Main fundraiser photo

Immediate Spinal Fusion For Meg

Donation protected
Two years ago, I felt a burning sensation in my neck while at work. Naturally, like many people, I assumed it from sleeping in a strange position. Over the next few weeks, randomly, my left arm would go numb starting with the shoulder, then the arm and, finally, the hand. Random points of numbness at random times.

Immediately, I paid attention to my diet, made any anti-inflammatory adjustments necessary, purchased a cervical support pillow and ceased one of my favorite activities, lifting weights. Despite these adjustments, the pain, burning, tingling, pins and needles, and, overall, numbness continued to escalate

I have a pretty high tolerance for pain and pride myself on my toughness but this…this was becoming absolutely unbearable. My sleeping and work activities were affected by sensory loss, pain or a combination in separate areas of my left arm. Through the ER, I only received an X-ray that explained zero reasoning for the pain and medication. Only through a second visit was I given a referral for a pain management specialist that could see me urgently but was out of my network. Even then, I had to receive a CT scan in my insurance network before the specialist would assess my situation.

Another ER visit, more medication later and my CT scan revealed no definitive cause to the pain. As such, I believed it to be nothing more than a pinched nerve as these hardly appear on scans. An MRI, which displays nerve results, is rarely approved by insurances without an extensive reason but I was fortunate to have enough information for network nurse to provide a MRI referral.

These appointments, tests, emergency visitations with a cost of co-pays,deductibles and/or even taking time off of work just to get there which adds to a loss of income and more money on gas and miles on my car.

By the time I started losing grip strength in my left hand, my MRI appointment came along with an appointment with an in network pain management specialist. He looked at my imaging, didn't read my MRI report and scheduled me for a steroid injection in my neck/cervical spine.

I was diagnosed with severe disc herniation, bone spurs and a pinched nerve. This led to six weeks of physical therapy, an intense cervical spinal epidural and told to see an orthopedic spinal specialist IMMEDIATELY via an urgent rush referral. The specialist informed to stop all physical therapy and limit any and all extra movements for the risk of below the neck paralysis was EXTEMELY high.

I needed to be cautious in every movement in everyday life which meant abstaining from yoga, strength training, running, hiking, any and all heavy lifting which is soul crushing to say the least as my love, passion and life are my movement.

Still, I focus on the gratitude and gratefulness of life that gave me this alarm to get checked out. Immediately, my thoughts rushed to all the little clumsy fumbles I'd had over the past few years and how real those risks of paralysis were then.

Soooooo, after three visitations with two separate orthopedic spinal specialists, they both came to the same conclusion as we put together the puzzle pieces of timing, symptoms, failed attempts to move the disc or "heal" the pinched nerve through anti-inflammatory oral and epidural injection medications etc. We never found the source of trauma that occurred to cause this bad of a disc herniation.

I was told that the disc herniation,along with inflammation, caused the bone spurs to grow and created what was the scariest part-severe spinal stenosis. My MRI report noted extremely minimal spinal canal space (not enough room for spinal blood flow and nerve signaling minimal space) and already impacted nerve signaling. My spine has started to atrophy which cannot be repaired. I need to have urgent Cervical Spinal Fusion from an anterior approach w/bone graft & laminectomy.

My surgery will require a removal of a piece of bone to make more room for nerve/blood flow in my spinal canal. The surgeon will add bone graft to help my vertebra heal along the metal plate they screw into it and add little metal pieces to hold the space open while suturing it all back up through the front of my throat.

This is MIRACULOUS,that it's even a thing that can be done. It is so sci-fi and bionic and beautiful to me, however, it involves opening the skin, moving the vocal cords, cutting through various inner fascia, removing bone and drilling into bone.SO many facets of healing are involved.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to heal and not have paralysis as an option for life but I'm not going to lie and pretend that I’m not a little scared going into this procedure. I’m scared because of the obvious, the procedure itself, but also scared about the costs.

I'm turning to you as you read all of this wondering why I've shared this story and why I am asking you to help.

I'm finally finished with all pre-testing/pre-operative qualifications and am set for surgery, Wednesday, Jan.17th. I. however, just received word that:
A -.This surgery is not fully covered by my insurance and will have various costs associated.
B - This surgery requires typically a 4-6 WEEKS off of work for healing which includes in patient time as well as physical therapy etc.

My employer has notified me that while they love me, value me as an employee, and understand and support my pending time away, the short amount of time that I have been with the company does not qualify for temporary disability payment while recovering.

Without income, I will not be able to pay the following expenses:
my medical fees
physical therapy
Medications
Rent
all general life bills.

I will have zero income for 6 weeks and as a single mom, this does not and can not work for my family. Now, I am faced with two choices: possible paralysis and paying the bills that support our lives or healing and going deep into debt with fears of not affording groceries.

I'm writing this as I have always believed in picking up and dusting off any and every person that finds themselves at a loss. I've donated over 3 gallons of blood in my life, built housing for the homeless, rescued scared feral cats. During COVID, I became a certified yoga instructor to help others find their peace and comfort with their bodies and souls. Due to this situation with my body, I have yet to teach but I want to get back to moving my body and helping others. I want to build a community and believe in communities lifting up those that they can and never leaving anyone hungry or in pain. I hope that this mentality still thrives in humanity despite the harshness of our realities over these past pandemic years.
Donate

Donations 

  • Jeff Kuhnie
    • $50
    • 1 yr
  • Robert Moran
    • $50
    • 1 yr
  • John Corn
    • $50
    • 1 yr
  • Christy Griffin
    • $100
    • 1 yr
  • Gregory & Sylvia Fricks
    • $100
    • 1 yr
Donate

Organizer

Megan Melvage
Organizer
Addison, IL

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee