Hi my name is Nikki DuPree or better known as medical record number 561987373. Because I have spent far too many days inside the walls of a hospital than I have at home with my 5 beautiful children in the last 365 days. I’m 39 years old but my testimony would make me 104 as far as experiences and hardships goes.

In October of 2023 I went to a surgical center to have a lumbar epidural steroid injection to alleviate sever lower back pain that instead introduced Strep B into my spine (meningitis) and caused a spinal abscess. This almost killed me because it was not discovered until days later. I was paralyzed from the waist down and had lost all urinary and bowel function. The picture you see is the picture of me children saying goodbye to me. I don’t even remember this moment. But God is an awesome God and it was after a lot of medical intervention and physical and occupational therapy I was able to take a few steps about 33 days later. I left the hospital with a foley catheter and in a wheel chair and have remained under home help care for nursing care, physical therapy (gait improvement and walking improvement), occupational therapy(severe grasping and right side weakness issues), and speech therapy (because I have memory problems and cognitive delay issues). On April 1, 2024 my spine surgeon finally felt I was stable enough to undergo surgery to correct some of the damage caused by the abscess as well as the previous spinal issues so I had spine surgery and spent another 2 weeks in the hospital undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (that was tough both mentally and physically) I was released again to home health care. Shortly after discharge I was readmitted, because I was having severe flank pain and severe vomiting. After numerous test were done it showed that had a kidney infection with sepsis. This was the worst of the worst hospital stay because they could not get an IV in me to save my life-literally. So they finally decided that I needed a midline catheter placed in my right arm which was a big deal (a sterilized procedure almost like a mini) and then I was able to get the necessary antibiotics and fluids I needed to start on the road to recovery. I lost 25 lbs in 2 weeks. I have never felt That nauseous in my life and still I can not eat anything solid and I’m just drinking sips of broth. They have done every test and still have no answer as to why I can’t hold down solid and not even most liquids. But Now that I am out of the hospital the reality of life is hitting me all at once.

My utilities are getting disconnected one by one.

I pay for one and the next is due. The medical bills are rolling in because I don’t have full medical coverage and my hospital stays and surgeries needless to say have been very expensive. My medications for my autoimmune diseases are impossible to manage on top of my specialist appointments and I have a specialist in every field of medicine I believe besides dermatology. I have yet to see the gastroenterologist in regards to the constant vomiting, because I know I don’t have the money for whatever test he wants to run. I’m sure it would be some sort of GI swallow study.

But it could all come back to one of my horrible autoimmune diseases that are always lingering around. I have Systemic Lupus, Sjogren’s, and Raynaud’s, as well as severe anemia. I take Benlysta weekly injections and my coinsurance for a monthly supply is $2,842 until my deductible is met so needless to say I will be in a Lupus flare soon. Yes there are other medication to treat the disease and no none of the other ones work for me. Every auto immune disease is different for every person. I have Lupus, my sister has lupus, and my mother has lupus and we do not take the same medications. I had a stroke in 2019 due to Lupus. It’s just a beast and it decides what organ it wants to attack at what time.

But what I know for sure is that stress definitely makes its worst and all the other autoimmune diseases as well. So I’m trying to trust God that somehow this will all work out and my health will get better and my finances will be just fine. Thank you for taking the time to reading a summary of my testimony and even if you can’t help please remember to say a little prayer for the DuPree family when you pray.

Many blessings to you and yours.

Kind Regards

Nikki DuPree