Summarized with minimal details (below is the whole story):

After more than 10 years of worsening arm and nerve pain, I was finally diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome caused by extra cervical ribs. I urgently need decompression surgery to prevent further damage, regain function, and return to work. Due to insurance issues, job loss, and mounting medical costs, I’m asking for help covering surgery, hospital, travel, and recovery expenses. Any support or shares mean the world to my family and me.

Hello. My name is Brittany. I am a mom of an 8 year old son and a wife to an amazing husband of 11 years. This is quite the story but I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read all the way through it. I am not the type to reach out for help by any means but sometimes things happen in life where we need to reach out to our village. About 10 years ago or more, I started having pain in my hand and wrist. My hand swells up randomly and would cause a lot of pain. I am a Sign Language Interpreter so this was a big issue. I began seeing doctors thinking I had carpal tunnel or arthritis. Those tests came back negative and their diagnosis was "over use". No resolution or further testing. Then when I was pregnant they blamed it on "pregnancy carpal tunnel" even though I explained this started before I was pregnant. Yet again, no help. I would just put on wrist braces to support me through the days while at work. Then in 2023, my elbow started pinching really bad. It felt like tug of war from my elbow to my wrist, I couldn't even open my hand all the way. I went to an orthopedic doctor who found that my ulnar nerve was out of place. He was able to grab it and move it around in my elbow. We tried bracing it and it made it worse, so I ended up needing surgery. I took FMLA and went out of work for this surgery. He went in and moved my ulnar nerve to the inside of my elbow where the arm bends. He had to cut a slit into the muscle to give it a place to stay. I was supposed to be out of work for 6-8 weeks. During this recovery, I began to feel new symptoms along with the ones from 10+ years ago. My arm started feeling heavy all the time and goes numb if I am holding it up at all. Anywhere above waist level, my arm goes to sleep within 10 seconds. My whole arm from my collar bone to my hand. I struggle to write, type, use a mouse on the computer, wash my hair, carry anything, on top of regular life duties. My right hand is swollen, I can only open it all the way if I force it open with pain, and my armpit is swollen. I constantly feel pain in my collar bone and my armpit as well. It is truly aggravating and a daily struggle.

They began testing me and diagnosed me with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). I had never even heard of this syndrome before. I was told that physical therapy helps 90% of people with this syndrome...I went through 4 physical therapists. The last one was determined to get me better and back to work. I had run out of FMLA but my job was doing ADA to help give me medical leave coverage. However, it ran out and they didn't renew it. They knew everything that was going on and I was doing everything I could to get back to work and be better. But with this condition, there was no way I could be at work signing. In July of that year, I was rear ended causing whiplash and worse collar bone pain. When I went to the chiropractor, they did an X-Ray for whiplash and found that my neck was sprained, and also found that I had 2 extra cervical ribs in my neck (you aren't supposed to be born with those). At that point, we knew that was causing part of the problem with the compression. After 9 months of leave, they sent me a letter via email firing me...on my birthday. They also terminated my insurance 2 days later. I began stacking up medical bills like crazy due to this. I was without insurance from September 2024-February 2025. Shortly after I was fired, I was told that PT was not going to do anything for me. Even my original orthopedic surgeon said there wasn't anything more he could do for me and referred me to a doctor that specializes in this syndrome out in Phoenix (2 hours away from me).

So now I had been discharged from PT and my original doctor and had started seeing the new doctor. He did physical testing on me and found that I did have TOS and I would need surgery. I contacted an insurance agent and requested that it was insurance coverage that my doctor takes. She said that it was and we signed up with it. After that, I scheduled my surgery with the doctor so that I can get the relief that I so desperately needed and could go back to my career. Shortly before my surgery, I was informed that my doctor was not covered by that insurance plan, but we could request that they accept it as "out of network", so we did. The insurance claimed that I did not give them an Xray to support the need, so we did an appeal to send them the X-Ray of the cervical ribs. After that, they still said they didn't get it even though I know that they did. So my whole surgery was canceled due to denial. I was supposed to have surgery in May of 2025, in November I found out the insurance was lying to me and they did have the X-Rays but not a "report to support it" which was crazy because the insurance decides if its necessary, and had all of my medical records plus a note from my doctor explaining why I needed it. I have also been on disability since December of 2023, and now disability is getting on me because I haven't had my surgery. It has been an absolute nightmare and my disability ends in May of this year. I am doing everything in my power to make this happen and I keep hitting dead ends.

Now we are onto this year, I switched insurance yet again but this one actually accepts my doctor! I went to see him and he still agrees that surgery is needed and my symptoms have only gotten worse since I last saw him. We scheduled surgery for March 16th but I need to pay a huge chunk up front for my doctor and that does not even include the anesthesiologist or the hospital stay. My husband also owns his own business so we take a loss on income when he has to take time off work. He will be taking time off to help me recover and he doesn't get PTO so we have to plan ahead for the income lost that week. I desperately need this surgery for my own health, to get better, get back to working and live a normal life, plus I am losing my disability. However, I am not sure how to accomplish that with such short notice on how much money I need up front to make it happen. There will also be traveling costs, and a hotel the night before surgery involved. I am reaching out in hopes to raise enough to make all of this happen. I do not have the hospital costs yet but I have a brand new insurance and new year so I have not met anything towards my deductible which is $7500 and my out of pocket maximum is $10,500. If I raise more than I need for the surgery, it will all go towards the medical bills that I still have from Physical Therapy and other medical bills I have related to this syndrome. I appreciate everyone so greatly, and even if you are unable to donate, please share it around!

About the surgery:

TOS (Thoracic Outlet Syndrome) surgery, or thoracic outlet decompression, relieves pressure on nerves and blood vessels in the space between your collarbone and first rib by removing structures that cause compression, such as parts of the first rib, scalene muscles, or fibrous bands, to improve blood flow and nerve function in the arm and shoulder.

This syndrome also holds a risk for blood clots or strokes due to how it compresses the nerves and blood vessels.

He will be removing the cervical rib on the right side of my neck, removing the first rib behind the collar bone, and also removing scalene muscles. This surgery is an inpatient procedure where I will have to stay overnight. However, I have followed support groups to see other people's experiences and there are many people who have stayed 3, 5, and 7 days in the hospital. So I am not holding my breath on 1 night but praying for only 1 night. This bill is going to be outrageous with everything that is involved in it and I am super stressed about it.

If you made it this far, I TRULY appreciate your time and anything you can do to help me through this so I can finally get through it. It has been a LONG 2 years! <3

I also have the following money apps to avoid the fee:

Zelle: [email redacted] (remove the space before the at symbol. I had to do this because it hid our email) or my cell phone number if you have that!

Venmo: @Brittany-Haynes-30

CashApp: $scentsfrombritt

PayPal: @passionate4asl