Current story:
On March 10, 2016 I had a spinal fusion surgery (C5-6 ACDF) to remove a disc that was crushing my spinal cord. My surgery did not go well, and ever since then I've struggled with continuing neurological problems, unrelenting neck pain and spasms, and migraines that are triggered by my spine injury. I have three other herniated discs and nerve compression that covers the majority of my cervical spine and upper thoracic spine.
The fusion has caused the vertebrae above and below it to shift unnaturally, which disrupts the biomechanics in my spine. After going through countless invasive spine injections and other quasi-surgical procedures to reduce these problems, I'm still struggling with debilitating pain and never-ending headaches. I've literally had a migraine every single day since my surgery. Many of my medications are not covered by insurance, and in addition to continuing spine injections and physical therapy, I will also likely require another two surgeries to address the host of problems in my spine.
My student health insurance cycle just reset, and all of my health costs are coming directly out of pocket again. I'm still fighting unfair medical bills from the last cycle and unexpected costs from the original surgery, and many of the current recommended procedures or medications are not covered by my health plan at all.
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just passing this fund around on social media. I hate being in this situation still, but my quality of life has sunk so low since my spine fusion, I would do anything to try and have just one day without excruciating pain. Thank you so much for your help. Continue reading below for information about how I acquired this condition at such a young age (33).
Backstory:
I was a passenger in a severe car accident several years ago, and I injured my neck, back, and shoulders. This accident tore some of the ligaments in my neck and created instability (retrolisthesis) in my cervical vertebrae.
Over time, this instability caused a series of cervical disc herniations, and one of them became so bad that it compressed my spinal cord and the outgoing spinal nerves. This sends horrible pain down my arms along the nerve tracts and makes all the muscles in my upper body twist into one giant spasm. My fingers are alternately numb, tingling, or on fire from the nerve compression. The spinal cord compression weakened the muscles in my arms and hands and made me clumsy—it’s hard to type, hold a pen, use a fork. I still drop things all the time.
I tried conservative treatments for over a year, but due to progressive damage, my neurosurgeons decided it had to be fixed surgically before I lost more function--the injury is so high up in my neck that eventually I would have started having problems walking.
There were two surgery options: one is called an ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion), and the other is an ADR (artificial disc replacement). Both involve cutting through the front of my throat to get to my spine, removing the damaged discs, and taking the pressure off my spinal cord. (Trigger warning: actual post-op photo of my neck incision below).
The ADR was a better solution for me, but due to insurance issues, I ended up stuck with the inferior ACDF option. Click here for an animated video of the surgery. Now I will forever have a plate and giant metal screws in my spine. Over time, this will continue degrading the surrounding discs and vertebrae.
Thanks again for considering donating to or forwarding my campaign. It's embarrassing having to ask again, but it's even more uncomfortable having to choose between food/shelter or medical treatment.
On March 10, 2016 I had a spinal fusion surgery (C5-6 ACDF) to remove a disc that was crushing my spinal cord. My surgery did not go well, and ever since then I've struggled with continuing neurological problems, unrelenting neck pain and spasms, and migraines that are triggered by my spine injury. I have three other herniated discs and nerve compression that covers the majority of my cervical spine and upper thoracic spine.
The fusion has caused the vertebrae above and below it to shift unnaturally, which disrupts the biomechanics in my spine. After going through countless invasive spine injections and other quasi-surgical procedures to reduce these problems, I'm still struggling with debilitating pain and never-ending headaches. I've literally had a migraine every single day since my surgery. Many of my medications are not covered by insurance, and in addition to continuing spine injections and physical therapy, I will also likely require another two surgeries to address the host of problems in my spine.
My student health insurance cycle just reset, and all of my health costs are coming directly out of pocket again. I'm still fighting unfair medical bills from the last cycle and unexpected costs from the original surgery, and many of the current recommended procedures or medications are not covered by my health plan at all.
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just passing this fund around on social media. I hate being in this situation still, but my quality of life has sunk so low since my spine fusion, I would do anything to try and have just one day without excruciating pain. Thank you so much for your help. Continue reading below for information about how I acquired this condition at such a young age (33).
Backstory:
I was a passenger in a severe car accident several years ago, and I injured my neck, back, and shoulders. This accident tore some of the ligaments in my neck and created instability (retrolisthesis) in my cervical vertebrae.
Over time, this instability caused a series of cervical disc herniations, and one of them became so bad that it compressed my spinal cord and the outgoing spinal nerves. This sends horrible pain down my arms along the nerve tracts and makes all the muscles in my upper body twist into one giant spasm. My fingers are alternately numb, tingling, or on fire from the nerve compression. The spinal cord compression weakened the muscles in my arms and hands and made me clumsy—it’s hard to type, hold a pen, use a fork. I still drop things all the time.
I tried conservative treatments for over a year, but due to progressive damage, my neurosurgeons decided it had to be fixed surgically before I lost more function--the injury is so high up in my neck that eventually I would have started having problems walking.
There were two surgery options: one is called an ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion), and the other is an ADR (artificial disc replacement). Both involve cutting through the front of my throat to get to my spine, removing the damaged discs, and taking the pressure off my spinal cord. (Trigger warning: actual post-op photo of my neck incision below).
The ADR was a better solution for me, but due to insurance issues, I ended up stuck with the inferior ACDF option. Click here for an animated video of the surgery. Now I will forever have a plate and giant metal screws in my spine. Over time, this will continue degrading the surrounding discs and vertebrae.
Thanks again for considering donating to or forwarding my campaign. It's embarrassing having to ask again, but it's even more uncomfortable having to choose between food/shelter or medical treatment.