Help Kristina Recover from Spinal Surgery

Buckle up, friends, grab yourself a snack and a drink because this is a long one!

Hi, I’m Kristina and this part of my story begins in the summer of 2023. Our family had recently lost our health insurance and in the state we were living the cost of health insurance was high enough that we were unable to obtain new policies. I am a Rheumatoid Arthritis patient, diagnosed in 2009. Being without insurance is a huge problem for someone like me, because without the proper medication my condition quickly deteriorates. I continued working to the best of my ability but as fast as I was declining it was clear we needed a miracle to save my mobility. We got that miracle in the form of a job offer for my husband at his former employer located in our home state that we had left a few years prior. They offer great health insurance with very affordable premiums. This was one of the biggest factors in our return to California.

And so, I walked away from my job that had such a big, bright future.. so that I could get healthy again. We arrived back in Vista on October 1. The plan was that once I was able to get back on my medication, get the RA under control once again, then I would be able to go find another job and work towards financial freedom again. But boy, when I say jokes on me…

I began Dashing (delivery driver for the company Doordash) again to have some sort of income while I waited for our insurance to activate. It’s not the greatest fit for a person with physical problems, but the flexible hours and scheduling meant that I could take time off for my bad pain days and not worry about letting anyone down or have any sort of repercussions for calling in sick too much.

Getting back to a rheumatologist proved much more challenging than I had anticipated. I wanted to get back to the doctor I had seen previously here, as he was just wonderful, always listened to me and was my equal partner in managing my condition. Unfortunately, instead of scheduling with him, I learned of his passing. I was devastated. Because he was gone, I had to start over from square one. This meant having to wait for an appointment to reestablish care with my old primary, get a new referral to rheumatology, and wait several more months before being seen.

During this time I developed some new and very worrying symptoms- a new kind low back pain and pain and weakness in my legs. I finally saw my new rheumatologist at the end of January. She indicated that these new symptoms were not related to my RA.

I then discussed the issue further with my chiropractor. We agreed it was time to escalate this to my primary doctor as my adjustments just weren’t helping, and it wasn’t related to my RA. I was fully prepared to be told everything was fine and it was just a simple thing with an easy fix. A few X-rays, an MRI, and several specialist referrals later I’m informed that I have a ‘very large extruded disc herniation at L4-5 severely compressing the dural sac’. That certainly explained the often excruciating pain shooting down my legs! The first person I discussed this result with was my chiropractor. Again, I was expecting him to validate that it wasn’t a big deal and it would be a simple fix. So when he told me that his opinion was that I would need surgery to correct the problem, I was completely blindsided.

I finally landed at a surgical consult in April. I was lucky enough to have meetings with 2 different providers on the same day, and they agreed on everything from diagnosis to treatment plan. I also had a meeting with another doctor in Pain Management who prescribed me something to help with the nerve pain I was experiencing.

My next step would be physical therapy, as sometimes the least invasive options can help alleviate symptoms and in some cases can assist in the herniation receding. At first I was very optimistic, the PT thought I was a great candidate for finding relief with that modality. Initially I felt some soreness but my energy picked up, and I felt more steady and stronger.

After a couple weeks I felt the tables turning in the wrong direction. Now I was feeling worse after my sessions and the nerve pain started reaching further down my legs again. I wasn’t ready to give up yet though, and so after discussing with my PT we began restricting the intensity of my sessions. The pain persisted and with approval from the surgeon, I discontinued with physical therapy after 6 weeks.

At my second follow up with the surgeon in June, I finally accepted that I need surgery but I let him know that financially speaking, I wasn’t ready. Because I am self employed, I don’t have benefits such as paid time off. He’d get paid because we have great health insurance, but I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills unless I saved up for the time off. He strongly suggested I apply for temporary disability despite my prediction that I would not qualify, and eventually my claim was denied. He also reiterated that ultimately, these were my decisions to make and while he plainly knows this is what I need, he won’t force me into anything I’m not comfortable with. He also explained that he’s had patients like me go both ways- some are able to endure their symptoms indefinitely while some call back fairly quickly saying they can’t take it anymore and need to get the ball rolling.

I’m no stranger to pain and I’m a pro at hiding it. I’ve spent over 15 years downplaying my RA pain, so surely I could handle being in the camp of patients who could hold out for months or even years before addressing a spinal surgery, right? Right?! Wrong. Things have continued to escalate and I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out. The pain has robbed me of any sort of quality life. If I’m not out trying my best to work, I’m generally home laying in bed. I have very little stamina for standing stationary anymore, and I can sit for only short periods of time. Walking or lying down are the only things that provide temporary relief.

Today I also find myself in the unfortunate situation of knowing that until I get my back fixed my finances will continue to spiral further out of control. My husband does what he can to help me, but we truly require 2 incomes to survive. Every month my credit balances increase because that’s the only way we can get everything covered and still eat. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. I can’t afford to take the time off for surgery, but if I don’t have surgery I can’t work enough to live. The longer I wait, the more money I’ll need thanks to rising balances and interest. It’s such a crappy situation to be in!

I have prayed my little heart out over these months, praying for an answer to this complex issue. Well, God’s certainly been working on me all along. Due to trauma in my past, I have always been hyper independent. Asking for or accepting help was not only hard, but unacceptable to me. In my life I really have had this feeling that I’d rather struggle and do it on my own than ask anyone for anything. As a matter of fact, the first time a thought of having a fundraiser popped into my head, I literally said out loud, “Ew. No”. That was months ago. But as I said, He’s been working on me, and the thought persisted. I was already starting to understand that maybe I really wouldn’t be able to do this one all on my own. Maybe this time I do need help. Then today I heard His words loud and clear: Who are you to deny someone’s desire to help? And he’s right. How many times have I forced my own help onto others? How often have I gone above and beyond for others who may want to return the favor? I have people all over this country who love me dearly and would do anything they could to help me. And who am I to deny any of them?

So here I am, as humble as I know how to be, telling those people that love me that yes, I will accept your help should you choose to give it.

To be clear, any funds received will go towards my living expenses and monthly bills while I am home recovering from surgery and unable to work. The procedure I’ll be having is a discectomy, they’ll remove the portion of the disc that sits where it’s not meant to. During my recovery I’m encouraged to walk, but absolutely no lifting more than 10-15lb. After 6 weeks I’ll be allowed to begin lifting again and should be able to return to physical therapy. Because of the RA and how my body reacts to inactivity, I do not believe I’ll be able to jump right back into work immediately, so it’s far more likely I’ll need to take 8 weeks before I’m strong enough and well enough to get back out there. I’m hoping to have my surgery scheduled sometime in September.

I also want to say, I’m not expecting anything to come from this. I’m hopeful to receive a bit of help during my time of need, but I never expect. I also don’t want anyone put out, so if you do not have the means then please please don’t even give it a second thought. If you can’t contribute financially, but still want to help somehow then maybe just help spread the word.

If you made it all the way through, I want to thank you. I know my story took something like 82 years to read, and that is some serious commitment, you should really pat yourself on the back! All jokes aside, I can’t express how much I appreciate even having people willing to carve out a few minutes to read about my cause. Thank you and may God bless you infinitely!