Morgan Can't Breathe: The Story of My Busted Lungs
Donation protected
If you've clicked on this page, then I am assuming you know this already but.. Hi, I'm Morgan!
I'm a 29-year-old, pizza-loving, radio producing music nerd with pink hair, and a bad case of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Bummer, right? Majorly lame, for sure. There is no cure for PAH and it's going to be the bane of my existence for the rest of time - case in point: I need a portable oxygen concentrator which, in laymen's terms means, I need a !@#$ing oxygen tank.. who'da thunk it?!
The GOOD News:
Right now my lungs and heart are well enough that I only need to use supplemental oxygen for travel by plane, extra long car rides and high-altitude destinations.. like Tahoe or Colorado.
The BAD News:
Because I only have to use oxygen for "travel" my corn-flabbing insurance doesn't cover it!
THIS is why I am fundraising for the cost of a Portable Oxygen Concentrator, the extra batteries, the materials and other expenses I will incur having to travel with this bad boy*
(*not me but 100% how I'm tryna be.)
The Why:
This stupid little machine would give me the freedom to live my life somewhat normally as my condition worsens. It would help me stay dope AF by keeping me healthier, while also allowing me to travel by plane or take long car rides, which I do a lot for both work and play. As an added bonus, this little dude would have me more prepared for flu season and aid me in the future progression of my disease. I hate to ask for donations for anything, and, if you know me personally, you know this kills me, but I've realized I can't do this alone anymore and need to accept help.
The Funds:
Portable Oxygen Concentrator's are very expensive and I know what you're thinking, "bummer, dude, but why can't you save your money and get one?" The answer is that I am completely tapped out with all of my recent medical bills, and, while the urgency is because of upcoming travel, I need this machine regardless for my health. I fear that if I don't do this, I will go without something that will ultimately become a lifeline for me. Any extra will go toward my ever-mounting medical bills.
The Machine:
The model I am looking to buy is the Inogen One G3, as it's a pretty small, older and less expensive model that is FCC approved, has a double battery option which makes it great for flying, a lifetime warranty and has 5 flow options for when my condition inevitably gets worse.
The package I am looking at comes out to a whopping $3465 and the link to that is right here (for posterity) https://www.inogen.com/product/inogen-one-g3-system-freedom-package-3/
THANK YOU for your time. I appreciate any donations and, if you can't make one I'd *SO* appreciate a share <3
If you want the full story of my diagnosis, my health journey thus far and what I can expect for the future, feel free to continue reading here:
After what felt like an eternity (which was actually only 3 months, I'm just a drama queen), I was diagnosed with PAH about a week before my 29th birthday at the end of July. My life during those 3 excruciatingly long-ass months consisted of struggling with relatively mortifying symptoms such as shortness of breath upon any exertion, lung and chest pain, dizzy spells, fainting, fatigue and general shitty-ness. I was burning through doctor after doctor and then specialist after specialist, simultaneously having what seemed to be enough blood tests to exsanguinate a small mammal or feed a very large vampire colony for a year. At long last, my cardiologist did an Echocardiogram and told me that she suspected I had a pretty serious case of PAH that was causing my heart to enlarge on the right side. Pretty sure this isn't what my Mama had in mind when she said, "Always have a big heart, Morgan." I can't help but be an overachiever.
If you don't know what Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is (Spoiler Alert: I did not) I wouldn't recommend Googling it; it is a very scary, terminal diagnosis and it will freak you the heck out... WebMD is also not your friend - Just don't do it! If you are curious about the disease and would like an actual resource that doesn't say, "Death Imminent. RIP," I would highly recommend https://phassociation.org. Take it from me, you don't want to read the other stuff, it had me planning my funeral. Yikes.
I rang in my 29th birthday absolutely shitting my pants thinking I was going to die at any moment because of the aforementioned Google searches and was really fortunate to be surrounded by some amazing people, most of whom didn't know my fate just yet and were treating me very much like regular old Morgan, which is exactly what I needed and I am so thankful for. I have since realized that I am not going to die at any moment, and I am in a much more optimistic place these days but, I digress.
Shortly thereafter, on the 6th of August I had my Right-Heart Catheterization and found out that my pressures were alarmingly high in my arteries. Dope. However, during that procedure we also found out that my body reacts to medication to reduce them which is incredible. My doctor told me, and my wonderful best friend JJ who came to my procedure so I didn't literally vomit everywhere, that it's about a 1 in 20 chance for that to happen so I'm pretty elated to be in that position, and I am currently taking a low-dose calcium channel blocker. I'm finding that it's giving me a lot of relief, and I can function at about 65% of my normal functioning level right now.
After that procedure (and a little fainting spell in the hallway of the hospital whilst looking out a window) I began the process called differentials. If you've ever watched the TV show House you will know that differentials is the fancy word for, "we don't know wtf is going on, so let's test for all the things that could maybe cause this issue." I will tell you it's 100% true - they have tested me for all of the things. I got tested for scleroderma, a disease that absolutely sounds fake, lupus, cancer, sarcoidosis, some random disease you can get from cow shit, and pretty much everything in between and nothing stuck.
