Healing Help

This photo is of me in one of my happy places -- close to water and out in nature. My less-happy story begins on July 10th, 2020 when my body began to hurt in a way I had not experienced previously in my life. On July 13th, while sitting at work, it became apparent that what I was feeling was more than just body pain. I had brain fog, tiredness, pain and an incredible heaviness in the middle of my chest, along with soreness when inhaling. These symptoms,  along with a low grade fever, vision disturbances, headache, nausea and extreme exhaustion, consumed my days. Though some of these symptoms eased after the first few weeks, many have stayed with me. As I write this, I still have debilitating tiredness and fatigue, headaches, low grade temp, body pain, strange stabbing pains in my legs...truthfully, the symptoms vary. Each day I wake up wondering what I will feel like or if I will have the energy to push through the day. I occasionally have a day where I feel like I am finally on the mend and I get excited and do normal life activities. Then - BAM! - like a ton of bricks have fallen on me, I am knocked back down. 

I have been to urgent care, the ER, my PCP, a pulmonologist, a hematologist, a rheumatologist, and a naturopath. I have had numerous blood draws, and 3 Covid tests. At my most recent  Dr. appointment a referral to an infectious disease Dr. was recommended. Nothing shows up but minor blood work abnormalities that show my body is fighting something and my liver is not working optimally.  Though I am grateful for that, it is also very frustrating. My naturopath feels I am possibly dealing with the after effects of having Covid or some other virus. This is hard to understand as no tests came back positive. A new term is starting to be seriously looked at...Covid long haulers. Interestingly, more and more people are presenting with symptoms very similar to what I have been dealing with since July. Some of these people never tested positive either. One possibility is that the immune system is stuck in fight mode as if in overdrive, causing a host of varying symptoms. My naturopath would like to move forward with IV therapies. I am mixed on this but feel I have to try it. Europe is already seeing success. Here in the US, we are not covering this type of treatment through insurance. Each infusion is $150 to $200. I would need to go on a 6 week long regimen initially to see if it helps my body begin to heal. I would also need a couple more appointments with the naturopath. These run between $150 and $300, depending on the length of the appointment. Supplements and other alternative therapies are also being recommended. None of these treatments are covered by insurance. 

Sending something like this out is very hard for me. I feel embarrassed. The constant exhaustion is taking a toll on my spirits. Reaching out to the folks in my circle is all I can think to do. I am asking for this money to pay for treatments, create a little bit of a buffer to help when work is impossible and repairing my spirit. Being physically and mentally sick when you look healthy is extremely difficult to deal with. My physical and emotional health have both taken a serious hit. I want to be whole again; right now, I am not whole. I long for days spent in my yard gardening, going to work with a smile, cleaning my beautiful home, cooking, hanging with my friends....living. For the last 5 months, I have felt completely incapacitated and sometimes sleep for hours on end. This is not living life as I know it. I am forever grateful for any support and will commit to pay it forward. Leah