Gia's Medical Journey With IIH
Donation protected
Hi,
Wanted to share a few things with everyone. Which by the way is not easy. It’s the hardest thing I have ever dealt with and had to share. All who know me know I have been chronically ill for over 10 years. It's been a rough ride...to say the least. It all began about 13 years ago. I started taking a strong antibiotic due to a dental infection. The infection was caused when a dentist left a broken root canal pin in my gum. This is common supposedly. Due to how small and delicate they are. Doesn’t make it right though. I became ill....Very ill! I was on antibiotics for 3 months until I had surgery to remove the infection and residual pin. After 3 months I was severely sick! I was basically bed ridden. The infection worsened and the antibiotic killed good and bad bacteria. I became highly allergic to the antibiotic and had to stop. My body was depleted of everything. Making me very sick and lethargic. I went to university hospital after university hospital to try and find out what was going on. Only to be disappointed by the lack of diagnosis. It started with severe digestion issues, headaches daily (the pain feels like my brain is being squeezed by a walnut cracker), lethargy, food allergies and daily vomiting. It progressed over the years and about three years ago I started having severe head pressure and pain in eyes, head and neck. After 6 MRI's, 5 cat scans and 6 spinal taps. I have just about had enough. Talk about rock bottom! I'm angry and sad that every day I suffer beyond anyone's imagination. Still I get up and push through the pain and get ready to conquer my day. I don't wish this on my worst enemy. That’s for sure! They finally diagnosed me with Idiopathic (idiopathic means they don't really know) Intercranial Hypertension and Empty Sella syndrome. When they diagnosed me, they offered no real cure. Just tons of meds. I thought my stomach issues were bad, but when my brain started having issues I just couldn't even compare the two. There was no comparison when dealing with my brain disfunction, inflammation and pain. When I have flare ups of Intercranial hypertension the cerebral fluid doesn't release in time and it builds up in my scull. I have memory loss, pain , blurred vision, dizziness, lethargy, severe sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting and just an all over sick and tired feeling ...that causes me to feel 100% defeated. With Empty Sella the pituitary gland is basically non-existent. They seem to think the pressure causes the gland to be flattened. This causes me to lack several hormones that the pituitary produces. I push through the pain daily and it's not easy. I am not a quitter and I am always striving to do my best and be a great mom, wife, daughter, friend and cousin. I have no choice but to push through daily all while suffering. I pray for everyone with chronic illness. It is life altering and it takes a strong person to deal with health issues. Even the family suffers! I pray for the strength of my son, husband, mom, family and friends every day. They deal with so much daily with my chronic illness. The doctors want to medicate me and I have tried their way (trust me I have) and still do...but it only makes me worse and sicker. They want to subside symptoms and it doesn't cure them. If I took all they want me to take I would not be able to function daily, at all. I still try and be a mom and still need to be productive in my household. It is getting worse day by day. Many with this illness have had brain surgeries and some end up with Shunts (drains cerebral fluid) to relieve the pressure. That is why I know natural therapies have helped and can continue to help. I have studied natural cures for many years and I have implemented them daily. If I didn't I would be WAY worse! I try and eat clean and I want to continue to get Naturopathic care but it is very expensive and insurance does not cover it. We are sinking fast from my medical expenses. It’s been more stress on top of my already broken immune system. We have no choice but to reach out to family and friends. Basically, we are at medical/health rock bottom. I will try anything at this point. I already have worked with a few ND's in Atlanta and have names of others I want to speak with. I am currently without ANY health insurance and must wait for ANY medical therapies. Which has me in fear daily. If I am ill I will just have to go to ER. That is why I am reaching out to see if I can get help from those who understand my situation, have compassion for my suffering and desperate need for healing. There are so many therapies I need and that could help. You know I am a strong woman but my health is taking its toll, trust me. I am losing grasp of normalcy. The brain is such a delicate organ. I am beginning to have memory loss and that is the scariest. What is attacking my body and brain?? Will it be too late when they figure it out?? My health has consumed my everyday now, every minute and every second and I pray for complete healing. My son needs his mom back! My husband needs his wife back. My husband is doing so much but is overwhelmed with responsibilities and of course fear. Also, my mom helps a ton with me and my grandmother who is also dealing with stuff. I am thankful to them all. I have much confidence my illnesses can be reversed. Miracles are possible. I believe in integrated medicine and I want to can get the best of both worlds while being cared for. My medical bills have piled up, household expenses not going away and this worries me daily financially. Our son still needs us to be responsible. It's so not fair! I pray to one day have peace from this nightmare. I pray for one day to be healed 100%. Until then all I can do is be transparent and not act like everything is ok. Thanks for reading my story and thank you for any assistance to meet our goals. Reach out to me if you have any questions or just want to support me with your love (any support is welcome and appreciated, not just financial).
