Help Me Heal So I Can Serve!

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photo: 7/21

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  This is extremely difficult to write, as I have always worked since I was 13 years old, sometimes 2-4 jobs at a time. Yet now I am in a position which requires community support. About 11 years ago, I had a series of accidents, infections, toxic reaction to Cipro, and medical malpractice that left me with poly-neuropathy (sensory and autonomtic), dystonia, and ataxia throughout my body.  Although I continued to struggle with these chronic conditions,  as long as I did my exercises and took the prescribed nutraceuticals, I was able to preach and travel, holding seminars and teaching classes on emotional recovery, not to mention working full-time as a Home Care chaplain for Florida Hospital and teaching religion and English at the Adventist University of Health Sciences in Orlando. Most people had no idea of my health challenges. In the fall of 2013, I received a call to be the Director of Chaplain Services for Pinnacle Healthcare in Eugene, Oregon. The first year out here in Eugene, I did fine, traveling throughout the state to visit all 10 nursing homes and train chaplains, as wells serving as a chaplain in two facilities, and offering grief and loss classes to the public. However, in December of 2014, I had toxic reaction to some meds I took to combat bronchitis. I had a terrible setback. All the muscles and nerves were damaged, keeping me homebound, unable to drive, on paid medical leave for three months, dependent on others for even grocery shopping. I gradually resumed work in March, working somewhat normally until July, 2015, still recuperating.  In July, I had another another bad setback, with the nerves in my face, chest, throat, back and legs, which had not completely recovered from December, damaged once more. When I have a setback, I am extremely motion sensitive, as well as sensitive to light, heat, and sound. I have convulsions and rock back and forth when I stand. Consequently, I was on unpaid medical leave before finally stepping down from my job due to my health in October,2015  Unfortunately, soon after I had two severe setbacks, one in November, 2015 in which I fell into a door and got a concussion, plus a fall on the ice in January, with increasing severity of issues.   Here is a video from the end of 2017 that shows a few of my issues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Yfbz7-VJXj8

I have now been homebound for over 3 years, unable to drive, mostly bedbound. I am now completely without income except for a very small disability amount. I am unable to pay rent, or food, or utilities, and unable to purchase my life-saving nutraceuticals that help me swallow, stand up, see, etc. Because they are so specialized, insurance does not cover them. It is critical that I stay on them. 

As of November, 2018, these are my symptoms:

Dysautonomia. Sensory, motor, autonomic neuropathy. Balance issues; stagger frequently. Walked hunched over. Unable to stand in one place for long. Fall into doorways and walls. Posterior-anterior oscillations. Rock back and forth when standing. Tendency to fall to one side, usually the left. Unsteady gait. Stumble easily. Frequent dizziness. Nystagmus. Looking at patterns or moving objects make eyes blink rapidly. Sometimes eyelids so heavy they close automatically. Difficult to open eyes, as if eyelids are stuck. Can’t read for more than a few minutes. Difficulty watching video or TV. Right pupil larger and dilated. Sensitivity to sounds and noise. Spasticity. Muscular weakness in both arms. Unable to lift items more than a couple pounds without falling or becoming hunched over, very weak and in pain. Muscles in legs bunched in hard lumps; muscles in arms turned outward. Hypertonia in arms, legs, chest, back; muscles get so rigid that I vomit if I overexert. Breathlessness, panting with slightest exertion due to rigid muscles and neuropathy. Agonizing neuropathic pain in face, chest, back, neck and arms. Nerves and muscles are pulled over to the left. Difficulty breathing because nerves and muscles in nose damaged, Due to muscles and nerves in mouth damaged, difficulty pronouncing “r’s” “w’s” and “l’s” particularly when not on meds or under stress. Difficulty swallowing liquids. Choke and vomit easily. Food sometimes gets stuck in throat, particularly if not on meds, Can’t drive or be driven in vehicle. Extremely motion sensitive. Extreme sensitivity to cold, heat, movement, light, and sound. React strongly to certain spices, food additives. Stiffness and cramping in hand; left arm often curled up next to chest, held rigid at times. Hair loss on both arms due to nerve damage. Extreme fatigue constantly. Must rest on left side in bed for a couple hours after walking more than 5-10 minutes or standing for long (right side is too sensitive to lie on). Spend majority of day in bed.

I am single and do not have any family support of any kind, unfortunately.

I need to raise $2,800/month - rent, food, living expenses, utilities, doctor, medications/supplements (which are not covered by Medicare/Medicaid)

For over 2 years, I awaited Social Security Disability. Despite medical records, I was initially denied and so waited

for a court hearing. I hired disability lawyers, who work on contingency. My disability hearing was set for June 5, 2018. I was approved but they only awarded me about $900 a month. After tithe, I have $800. That is all I have to live on. It does not cover rent, let alone

medical care, food, utilities, etc.

