Help Fund Marietta’s 2-level lumbar disc replacement surgery!

Hey all,

This is a hard ask for someone who doesn’t like being super vulnerable. I need a two-level disc replacement in my lumbar spine and could really use some help financially. My surgery is scheduled in February 2025 at the Texas Back Institute in Plano, TX. We need as much help to cover the costs of travel and surgery because it is unfortunately, not covered by insurance. I have been suffering from two degenerative discs and herniations in my lumbar spine (L5-S1, L4-L5). This surgery is needed to relieve some of my chronic lumbar and sciatic pain and improve my mobility so I can continue to be active, make a living as a field biologist, and do other things I love!

COST BREAKDOWN:

~$60,000 for surgery, ~$4,000 travel and lodging for our time in Texas and ~$3,000 for time in lost wages for Tim while he takes care of me

THE STORY: My first struggle with back pain started while I was in undergrad in 2016. I herniated my L4-L5 and was able to manage my pain with physical therapy and rest. This initial injury never fully healed and led to degenerative disc disease in that disc.

Fast forward... When beginning my trip to work in Maine in 2021 my back pain returned. I didn’t visit a doctor but revisited many of the tricks I learned in PT 5 years earlier. It was manageable, considering I was hiking a lot, carrying weight, sleeping on a 30-year-old Park Service mattress. I had a major fall that summer while hiking and tore both of my menisci and ACL in my right knee… I am convinced the months of abnormal walking contributed to where I am today.

In 2022, I find out that my meniscus in my right knee was still torn – Christmas 2022 I have a second knee surgery. The following days, my back pain worsened until it culminated in a sharp pain while waking up one evening on the couch. The sciatic pain was so bad that I could barely walk or use the bathroom without help. I spent the next 12 months going through various conservative care for a very large herniation in my L5-S1 leading to a microdiscectomy (removal of the herniated portion of disc) where over half my disc was removed. While this helped my pain significantly, it did not eliminate the lower back and sciatic pain. I found out that my disc degenerated significantly in a 3-month period post-surgery and there was still a small herniation (not to mention the herniation that never healed in my L4-L5).

Prior to my microdiscectomy, my surgeon warned me that this surgery may not do the trick, and I may end up needing a spinal fusion or artificial disc replacement.

SPINAL FUSION VS ARTIFICIAL DISC REPLACEMENT

As many know I am a field biologist, avid gardener, dog lover, general do-er. Fulfillment in my life comes from my career as a field botanist where I hike off-trail on steep terrain sometimes carrying up to 30-50 lbs. of weight on my back, rappel to monitor endangered plant species, and am currently earning my tree climbing certificate to be able to participate in the Forest Service’s tree seed collection program. I also love to hike, roll around on the floor with my dogs, garden, work on home improvement projects… the list goes on and on and most of the things I love DO NOT involve sitting around. The chronic pain I have experienced the last few years have been incredibly humbling for me and hard both physically and emotionally. I luckily have been able to manage the pain enough to get my job done but I often come home and lay flat, unable to do simple tasks such as feed the dogs, load the dishwasher, pick up fluff off the floor, carry and chop firewood. Honestly, it just plain sucks. It has created an unequal distribution of labor in our household and put strain on my relationship with my husband, Tim.

Insurance will cover a spinal fusion…however, spinal fusion means you lose all mobility in the discs that are fused. Fusions can cause pressure on the neighboring joints often leading to fusions of the other discs in 5-10 years’ time. Because I am considerably young for this type of back injury, as well as the fact that my livelihood and happiness depend on my ability to be active, flexible and mobile; lumbar disc fusion would not be a good fit for me.

My surgeon and I determined it would be best for me to go forward with an artificial disc replacement. He recommended I travel to the Texas Back Institute in Plano, TX. This center is a leader in the US for back issues and has an entire center dedicated to Artificial Disc Replacement. After sending my images and meeting with the surgeon there, we agreed that this would be the best surgery for my issues and to continue to live the active lifestyle that my job and emotional wellness require. I will need to have both my L5-S1 and L4-L5 discs replaced (or a hybrid where my L5-S1 will be fused, and my L4-L-5 will be replaced).

Unfortunately, insurance does not cover 2-level Artificial Disc Replacement despite all my research so that is where this HUGE ask comes in. If you or someone you know is willing to donate to this cause, that would be amazing, and I would be eternally grateful! I am receiving some financial assistance from family, but anything will help.

Venmo: @Marietta-Shattelroe