Gia
Xoxox
Wanted to share a few things with everyone. Which by the way is not easy. It’s the hardest thing I have ever dealt with and had to share. All who know me know I have been chronically ill for over 10 years. It's been a rough ride...to say the least. It all began about 13 years ago. I started taking a strong antibiotic due to a dental infection. The infection was caused when a dentist left a broken root canal pin in my gum. This is common supposedly. Due to how small and delicate they are. Doesn’t make it right though. I became ill....Very ill! I was on antibiotics for 3 months until I had surgery to remove the infection and residual pin. After 3 months I was severely sick! I was basically bed ridden. The infection worsened and the antibiotic killed good and bad bacteria. I became highly allergic to the antibiotic and had to stop. My body was depleted of everything. Making me very sick and lethargic. I went to university hospital after university hospital to try and find out what was going on. Only to be disappointed by the lack of diagnosis. It started with severe digestion issues, headaches daily (the pain feels like my brain is being squeezed by a walnut cracker), lethargy, food allergies and daily vomiting. It progressed over the years and about three years ago I started having severe head pressure and pain in eyes, head and neck. After 6 MRI's, 5 cat scans and 6 spinal taps. I have just about had enough. Talk about rock bottom! I'm angry and sad that every day I suffer beyond anyone's imagination. Still I get up and push through the pain and get ready to conquer my day. I don't wish this on my worst enemy. That’s for sure! They finally diagnosed me with Idiopathic (idiopathic means they don't really know) Intercranial Hypertension and Empty Sella syndrome. When they diagnosed me, they offered no real cure. Just tons of meds. I thought my stomach issues were bad, but when my brain started having issues I just couldn't even compare the two. There was no comparison when dealing with my brain disfunction, inflammation and pain. When I have flare ups of Intercranial hypertension the cerebral fluid doesn't release in time and it builds up in my scull. I have memory loss, pain , blurred vision, dizziness, lethargy, severe sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting and just an all over sick and tired feeling ...that causes me to feel 100% defeated. With Empty Sella the pituitary gland is basically non-existent. They seem to think the pressure causes the gland to be flattened. This causes me to lack several hormones that the pituitary produces. I push through the pain daily and it's not easy. I am not a quitter and I am always striving to do my best and be a great mom, wife, daughter, friend and cousin. I have no choice but to push through daily all while suffering. I pray for everyone with chronic illness. It is life altering and it takes a strong person to deal with health issues. Even the family suffers! I pray for the strength of my son, husband, mom, family and friends every day. They deal with so much daily with my chronic illness. The doctors want to medicate me and I have tried their way (trust me I have) and still do...but it only makes me worse and sicker. They want to subside symptoms and it doesn't cure them. If I took all they want me to take I would not be able to function daily, at all. I still try and be a mom and still need to be productive in my household. It is getting worse day by day. Many with this illness have had brain surgeries and some end up with Shunts (drains cerebral fluid) to relieve the pressure. That is why I know natural therapies have helped and can continue to help. I have studied natural cures for many years and I have implemented them daily. If I didn't I would be WAY worse! I try and eat clean and I want to continue to get Naturopathic care but it is very expensive and insurance does not cover it. We are sinking fast from my medical expenses. It’s been more stress on top of my already broken immune system. We have no choice but to reach out to family and friends. Basically, we are at medical/health rock bottom. I will try anything at this point. I already have worked with a few ND's in Atlanta and have names of others I want to speak with. I am currently without ANY health insurance and must wait for ANY medical therapies. Which has me in fear daily. If I am ill I will just have to go to ER. That is why I am reaching out to see if I can get help from those who understand my situation, have compassion for my suffering and desperate need for healing. There are so many therapies I need and that could help. You know I am a strong woman but my health is taking its toll, trust me. I am losing grasp of normalcy. The brain is such a delicate organ. I am beginning to have memory loss and that is the scariest. What is attacking my body and brain?? Will it be too late when they figure it out?? My health has consumed my everyday now, every minute and every second and I pray for complete healing. My son needs his mom back! My husband needs his wife back. My husband is doing so much but is overwhelmed with responsibilities and of course fear. Also, my mom helps a ton with me and my grandmother who is also dealing with stuff. I am thankful to them all. I have much confidence my illnesses can be reversed. Miracles are possible. I believe in integrated medicine and I want to can get the best of both worlds while being cared for. My medical bills have piled up, household expenses not going away and this worries me daily financially. Our son still needs us to be responsible. It's so not fair! I pray to one day have peace from this nightmare. I pray for one day to be healed 100%. Until then all I can do is be transparent and not act like everything is ok. Thanks for reading my story and thank you for any assistance to meet our goals. Reach out to me if you have any questions or just want to support me with your love (any support is welcome and appreciated, not just financial).
Gia
Xoxox
Organizer
Gia Lopez
Organizer
Alpharetta, GA