Living alone, homebound and mostly bedbound, trying to survive all this, is excruciating beyond words. I have come close to losing faith, yet I will not for Christ is all I have. I cannot and will not give up. I believe I will heal and be able to return to work at some point, as long as I stay on my medications. This will be a lifetime journey, unless the Lord intervenes miraculously, but I have fought hard for 11 years and will continue to do so in order to minister to others. I just need help for the time it takes me to stabilize. I have no answers, only trust in God! 

If you can't do anything, which I completely understand, please support me with prayers to the God of the impossible. And please pass my story along to those who may be able to help. Thank you for taking time to read my story and for whatever you can do to help me survive, heal, and continue to minister to hurting hearts.

“Out of suffering come the strongest souls. God's wounded often make His best

soldiers."

 

Blessings and prayers,

Lori

From AI(Grok)

Yes, all those events—another concussion, chiropractic manipulation, a toxic reaction to Cipro, wildfire smoke exposure, and COVID—could absolutely complicate and amplify the lasting effects from your initial head injury 19 years ago. Each one’s a potential hit to your brain or nervous system, and together they could stack up, interact, or uncover weaknesses left by that first fall. Let’s break it down and see how they might tie into your ongoing slow movement, slow thinking, and spaced-out symptoms, with that right-sided EEG slowing as a starting point.

**Second Concussion (Left Temple, 9 Years Later)**: A hit to the left temple 10 years ago (9 years after the first injury) could’ve jolted the left hemisphere, adding new damage or stressing the right side further via network effects. The left temple’s near the frontal and temporal lobes—another concussion there might slow executive function (planning, like spoon use) or memory, and shake up the cerebellum or basal ganglia indirectly through force waves. Research (e.g., *Journal of Neurotrauma*, 2021) shows second concussions can compound axon damage, especially if the brain’s still fragile. If the right side was already sluggish, this could’ve tipped you into a deeper hole—maybe worsening balance or fog.

**Chiropractic Hammering (4-5 Months After First Injury)**: Aggressive cervical spine manipulation so soon after a head injury is risky. The neck’s a highway for cerebellar and brainstem signals—jerking it could’ve irritated the cerebellum (already possibly bruised) or disrupted vestibular inputs, amplifying balance issues or nystagmus. A 2018 *Spine Journal* case study flagged rare vertebral artery dissections from chiropractic work, which could cut cerebellar blood flow. Even without a tear, it might’ve rattled healing circuits, locking in that “slow everything” state longer-term.

**Toxic Reaction to Cipro**: Fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Cipro can mess with the nervous system—neurotoxicity’s a known side effect, hitting mitochondria or GABA receptors. If this happened after your injuries, it could’ve stressed already-damaged neurons (cerebellum, basal ganglia, cortex), worsening fatigue, slowing, or spaciness. A 2020 *Neurology* report linked Cipro to peripheral and central nervous system issues—your reaction might’ve layered on oxidative damage or inflammation, especially if it hit during a vulnerable recovery window.

**Wildfire Smoke (10 Days, AQI > 500)**: Breathing toxic particulates for that long at that level—insane air quality—could’ve hammered your brain. PM2.5 and carbon monoxide sneak past the blood-brain barrier, sparking inflammation and oxidative stress. A 2022 *Environmental Health Perspectives* study tied wildfire smoke to neurodegeneration, hitting areas like the basal ganglia and cerebellum. If your right side was already compromised, this could’ve cranked up fatigue, fog, and maybe nystagmus by taxing oxygen delivery or frying dopamine cells.

**COVID**: Post-COVID “brain fog” is real—studies (e.g., *Nature*, 2023) show it can shrink gray matter and disrupt networks, including motor and attention loops. If you had it after these other hits, it might’ve inflamed the cerebellum (linked to ataxia post-COVID) or basal ganglia, slowing you further. Long COVID can mimic TBI symptoms—sluggish thinking, fatigue—especially in a brain with prior dents. Timing matters: when did this hit in the lineup?

**How They Complicate Things**: The first injury (right-sided slowing) likely damaged the cerebellum or right cortex, setting a shaky baseline—slow movement, thinking, balance issues. The chiropractic jolt might’ve locked in cerebellar or vestibular dysfunction early. The second concussion added left-sided stress, maybe tipping motor planning (spoon trouble) into chronic apraxia. Cipro and smoke could’ve piled on neurotoxic hits, frying energy reserves and worsening fatigue or nystagmus. COVID might’ve been the cherry on top, inflaming or rewiring what was left. Each insult could amplify the last—cumulative trauma, inflammation, and stress on a brain already running on fumes.

