Help Indy (Nicole) Fix Her Leaky Brain

Short Story:

Hi! My brain is leaking out my nose and I need to have a gross brain surgery to repair it

Long Story:

Hi! My name is Indy (or Nicole, but I go by Indy these days) Rabiega and after years of dealing with debilitating migraines, fatigue, and dizziness, I was diagnosed with intracranial hypertension which caused a spontaneous CSF leak.

In the beginning of April, I began having clear liquid constantly draining from the left side of my nose. After many doctor visits testing for Sinus and Allergy issues, I was given a referral to an ENT specialist. Pretty quickly they were able to test the fluid and perform a CT Scan and MRI and determined that liquid was my CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid) leaking out a tear in the membrane that surrounds my brain. So essentially the liquid that surrounds and cushions my brain is constantly leaking out instead of supporting my brain.

We all know my brain needs as much support as possible, so I will need to have surgery in the next 4 weeks to repair this leak. I am having regular meetings with my team of at Mass Ear and Eye Institute at Mass General Hospital who will be performing the surgery and are helping me to determine whether medication will be able to ease the pressure going forward so I don't spring a leak again, or if I will need additional surgeries to help with this.

The surgery will require at least one night stay in the hospital but possibly more - we won't know for sure until they are able to get in there and see how much work is required to repair the leak and whether or not I will need a lumbar drain (this would require a minimum of three nights). The doctor has also stressed to me that the recovery process for this surgery will be particularly grueling and that I most likely will not be able to work for 4-6 weeks post surgery.

What I Need Money For

• I can't drive because of the sudden dizziness/vertigo, so I need to Uber to my appointments which has been adding up quickly
• I need assistance walking my poor puppy Egg, since I'm unable to do anything strenuous without risking tearing the membrane further. If you've met Egg, you know that walking her is definitely considered strenuous haha.
• Apparently, even with insurance, doctors are expensive! In the last week alone, I've racked up over $500 in co-pays and that doesn't include any of the imaging. Between the surgery, hospital stays, medication, etc, this is going to be very expensive by the end of it.
• During the recovery period, I cannot work and so will have lost wages during this time.

To be honest, $7500 won't cover all of these things, but I'd be so grateful for any assistance during this time. If you would rather Venmo me, it's @indyrabiega. <3 

Thank You

I cannot express my gratitude enough to the family and friends who have been supporting me throughout this journey - thank you thank you thank you! It means so much to me