Help Jenz Journey Back to Health

It’s always hard to know where to begin a story as so many moments are dependent on previous moments and actions and who is to know how it all fits together. At this point in time, October 2022, my wife Jennie is experiencing many acute physical symptoms that doctors, naturopaths and hospitals don’t seem to be able to diagnose. A visit to the local family doctor and ER two weeks ago resulted in little clarification and various scans and tests and bloodwork largely came back normal. In 2021, Jennie had similar symptoms and lack of diagnosis until a maintenance guy discovered there was a crack in our furnace in our rental home causing carbon monoxide and gas to leak into the house. It had been leaking for ‘some considerable time’, at least 10 months. As Jennie worked from home she took the brunt if it and seemed to be more symptomatic than me (I worked out of town 5 days a week so it was explained to me that my exposure would naturally dissipate while out of the house). Discovering the crack and fixing the problem was a huge relief but was the beginning of a recovery process we thought would happen sooner and that she would eventually start feeling better.

Gradually, it became evident that any exposure to any form of carbon monoxide sources (gas appliances, heaters, car fumes etc) and any sort of chemicals would set off a cascade of symptoms again (dizziness, nausea, tingles, organ pains, extreme fatigue and breathing issues). In Arizona, Jennie was able to rent an oxygen concentrator which would help after these exposure episodes. We decided to move to a lower elevation thinking the extra oxygen would help. In August 2022 we made the long drive from Arizona (7000ft elevation) to Lacey, WA (200ft elevation). Due to increasing medical bills and out of pocket medical expenses (with no medical insurance at that time), we opted for a cheaper apartment thinking we could settle for a year then look around and find somewhere more suited. The apartment itself is beautiful. But after being here only 1 month, free of symptoms, seemingly good and increasing state of health, Jennie started again with extreme symptoms and the more recent visit to the ER and family doctor visits ensued.

Literally after leaving the ER and heading to an ultrasound appointment, our car wouldn’t start and we had to walk ten minutes to make it to the appointment. Funds were wearing thin and it seemed like everything was falling apart. We realized the new apartment is still too near to cars, BBQs, other people’s cigarette smoke. It’s hard to avoid it on a daily basis. We hung onto our spiritual practice and each other and tried to focus on making sure our two dogs stayed happy and cared for as well.

Our priority overall is to get a diagnosis so we can be focused on a treatment plan and then a recovery lifestyle. But as that may take time, the first thing we need to do is to buy Jennie a portable oxygen machine which helps to reoxygenate the organs, after an exposure. We have discovered that rules in WA state are different and she can’t rent one here easily. A portable one will enable Jennie to go outside more often again, to walk the dogs as normal and to go grocery shopping etc, without having to worry about exposure encounters around every corner. This will also be very helpful for whenever the need arises to go out for treatments. For now, we have got her an anti-pollution mask which at least filters out some of the toxins. This is the only way she can sit out on our patio at our apartment, that we thought was going to be a better environment for us to move to. Little did we know that this environment might have acute triggers.

We also need to get the car fixed so I can take her to medical appointments and sometimes to more oxygen rich areas in nature. Then we will work on improving the health of our home environment. For now we need to buy more air filters and arrange for an eco cleaner service to come in and clean regularly. Then we need to move house from this current apartment to somewhere about 10-15 minutes outside the city limits, away from out current in-town location and away from the car fumes and chemical exposures this area seems to have in abundance. We know nowhere is perfect – for now we just need to lessen the ‘load’ and increase support to her vitality.

Although there is no official diagnosis from conventional doctors yet, we continue to do our own research and talk to holistic therapists and doctors for other standpoints as to what is going on. The most likely explanation at this point is that she has some sort of Neuro-lymphatic disorder. She knows from previous dna testing with doctors that her body doesn’t detox well. We have learned that people with a history of ME/Chronic fatigue and previous toxicity sensitivity can have issues with draining lymph, hence when exposed the toxins struggle to leave the body, eventually affecting the autonomic nervous system (breathing, sleeping, eating etc). This is concurrent with her experience and symptoms. There is a treatment – the Perrin technique – in the UK that could help reset her lymph system. She is currently liaising with a Perrin specialist about all her symptoms and some possible remedy pathways and they seem to be the first to understand all of this.

We are considering a trip for Jennie to see a specialist for this further away but there is presently the challenge of how or when she could cope with a trip on a plane and the plane exhausts and fumes of the airports. The portable oxygen machine may help. We are of course looking into all other possible treatments locally that can help or just to help bring more balance back to her system and allow her nervous system to recover. It may be a long and winding road and it is possible that at some point Jennie won’t be able to work full-time so there will be a loss in earnings potential and then either I can’t work too as I may be needed as a carer or we will need to pay someone to come in and care for Jennie on the bad days (and the dogs!). We are looking at using the Care.com app for possible support., should the need arise.

Our fundraising goal takes all of this into account plus present medical bills and possible future medical bills and treatments. Most of all, we welcome the love and support of friends, family and kind strangers. Please feel free to share this link with others that you know who are looking to be benefactors for these kinds of situations.

You are all an important part of Jennie’s healing journey and we appreciate you on all levels. Ironically Jennie’s main vocation and job is working as a Grants Writer for a non-profit for people with disabilities, raising money for other people’s well-being. Those of you that know her in various capacities over the years know how much of the time she has spent focusing on others and trying to bring light to the world around her. Now is the time for her to rest and recover and let some of that light restore her body and mind. Hopefully, after we get through this, her light will shine even brighter.