I don't have high blood pressure, my cholesterol is great, no edema, no clots or issues in the lungs, and, as such my condition is proving to be congenital and idiopathic, which basically means they're not sure what's causing the problems. I have another couple tests 9/3 and 9/5 and hopefully that will clear things up but, until then, this is where I'm at. You're all caught up :)
I'm a 29-year-old, pizza-loving, radio producing music nerd with pink hair, and a bad case of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. Bummer, right? Majorly lame, for sure. There is no cure for PAH and it's going to be the bane of my existence for the rest of time - case in point: I need a portable oxygen concentrator which, in laymen's terms means, I need a !@#$ing oxygen tank.. who'da thunk it?!
The GOOD News:
Right now my lungs and heart are well enough that I only need to use supplemental oxygen for travel by plane, extra long car rides and high-altitude destinations.. like Tahoe or Colorado.
The BAD News:
Because I only have to use oxygen for "travel" my corn-flabbing insurance doesn't cover it!
THIS is why I am fundraising for the cost of a Portable Oxygen Concentrator, the extra batteries, the materials and other expenses I will incur having to travel with this bad boy*
(*not me but 100% how I'm tryna be.)The Why:
This stupid little machine would give me the freedom to live my life somewhat normally as my condition worsens. It would help me stay dope AF by keeping me healthier, while also allowing me to travel by plane or take long car rides, which I do a lot for both work and play. As an added bonus, this little dude would have me more prepared for flu season and aid me in the future progression of my disease. I hate to ask for donations for anything, and, if you know me personally, you know this kills me, but I've realized I can't do this alone anymore and need to accept help.
The Funds:
Portable Oxygen Concentrator's are very expensive and I know what you're thinking, "bummer, dude, but why can't you save your money and get one?" The answer is that I am completely tapped out with all of my recent medical bills, and, while the urgency is because of upcoming travel, I need this machine regardless for my health. I fear that if I don't do this, I will go without something that will ultimately become a lifeline for me. Any extra will go toward my ever-mounting medical bills.
The Machine:
The model I am looking to buy is the Inogen One G3, as it's a pretty small, older and less expensive model that is FCC approved, has a double battery option which makes it great for flying, a lifetime warranty and has 5 flow options for when my condition inevitably gets worse.
The package I am looking at comes out to a whopping $3465 and the link to that is right here (for posterity) https://www.inogen.com/product/inogen-one-g3-system-freedom-package-3/ THANK YOU for your time. I appreciate any donations and, if you can't make one I'd *SO* appreciate a share <3
If you want the full story of my diagnosis, my health journey thus far and what I can expect for the future, feel free to continue reading here:
After what felt like an eternity (which was actually only 3 months, I'm just a drama queen), I was diagnosed with PAH about a week before my 29th birthday at the end of July. My life during those 3 excruciatingly long-ass months consisted of struggling with relatively mortifying symptoms such as shortness of breath upon any exertion, lung and chest pain, dizzy spells, fainting, fatigue and general shitty-ness. I was burning through doctor after doctor and then specialist after specialist, simultaneously having what seemed to be enough blood tests to exsanguinate a small mammal or feed a very large vampire colony for a year. At long last, my cardiologist did an Echocardiogram and told me that she suspected I had a pretty serious case of PAH that was causing my heart to enlarge on the right side. Pretty sure this isn't what my Mama had in mind when she said, "Always have a big heart, Morgan." I can't help but be an overachiever.
If you don't know what Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension is (Spoiler Alert: I did not) I wouldn't recommend Googling it; it is a very scary, terminal diagnosis and it will freak you the heck out... WebMD is also not your friend - Just don't do it! If you are curious about the disease and would like an actual resource that doesn't say, "Death Imminent. RIP," I would highly recommend https://phassociation.org. Take it from me, you don't want to read the other stuff, it had me planning my funeral. Yikes.
I rang in my 29th birthday absolutely shitting my pants thinking I was going to die at any moment because of the aforementioned Google searches and was really fortunate to be surrounded by some amazing people, most of whom didn't know my fate just yet and were treating me very much like regular old Morgan, which is exactly what I needed and I am so thankful for. I have since realized that I am not going to die at any moment, and I am in a much more optimistic place these days but, I digress.
Shortly thereafter, on the 6th of August I had my Right-Heart Catheterization and found out that my pressures were alarmingly high in my arteries. Dope. However, during that procedure we also found out that my body reacts to medication to reduce them which is incredible. My doctor told me, and my wonderful best friend JJ who came to my procedure so I didn't literally vomit everywhere, that it's about a 1 in 20 chance for that to happen so I'm pretty elated to be in that position, and I am currently taking a low-dose calcium channel blocker. I'm finding that it's giving me a lot of relief, and I can function at about 65% of my normal functioning level right now.
After that procedure (and a little fainting spell in the hallway of the hospital whilst looking out a window) I began the process called differentials. If you've ever watched the TV show House you will know that differentials is the fancy word for, "we don't know wtf is going on, so let's test for all the things that could maybe cause this issue." I will tell you it's 100% true - they have tested me for all of the things. I got tested for scleroderma, a disease that absolutely sounds fake, lupus, cancer, sarcoidosis, some random disease you can get from cow shit, and pretty much everything in between and nothing stuck.
I don't have high blood pressure, my cholesterol is great, no edema, no clots or issues in the lungs, and, as such my condition is proving to be congenital and idiopathic, which basically means they're not sure what's causing the problems. I have another couple tests 9/3 and 9/5 and hopefully that will clear things up but, until then, this is where I'm at. You're all caught up :)
Organizer
Morgan Elaine
Organizer
Pleasant Hill, CA