At the age of 34, I've been dealing with spinal problems longer than I haven't. With my first back surgery in 2009 at the age of eighteen, I've had a total of four reconstructive surgeries at this point. For the past few years, I've been stable. That is, until about two months ago.

Since August 2025, my bearable, baseline pain of a 4 out of 10 has shot up to an 8. I live every day in excruciating pain, and no one knows why.

I saw my surgeon, Dr. Crandall, at the University of Maryland Medical Center last month, who advised that my hardware is stable, and based on my X-rays, he doesn't see anything obvious that would be causing me pain. This led him to order an MRI and a CT scan for further diagnostics.

The only problem? I haven't met my deductible, and therefore cannot afford the cost associated with getting the diagnostic imaging done. My credit cards are already maxed out from previous medical debt, and my husband was recently denied for a credit card.

That's where you come in.

Truthfully, I don't know how much longer I can live like this: in pain without any answers or any hope of relief.

Anything you can offer is appreciated, and if you can't contribute at this time, please consider sharing with others to help get the word out.

Thank you for taking the time to read, and please share if you can.