Support Suzanne’s Healing Journey
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On November 26th, 2019, my beautiful, strong, courageous mother, Suzanne Albertson, was hospitalized for what is considered a "Hypertensive Crisis". She was put through a series of tests in the ER, and kept in the hospital overnight. The doctors guess was that she'd likely been hypertensive for a while (she'd not been seeing a primary care beforehand, so we've been unaware of the average state of blood pressure) and was sent home with two very strong medications to manage it. . We thought that perhaps, that was the end of it and planned to address her health and well-being in all sorts of ways to help bring her into balance. But this has not been the case.
After about a week of her blood pressure being managed, navigating the various feelings of experiencing such a crisis, and doing our best to get back to a normal day-to-day rhythm, things started to go haywire. Essentially, the medication became ineffective and her blood pressure started to spike daily back to "hypertensive crisis" levels.
After many stints in the ER, countless doctors appointments with Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Naturopaths, and Acupuncturists, we're still left in limbo as far as how to truly support my mothers healing. The good news is that her heart is in excellent condition! She's had every heart test done in the book, and all have come back with flying colors. Several tests done with the Harvard trained Endocrinologist she's been seeing, indicate that there is some sort of hormonal miscommunication going on that causes extremely high levels of the stress hormones Aldosterone and Cortisol, which then cause her blood pressure to spike to these scary and dangerous levels. We've run many tests, re-tested several tests, and have more tests coming in the attempt to "hunt down" the cause of the miscommunication.
The combination of extremely elevated blood pressure, coupled with the heavy side effects of the medications (to quote one of the ER doctors “Oh, ______ (medication) is terrible. It turns you into the living dead. I hate that drug.”) have left my mother mostly bedridden. There have been segments of “good days” where the optimism is high and the side effects are slightly more bearable. But it seems that the bad days are outnumbering the good. The addition of a 3rd medication, that is doing what it’s meant to do, has the unfortunate side effect of insomnia, which of course, is certainly delaying her healing process. Just last night, she was only able to sleep for 30 minutes. This is our immediate priority to resolve, as not sleeping, besides making you feel dreadful, is also causing her blood pressure to remain elevated.
We believe, and choose to trust, that a full recovery is somewhere on the horizon... but as many of you know, when you’re so deep in uncertainty, it can be challenging to hold on to that. We want to assure everyone that we are doing all the research and have the eyes of some of the most amazing and knowledgeable doctors, practitioners, and healers on what is currently happening.
Initially, we didn't seek out financial support from our community as we were truly hoping and praying that this ordeal would be resolved by now, and the immediate financial needs were being covered though her saved funds. It's now been three months (gosh, it feels insane to type that out) and my mother has been, for obvious reasons, unable to work or support herself. At this point, all of her savings have been depleted through paying various medical bills, seeking out alternative treatments, and by paying her regular monthly bills.
We are not asking for the full amount needed to cover the pending medical bills, but rather for financial support to keep up with the day-to-day. The added stress of watching her financial stability dwindle, especially over this past month, has begun weighing on her greatly. So many of you have offered financial support, and we are now okay with fully asking for it. Any little bit truly helps!
Those of you who know my mother personally know that she is a force to be reckoned with! She is strong, powerful, and fierce. She is also equally soft, caring, and loving. This experience, though it has felt so grim and scary and hopeless at times, is also making space for so much humility, gratitude, and grace.
We thank you all for any of the ways that you’ve offered support. Perhaps what one needs the most when going through something like this, is the deep knowing that they’re not alone. Thank you for being a part of our community. Please continue to hold her in your hearts, with prayers and visions for a full recovery.
With gratitude and bravery,
Julia & Suzanne
After about a week of her blood pressure being managed, navigating the various feelings of experiencing such a crisis, and doing our best to get back to a normal day-to-day rhythm, things started to go haywire. Essentially, the medication became ineffective and her blood pressure started to spike daily back to "hypertensive crisis" levels.
After many stints in the ER, countless doctors appointments with Cardiologists, Endocrinologists, Naturopaths, and Acupuncturists, we're still left in limbo as far as how to truly support my mothers healing. The good news is that her heart is in excellent condition! She's had every heart test done in the book, and all have come back with flying colors. Several tests done with the Harvard trained Endocrinologist she's been seeing, indicate that there is some sort of hormonal miscommunication going on that causes extremely high levels of the stress hormones Aldosterone and Cortisol, which then cause her blood pressure to spike to these scary and dangerous levels. We've run many tests, re-tested several tests, and have more tests coming in the attempt to "hunt down" the cause of the miscommunication.
The combination of extremely elevated blood pressure, coupled with the heavy side effects of the medications (to quote one of the ER doctors “Oh, ______ (medication) is terrible. It turns you into the living dead. I hate that drug.”) have left my mother mostly bedridden. There have been segments of “good days” where the optimism is high and the side effects are slightly more bearable. But it seems that the bad days are outnumbering the good. The addition of a 3rd medication, that is doing what it’s meant to do, has the unfortunate side effect of insomnia, which of course, is certainly delaying her healing process. Just last night, she was only able to sleep for 30 minutes. This is our immediate priority to resolve, as not sleeping, besides making you feel dreadful, is also causing her blood pressure to remain elevated.
We believe, and choose to trust, that a full recovery is somewhere on the horizon... but as many of you know, when you’re so deep in uncertainty, it can be challenging to hold on to that. We want to assure everyone that we are doing all the research and have the eyes of some of the most amazing and knowledgeable doctors, practitioners, and healers on what is currently happening.
Initially, we didn't seek out financial support from our community as we were truly hoping and praying that this ordeal would be resolved by now, and the immediate financial needs were being covered though her saved funds. It's now been three months (gosh, it feels insane to type that out) and my mother has been, for obvious reasons, unable to work or support herself. At this point, all of her savings have been depleted through paying various medical bills, seeking out alternative treatments, and by paying her regular monthly bills.
We are not asking for the full amount needed to cover the pending medical bills, but rather for financial support to keep up with the day-to-day. The added stress of watching her financial stability dwindle, especially over this past month, has begun weighing on her greatly. So many of you have offered financial support, and we are now okay with fully asking for it. Any little bit truly helps!
Those of you who know my mother personally know that she is a force to be reckoned with! She is strong, powerful, and fierce. She is also equally soft, caring, and loving. This experience, though it has felt so grim and scary and hopeless at times, is also making space for so much humility, gratitude, and grace.
We thank you all for any of the ways that you’ve offered support. Perhaps what one needs the most when going through something like this, is the deep knowing that they’re not alone. Thank you for being a part of our community. Please continue to hold her in your hearts, with prayers and visions for a full recovery.
With gratitude and bravery,
Julia & Suzanne
Organizer
Julia Davis
Organizer
Asheville, NC
