Surgery to Change my life!

Hello... my name is Ivy. It took me a long time to finally swallow my pride and make this account but I've never been so desperate in my life. Many people know me as the sweet girl who always smiles. Customers at work nicknamed me smiles and giggles. Although, lately, it's hard to smile. I'm unable to work anymore because of severe sciatic nerve pain in my lower back, left hip and both legs. I also experience that 'falling asleep' tingling sensation in my arms and legs... horrible, radiating, burning pain in my hips and legs... Electric shock sensations in many places in my body but mostly my feet... Bee sting sensations in mostly my back but sometimes in my arms and legs...
These are just the issues keeping me from physically working. I also suffer from many other issues that make life a bit harder on me. Ringing in the ears so bad I can't sleep. Insomnia (probably from the pain and tinnitus). Chroic pain such as joint pain, muscle pain and jaw pain. Almost daily headaches, extreme fatigue, allover weakness, chest pain, brain fog/memory loss, extremely tender spots all over body and loose joints. The list doesn't really end there but it's exhausting just typing them all. (I have to add that I have considered an office/desk job but the memory issues making learning new tasks almost impossible. Plus I can't lose my current health insurance through my steady job. Currently out on fmla)

Anyone close enough to me knows that I've been suffering a long time but over the last 7+ years I really started to decline. I had loose joints since I was little. I discovered I could dislocate my left shoulder with no problem or pain in second grade. Had a couple of surgeries to keep my arm in the shoulder socket, no big deal... other than my shoulder and feet, I never had any serious pain in my body.
In 2008 I decided to do something to help me love my body more. Almost every woman struggles with that... unfortunately, when I started to develop as a woman, I didn't grow normally. My breasts decided to grow down instead of out. This is called tubular breast disorder. I couldn't find a single bra to fit my deformed breasts. My mother even tried buying me a very expensive, custom made bra and I was still very uncomfortable. Not wearing a bra was not an option as well. I ended up wearing 2 -3 bras just to try and keep them in a normal place. I'd wear a wire bra to cup them, then 1 or 2 sports bras over that to help hold them in place. Though, I still found myself running off constantly to readjust my breasts... much like a man would with his you know whats....
So after many years of crying and saving money I finally did something about it. With the help of my father I got the money together to get a breast lift. This procedure was supposed to make me look somewhat normal and feel so much better about myself. I was probably between an A and a B cup. So with a breast lift to correct and reconstruct my abnormal growth, I would have been left with no breasts... completely flat and every girls nightmare.
The surgeon convinced me to get implants even though I repeatedly asked if it can be done at a later date cause, who knows?!? I may still be young enough to develop my own breast tissue. I also didn't want breast implants because my body isn't too keen on foreign objects. Heck, I can only wear real gold and surgical steel jewelry... anyway, she convinced me it was safe because I went with saline and blah blah blah.

I almost immediately started having symptoms. Within the first year of getting implants I developed hypothyroidism. I started gaining weight fast and losing my hair. Over then next 7 or so years I stared to feel worse. I started getting tired to easily. Joint pain, muscle pain and so on...
I then started seeing doctor after doctor. Specialist after specialist. After thousands of dollars and several dozens of blood tests (even a horrible nerve test where they shock the heck out of you for an hour), I never got a diagnosis. Finally, one doctor decided to label me as having fibromyalgia. I also was diagnosed with Hashimotos disease right after. We did all the normal steps. I tried the medications that helps everyone else with this kind of diagnosis. I got worse with the meds.

After many years of endless research I finally found something that is spot on! Hundreds of other woman who have breast implants have the same health issues as I do. Unfortunately, there is no tests for breast implant illness. The only way to be 100% sure they are making me sick is to have them removed. They will go in to remove the implants and scrape out all the scar tissue and any other possible abnormalities such as; mold or infection. Another unfortunate problem, my health insurance doesn't cover any costs for this procedure. Even though, with my medical history over the last 10 years, I have proof that this may be the very reason I feel like I'm dying.

So here comes the hard part.... I'm asking anyone who can spare anything at all to help me get the explant and capsulectomy surgery. I'm confident this surgery will change my life! I've only seen 2 doctors locally and both gave me quotes of just under $12,000. They both also told me I will feel better within 3 - 6 months of having the implants removed, if they have indeed been poisoning me this whole time. I will continue to detox from then on and get better and better. I have an appointment in May to see a specialist in a town 2 hours away but I think she's the one. She has been mentioned in many articles involving breast implant illness having done 4,000+ implant removals.

I want so badly to feel better. To be able to have a normal life. Have a child, work, travel and just enjoy life!!! I find myself letting all the people around me down constantly. I'm always to tired or in to much pain to go out and be social. I avoid making plans or cancel them. Up until a few weeks ago I was able to push myslef through the pain and fatigue just enough to keep a smile on my face through my shifts at work. I think I pushed myself so far to the point where I couldn't stand up at work anymore. My arms and legs starting to get pins and needles and would shake. The sciatic nerve pain in my back radiated into my pelvic bone and made it so I couldn't even sit on the special 'Ivy' stool and ease the pain in my back/legs and hips. I was being sent home early to often and the last day I worked, I left with a coworker driving me to the emergency room less than an hour into my shift. I couldn't stand very well or lift my arms very high. If you Google the symptoms of breast implant illness, I have them ALL! :(

I'm looking to raise around $9,000.00 to cover surgery costs, travel/gas money to see the specialist, consultation fees, hotel and food money. Also, to help pay all the normal bills that adult life forces you to pay.... it's scary not being able to work and having using all my sick and vacation time from knee surgery, I'm forced to live off what little savings I have. (I had a torn meniscus and a tumor they wanted to look at but couldn't get to. That's another issue to deal with later but he was 99% sure it's benign and nothing to worry about) I'm also just about tapped out after the MRI and x-rays on my back and left hip... being it was only the end of March and I haven't paid my deductible yet. That wasn't cheap!!!!! I'm out $600 just from that. Everyone thought for sure, including a couple of doctors, they'd find something in the MRI. All I have is one degenerative disc but nothing that would cause the severe sciatic nerve pain I live with. Last doctor I saw wanted me to go see a new rheumatoid doctor and a new neurologist. I'm not about to the let them run the same tests that have been run multiple times already and always come back normal! It is time to stop wasting money and address the possibility of breast implant illness.

Sorry for the extremely long and boring story but I thought it was important to be very detailed. I really do feel so very sick. So sick I feel like I'm slowly dying and I almost, ALMOST, wish.... nah, can't even say it cause life is so beautiful I really do want to JUST GET BETTER and enjoy it :)

I set up an email if anyone has any questions. Also, if they have information or advice for me.
[email redacted]. I can also provide photos of the doctor's quotes and bills if needed or any information on the doctor I can provide you.