Help Noemi Pay Surgery & Other Medical Bills
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Hi Everyone, my name is Noemi and I have both physical ailments and mental illnesses that over time, have contributed to my current need of financial assistance. I suffer from chronic pain, which is truly chronic. I’ve been dealing with this for about 10 years now, since I was 24 years old. Unfortunately, due to both childhood trauma and a vehicle accident I developed fibromyalgia (widespread body pain that doesn't go away). Fibromyalgia makes you feel like you've been hit by a semi truck and ran a marathon. Every day is different, you don't know how badly the pain is going to be the next day. One day I can feel well enough to do a few things, while other days I can hardly move. My body aches all day. The aching varies as the day goes by, but worsens if I do more than the little I can do on a daily basis. It's very frustrating being able to do a few things one day and later (the next few days/weeks) not being able to do anything.
Fibromyalgia has no cure because it’s still not well understood. Even though I take medicine for it, it really doesn’t do much to relieve pain. It’s been quite a while now that I’ve been experiencing even greater pain in my back, but more specifically in my neck, shoulders, arms and hands. I have numbing, tingling and cramping that I have to deal with on a daily basis. I had to temporarily stop working because of these symptoms, which prevent me from being both productive and reliable at work. It's very difficult to be productive when you are aching all day and have to concentrate on work. The best way I can describe this is by having you imagine the worst pain you've ever experienced and having to work and go about your daily routine like this. I haven’t been able to complete 40 hours/week for so many years now, as a result my self-confidence has plummeted. Suffering from chronic pain isn’t easy. Many things that we all take for granted on a daily basis as being ‘easy’, have become difficult challenges that I’ve been forced to figure out. Working, Sitting, walking, running and many exercise/sport activities that I loved or had wanted to explore suddenly became a closed door to me instead of something that I could attempt or do. I have degenerative disc disease/arthritis in my neck, as well as other issues along my spine that contributes to my pain.
To give a bit more back story, let me share a bit more about myself. I also suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD ) and bipolar disorder type 2. Suffering from both these disorders is quite a roller coaster. I’ve been in therapy for years to help me deal with the trauma I experienced in my childhood. My goal is to be able to live a 'normal' happy life with coping skills that will help me keep my disorders under control. I’ve been struggling with concentration/memory issues, flashbacks, nightmares, hypomanic and depressive episodes. Dealing with all these issues and trying to keep both work/life balanced has been very stressful, especially with the pain caused by a few herniated discs. When you grow up in this country with immigrant parents, you’re raised to be a hard worker and told to be a strong/fearless person so that you can confront whatever challenges come your way. Knowing that your parents sacrificed so much for you (so that you can attend school and become a knowledgeable educated person who contributes to society) is very motivating, but when you suffer from the combination of all these issues, it’s unrealistic to satisfy all these expectations no matter how hard you try.
I graduated with a bachelor’s in civil engineering in 2010. A few years later I began graduate school to obtain an environmental engineering degree. Long story short, I was 2-3 classes short from graduating with a master’s degree. I thought that distracting my mind from all the trauma I went through would help me. Unfortunately, all throughout the time I was in graduate school, I dealt with anxiety/panic attacks, sleepless nights due to the fear of having more nightmares, flashbacks and depressive or hypomanic episodes. It was horrible. I wanted to be that diligent, determined and motivated student who would both succeed and graduate, so badly. As you might have already imagined, this didn’t work out, and it was hugely disappointing. Both working inconsistently and my failure to obtain a master’s degree was deeply depressing. I had to finally sit down with my feelings and work on accepting my new reality because of my conditions.
