My name is Terry and I have severe gastroparesis, POTS, hyperacusis (sound sensitivity), and insomnia.

I was working my dream job at Disneyland when I became extremely sick. Since early 2022 I have been unable to tolerate solid food or water. I have depended on daily IV fluids to keep me alive because I cannot take in enough orally to hydrate myself, due to gastroparesis, which is a paralyzed stomach. POTS makes it so my body needs more fluids than a healthy body does, and I cannot take more in than 1-2 Ensure shakes a day, and zero water.

In 2024 I developed a severe sound sensitivity called Hyperacusis from an acupuncture appt. Since then all sounds have caused severe head/brain pain, nausea, loudness (where everything sounds like it's on volume 100); the hyperacusis caused extreme insomnia and many other neurological symptoms.

I am in dire need of help as I lost my housing, and therefore my stable ongoing care and daily life saving IV fluids in Southern California. I had no choice but to try going back to Northern California, where I'm originally from, but what we didn't know is that medically covered IV fluids do not exist up here anywhere.

I have been relying on mobile IVs every other day, as that's as long as I can go before my body starts shutting down from dehydration. Their schedules are all over the place and unreliable, they are extremely expensive, my money is running out, and my veins will run out.

I somehow need to get back to Southern California where my life saving care is. I had my daily life saving IV fluids, an at home nurse who came weekly to place my IV so I could avoid worsening my sound sensitivity, and my amazing care team at my hospital system that could manage my complex chronic illnesses. The doctors in Northern California have little to no knowledge at all about my very serious conditions.

I don't know the future looks like, but I know my life saving care is only available in Southern California. I am fighting my absolute hardest to stay alive and I am in dire need of help. I appreciate any help/support, thank you so much for listening.