Join Melissa Whelan's Fight for Health and Hope

My Name is Melissa Whelan, I am currently in the midst of a long health journey that has gotten progressively worse to the point of needing a rare surgery. This surgery is a surgery only 3 doctors in the nation can perform as my condition is rare. I have attempted to take this journey on the conservative side and try multiple options. I have seen over 30 specialists, had hundreds of treatments: PT, Chiro, Acupuncture, injections, pain doctor, several endo, Several Neurologist, Rheumatolgist, other procedures to try to help, functional medicine, etc. I have contacted the Mayo clinic several occasions and they have said they have zero capacity for me. I have had several ER visits, MRI's, CT Scans, so much blood drawn you could fill a blood bank:) Nothing has worked and has been a temporary fix and then the pain comes back worse than before. I have a rare condition ( Tarlov Cysts) where the dura that holds your brain and spine fluid is leaking CSF fluid and is getting trapped in the nerve endings on my spine. I have CSF aneurysms in my spine pressing on the other nerves. This creates a flare of nerve pain in my entire body as the nerves in your spine and brain control your entire being. So my entire body buzzes all day, and is in fight or flight 24/7. Hard to convince your body your not dying when it thinks it is all day or even walk. Hard to function as a person in this state. Other health conditions have unraveled from this as Adrenal Insufficency, Empty Sella Syndrome ( Pituitary malfunction) and is becoming more difficult to manage. It also has taken my ability to have children as these nerves effect you reproductive system. I have personally spent all of my personal money, my family has tried to help me, and now l literally live to work ( I work from home under special accommodations.. thank God) and go to different docs to maintain. This has become cumbersome and now I need to have this surgery, and it will cost near a half of Million Dollars. As a specialty doctor it is not fully covered by insurance, Plus I need to travel out of state to this specific neurosurgeon and etc and stay there. And I will be off of work which as a public servant I get zero long/short term disability options So no pay). So as my Dad says... it has come to Rubber meets the Road, and my friends and family have highly encouraged me to take the journey to include you all on my road back to health. It’s been a long exhausting journey, and trying to do it on my own has been extremely lonely and diffcult. I have learned a lot about the body including the HPA Axis, the brain/body connection, and etc, a lot about trauma as I am a victim of a hit and run drunk driver who put me in this position, a lot on forgiveness, a lot of God’s grace, and on the capacity of which a person can endure if there is Hope and Love. I would humbly ask for your support in many ways... friendship, love, prayers, monetary, and that you would also take your physical and mental health seriously as one may never know when one may be in this situation. I never thought I would be here, but here I am, a medical Zebra, or as a dear friend recently told me.. I am the Red Herring of the bunch, rare in every sense of the word. So, I ask you to join me on this long journey of healing, of being rare and radical and taking the venture with me. Thanks for reading a piece of my life’s book. Hope the next chapter is a healing one! I know you all will probably not understand alot of this as it is complicated so fell free to reach out if you have questions. Much Love, Mel