There’s so much more to share about my conditions and the many other ways it affects me and my family. Hopefully, you can imagine/understand how difficult life has been for me these past 10 years. Throughout this time, I’ve spent countless dollars on co-payments, hospitalizations, doctor visits, medication refills, procedures, MRI/CT scans and physical/behavioral therapy. These payments have added up and accumulated over the years. In addition to this, I also have a graduate school loan I’ve been hardly able to decrease. I’m having trouble keeping up with all my medical bills. Not working consistently for months last year, as well as this year has created quite the financial burden for me. I’m currently scheduled to have surgery on my spine next month (May) with the hopes that it reduces my pain, numbing, cramping and tingling. If you have the means and can afford to help me, I’ll appreciate any amount dearly. May your blessings be multiplied and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Fibromyalgia has no cure because it’s still not well understood. Even though I take medicine for it, it really doesn’t do much to relieve pain. It’s been quite a while now that I’ve been experiencing even greater pain in my back, but more specifically in my neck, shoulders, arms and hands. I have numbing, tingling and cramping that I have to deal with on a daily basis. I had to temporarily stop working because of these symptoms, which prevent me from being both productive and reliable at work. It's very difficult to be productive when you are aching all day and have to concentrate on work. The best way I can describe this is by having you imagine the worst pain you've ever experienced and having to work and go about your daily routine like this. I haven’t been able to complete 40 hours/week for so many years now, as a result my self-confidence has plummeted. Suffering from chronic pain isn’t easy. Many things that we all take for granted on a daily basis as being ‘easy’, have become difficult challenges that I’ve been forced to figure out. Working, Sitting, walking, running and many exercise/sport activities that I loved or had wanted to explore suddenly became a closed door to me instead of something that I could attempt or do. I have degenerative disc disease/arthritis in my neck, as well as other issues along my spine that contributes to my pain.
To give a bit more back story, let me share a bit more about myself. I also suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD ) and bipolar disorder type 2. Suffering from both these disorders is quite a roller coaster. I’ve been in therapy for years to help me deal with the trauma I experienced in my childhood. My goal is to be able to live a 'normal' happy life with coping skills that will help me keep my disorders under control. I’ve been struggling with concentration/memory issues, flashbacks, nightmares, hypomanic and depressive episodes. Dealing with all these issues and trying to keep both work/life balanced has been very stressful, especially with the pain caused by a few herniated discs. When you grow up in this country with immigrant parents, you’re raised to be a hard worker and told to be a strong/fearless person so that you can confront whatever challenges come your way. Knowing that your parents sacrificed so much for you (so that you can attend school and become a knowledgeable educated person who contributes to society) is very motivating, but when you suffer from the combination of all these issues, it’s unrealistic to satisfy all these expectations no matter how hard you try.
I graduated with a bachelor’s in civil engineering in 2010. A few years later I began graduate school to obtain an environmental engineering degree. Long story short, I was 2-3 classes short from graduating with a master’s degree. I thought that distracting my mind from all the trauma I went through would help me. Unfortunately, all throughout the time I was in graduate school, I dealt with anxiety/panic attacks, sleepless nights due to the fear of having more nightmares, flashbacks and depressive or hypomanic episodes. It was horrible. I wanted to be that diligent, determined and motivated student who would both succeed and graduate, so badly. As you might have already imagined, this didn’t work out, and it was hugely disappointing. Both working inconsistently and my failure to obtain a master’s degree was deeply depressing. I had to finally sit down with my feelings and work on accepting my new reality because of my conditions.
There’s so much more to share about my conditions and the many other ways it affects me and my family. Hopefully, you can imagine/understand how difficult life has been for me these past 10 years. Throughout this time, I’ve spent countless dollars on co-payments, hospitalizations, doctor visits, medication refills, procedures, MRI/CT scans and physical/behavioral therapy. These payments have added up and accumulated over the years. In addition to this, I also have a graduate school loan I’ve been hardly able to decrease. I’m having trouble keeping up with all my medical bills. Not working consistently for months last year, as well as this year has created quite the financial burden for me. I’m currently scheduled to have surgery on my spine next month (May) with the hopes that it reduces my pain, numbing, cramping and tingling. If you have the means and can afford to help me, I’ll appreciate any amount dearly. May your blessings be multiplied and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Organizer
Noemi Rodriguez
Organizer
Los Angeles, CA