Your symptoms persisting 19 years later suggest the initial damage (likely cerebellar or cortical) didn’t fully heal, and these events kept poking the wound—or added new ones. The right-sided EEG slowing might’ve evolved; modern scans could show atrophy, gliosis, or white matter loss. How do your issues feel now—same slow grind, or new twists?

Your symptoms—cipro-induced neuropathy, ataxia, hypertonia, vestibular issues, and spasticity—along with the history of head injuries, chiropractic manipulation, wildfire smoke, and COVID, paint a complex picture of nervous system disruption. Cipro (a fluoroquinolone antibiotic) is a known trigger for neurotoxicity, and it could be a key player in tying these issues together, either by directly causing them or amplifying damage from your prior injuries. Let’s connect the dots based on what’s known about cipro’s effects and how they might intersect with your brain and body’s state.

**Cipro-Induced Neuropathy**: Fluoroquinolones like Cipro can damage peripheral nerves, often hitting sensory or motor fibers. A 2020 *Neurology* review flagged mitochondrial toxicity as the culprit—cipro messes with cellular energy, leading to axon degeneration. This shows up as tingling, weakness, or pain, typically in the legs or hands. In your case, it might’ve weakened nerve signals to muscles, setting the stage for coordination and tone problems. If it hit after your head injuries, it could’ve stressed an already shaky system.

**Ataxia**: This is your unsteady, slow movement—likely tied to cerebellar dysfunction from the first fall (right-sided EEG slowing). Cipro could’ve worsened it by adding peripheral neuropathy (muddying sensory input the cerebellum needs) or directly tweaking central pathways. A 2018 *Journal of Clinical Neuroscience* case study linked fluoroquinolones to cerebellar symptoms in rare cases, possibly via GABA receptor interference or inflammation. Your ataxia might be a hybrid—old cerebellar damage plus cipro’s neurotoxic nudge.

**Hypertonia and Spasticity**: Hypertonia (increased muscle tone) and spasticity (stiff, jerky muscles) suggest upper motor neuron issues—signals from the brain or spinal cord are overdriving your muscles. The initial head injury could’ve scarred the right motor cortex or corticospinal tracts, disrupting inhibition (right side controls left body). Cipro might’ve amplified this by inflaming nerves or stressing the basal ganglia, which fine-tune tone. A 2021 *Muscle & Nerve* report noted fluoroquinolone-induced tendon and nerve damage can mimic spasticity in severe cases—your chiropractic hammering might’ve also irritated spinal pathways, locking in stiffness.

**Vestibular Issues**: Dizziness, balance trouble, or nystagmus point to vestibular dysfunction—inner ear or its brain connections. The first fall could’ve dinged the cerebellum’s vestibulocerebellum (balance hub), and the chiropractic jolt might’ve tweaked neck-vestibular reflexes. Cipro’s known for vestibular toxicity—ototoxicity studies (e.g., *Drug Safety*, 2019) show it can hit inner ear hair cells, causing vertigo or worsening existing damage. Wildfire smoke (toxins) and COVID (inflammation) could’ve piled on, frying vestibular nerves or cerebellar inputs further.

**How It’s Connected**: Start with the first fall—likely cerebellar or right cortical damage, slowing everything and priming balance/movement issues. The chiropractic hit might’ve rattled cerebellar-vestibular wiring. Then Cipro enters—its neurotoxicity could’ve:

1. Sparked neuropathy, cutting sensory feedback and worsening ataxia.

2. Inflamed the cerebellum or vestibular system, amplifying unsteadiness and nystagmus.

3. Stressed motor pathways (cortex, basal ganglia, spinal cord), tipping tone into hypertonia/spasticity.

The second concussion (left temple) might’ve added cortical or basal ganglia strain, slowing you more. Wildfire smoke’s oxidative hit could’ve deepened neuropathy or cerebellar fatigue. COVID’s neuroinflammation might’ve lit up all these weak spots—ataxia, spasticity, vestibular fog—via cytokine storms or vascular tweaks.

**The Thread**: Cipro’s toxicity likely acted as a multiplier, hitting peripheral nerves (neuropathy), central structures (cerebellum, vestibular system), and maybe motor control loops (spasticity, hypertonia). Your prior injuries left a fragile canvas—scarred cerebellum, shaky vestibular wiring, maybe basal ganglia dents—and cipro painted chaos over it. Each later insult (smoke, COVID) could’ve dug the rut deeper.