When I visited him, I told him I was certain it was a herniated disc. Because I was on self pay, he did not want to order an MRI - which is the only way to detect whether a herniation is truly there. Instead he said, it was a sprain and a strain and that with adjustments it would go away.
I continued to pay and get adjustments in the affected area. Although some symptoms got better, there was always a nagging pain that never went away.
Two weeks ago I returned after exacerbating the injury from simply sitting to paint. Starting at my left heel, numbness crept up my left leg every day progressively. I was experiencing incontinence and constipation.
I told him at that point I needed an MRI, yet he still refused to issue stating that because I’m paying out of pocket, he’d like to do a few more adjustments before ordering one. Even after telling him te symptoms I had been experiencing.
The next day I saw the main chiropractor of the practice and was shocked at his response. He said I should not have been worked on at all without one and ordered a rush MRI immediately.
Because of the time (this was a Friday evening), I called Saturday and the first chiropractor - the one who said he would not issue the MRI - said he would call me back and never did.
On Monday, I finally received the script from the practice leader. From there I proceeded to spend hours trying to find an imaging center that would do one immediately, especially since the numbness had spread up to my butt and starting through my groin area.
Most imaging areas were incredibly expensive and requiring money upfront before providing service.
While doing this research - in a span of hours, the numbness spread to my groin. At this point; I decided it was best to go to the Emergency Room because I knew I was putting myself at too much risk.
—
Upon entry to the emergency room I found out that I had herniations from L4 - S1 and that my L4 had extruded to the point where it covered the three lower spinal portions. I had developed an infection from the issues surrounding the rupture and required immediate surgery.
I was told had I gone to one more adjustment, I would be paralyzed for life.
—
This has not been an easy road for me. I tried doing the responsible thing of getting healthcare, but with a family of four and all the options available through employment or the state, the lowest alternative was $600 monthly. And with this, I would have still had to pay partially.
The truth is, I’ve been paying for this expense for quite a while and anticipate much more between the hospital bill and the physical therapy I will need.
This injury will affect my ability to work and earn income, as well as put a stop to many goals I had for this year. It will also greatly hinder my ability to care for the people I love most.
Any contribution will help tremendously. I’ve estimated what I think a baseline cost will be above and will adjust as I continue to find out the rest of the situation. The funds will go towards paying for all procedures, aftercare and living expenses until I am able to return to full work.
I went from an athletic little beast, to an almost paralyzed shell of that person. Although doctors have told me it’s hopeful, there is a chance that some of these damages are irreversible and that I may have difficulty walking for the rest of my life.
Please take the time to read this story fully and even if you don’t donate, take these two things to heart:
One, we live in a world where getting healthcare is next to impossible. We should be focusing as a community on how to get affordable or free healthcare for all. Someone tell Jeff Bezos to make some Amazon Healthcare already and destroy this vicious circle.
Two, always remember that medicine is an industry. Fact check your doctors. Get second opinions. If I hadn’t spent nights crying and researching what I thought I had (which was correct, by the way) I would have been paralyzed.
The neurosurgeon said this was one of the worst cases he had ever seen - especially in someone 32 years old.
—
As I said, any contribution is a help - I promise I won’t invest it in GameStop, lol.
But most importantly just read through this story and think - this could happen to you or someone you know.
Stay safe out there!
Photos pre-injury:
The people who need me to get better ASAP:
My current state of affairs:
My artwork, which will have to take a pause:
—
This injury began in January and by March it had gotten so bad that I saw a specialist. A chiropractor. Out of my own pocket.
When I visited him, I told him I was certain it was a herniated disc. Because I was on self pay, he did not want to order an MRI - which is the only way to detect whether a herniation is truly there. Instead he said, it was a sprain and a strain and that with adjustments it would go away.
I continued to pay and get adjustments in the affected area. Although some symptoms got better, there was always a nagging pain that never went away.
Two weeks ago I returned after exacerbating the injury from simply sitting to paint. Starting at my left heel, numbness crept up my left leg every day progressively. I was experiencing incontinence and constipation.
I told him at that point I needed an MRI, yet he still refused to issue stating that because I’m paying out of pocket, he’d like to do a few more adjustments before ordering one. Even after telling him te symptoms I had been experiencing.
The next day I saw the main chiropractor of the practice and was shocked at his response. He said I should not have been worked on at all without one and ordered a rush MRI immediately.
Because of the time (this was a Friday evening), I called Saturday and the first chiropractor - the one who said he would not issue the MRI - said he would call me back and never did.
On Monday, I finally received the script from the practice leader. From there I proceeded to spend hours trying to find an imaging center that would do one immediately, especially since the numbness had spread up to my butt and starting through my groin area.
Most imaging areas were incredibly expensive and requiring money upfront before providing service.
While doing this research - in a span of hours, the numbness spread to my groin. At this point; I decided it was best to go to the Emergency Room because I knew I was putting myself at too much risk.
—
Upon entry to the emergency room I found out that I had herniations from L4 - S1 and that my L4 had extruded to the point where it covered the three lower spinal portions. I had developed an infection from the issues surrounding the rupture and required immediate surgery.
I was told had I gone to one more adjustment, I would be paralyzed for life.
—
This has not been an easy road for me. I tried doing the responsible thing of getting healthcare, but with a family of four and all the options available through employment or the state, the lowest alternative was $600 monthly. And with this, I would have still had to pay partially.
The truth is, I’ve been paying for this expense for quite a while and anticipate much more between the hospital bill and the physical therapy I will need.
This injury will affect my ability to work and earn income, as well as put a stop to many goals I had for this year. It will also greatly hinder my ability to care for the people I love most.
Any contribution will help tremendously. I’ve estimated what I think a baseline cost will be above and will adjust as I continue to find out the rest of the situation. The funds will go towards paying for all procedures, aftercare and living expenses until I am able to return to full work.
I went from an athletic little beast, to an almost paralyzed shell of that person. Although doctors have told me it’s hopeful, there is a chance that some of these damages are irreversible and that I may have difficulty walking for the rest of my life.
Please take the time to read this story fully and even if you don’t donate, take these two things to heart:
One, we live in a world where getting healthcare is next to impossible. We should be focusing as a community on how to get affordable or free healthcare for all. Someone tell Jeff Bezos to make some Amazon Healthcare already and destroy this vicious circle.
Two, always remember that medicine is an industry. Fact check your doctors. Get second opinions. If I hadn’t spent nights crying and researching what I thought I had (which was correct, by the way) I would have been paralyzed.
The neurosurgeon said this was one of the worst cases he had ever seen - especially in someone 32 years old.
—
As I said, any contribution is a help - I promise I won’t invest it in GameStop, lol.
But most importantly just read through this story and think - this could happen to you or someone you know.
Stay safe out there!
Photos pre-injury:
The people who need me to get better ASAP:
My current state of affairs:
My artwork, which will have to take a pause:
Organizer
Emily Gee
Organizer
Stamford, CT