
Support Tammy's Life-Saving Brain Surgeries
Donation protected
Edit: I have pushed out my surgery so I can get a second opinion from one of three brainstem compression specialists in the United States. That appointment will be in Rhode Island at the end of March. My surgery is pushed back to April 29th.
All donations will go towards surgery, physical therapy, travel, hotel stays, and all medical related needs. After surgery, I will stay 3 -5 days in the hospital, but then I will need to stay up to two weeks in a hotel near the hospital since I live in another state so I can get to the doctor for my follow-ups - these are rules and regulations from my neurosurgeon as I of course would prefer to go home after surgery, but safety comes first.
Hello all. My name is Tammy and I'm a 37- year-old wife and mother to two beautiful girls (15 months and 11). I have been chronically ill for the past 10 years. It feels as if I have seen every type of doctor without a proper diagnosis - I left, usually in tears, after each appointment where depression or anxiety was suggested as the main component for my ailing health.
In late March/early April of this year(2024) I was hospitalized for 10 days because I could not walk or breathe well. I was told I had POTS, possibly asthma, and something neurological going on that they couldn't figure out. Discharge instructions were to see a Neurologist and a Pulmonologist. Each of these doctors again told me it was all in my head and that I should seek help for anxiety and stop making myself hyperventilate which was causing all my symptoms. I ended up losing my job of 4 years because I could not work and they denied me for short-term disability.
After feeling completely defeated, I finally found a Neurologist who took the time to investigate and diagnose me with brainstem compression and demyelinating disease. After a long-awaited visit with a specialized Neurosurgeon who handles brainstem compression(there are only about 3 in the USA), I was finally diagnosed with EDS, brainstem compression, Chiari Malformation type 1, Atlanto-axial instability, spinal instability, and cervicalgia. This means I will need two brain surgeries: one to fix the brainstem compression and the tonsil ectopia and another to fuse the discs in my neck. While this is great news that I finally, after 10 years, have a diagnosis, it's also very troublesome because this specialist does not accept insurance. We will need to pay out of pocket for each surgery and with only my husband working since March, it's just not possible for us to come up with the funds needed for these surgeries.
Please donate what you feel is on your heart to give. I do not want anyone to go without in this hard economy. I thank you all in advance.
I trust the Lord will provide even when the circumstances seem impossible. He is my provider and the ultimate physician.
Love to all of you
Organizer
Tammy Long
Organizer
New Freedom, PA