Just when you think the stars are aligning… another CURVEBALL STRIKES!
As you probably all know I’ve been having problems with T4 instability. At T4, I have a screw in one side of the vertebra but not the other as there is no room, where the hardware was extended from earlier shorter fusions.
I had my nerve ablations which have helped but the instability is still progressing dramatically and causing BIG problems.
The other night I woke up with a completely paralysed right arm and hand… my heart was going crazy rhythms and I was pouring of sweat and I’m agony.. until T4 popped back in with a huge clunk, and all the feeling returned – such a relief!
I’m right handed and I’m having problems driving my powerchair when it pops out and I have to keep asking people to push on my back and help me pop it back into place, so I can continue!
Obviously it’s a huge problem and needs sorted ASAP as it’s pulling on my fusion and affecting my neck, jaw and my shoulder blade!
The last thing we need is it damaging my neck fusion and undoing all the lifesaving work that has been done.
So, Dr Gilete had been looking at surgical options incase it did become necessary in the future, but after my recent and rapid decline we have had to book me in for urgent surgery in mid September!
So I’m booked in for surgery in 8 weeks time and I need to find the funds to pay for it! I’ll have to fly the week before for pre op tests and so I’ll be flying just after my birthday & having surgery the following week IF WE RAISE THE FUNDS.
It’s a much smaller surgery this time as it’s T4 and not my skull or neck, and it’s going to be to add more hardware from the back and more bone to reinforce the level that’s unstable. So no ICU stay and hopefully just a few days in hospital, and a month in Spain.
We’re looking to raise £25K to cover this, which is much less than my previous surgeries … but still money I simply don’t have!
I’ll be honest I’m really stressed about it all as I’m dislocating 30+ times a day and it’s getting worse so fast, and I’m due to start my teacher training after the summer…. If I can raise the funds and have my surgery when planned I will be home and recovered ready for placement starting in October- so it won’t affect my training!
If I don’t raise the funds and can’t have the surgery it’s going to ruin everything for my teacher training and probably irreversibly damage my right shoulder, back and neck.
So it’s super important.
I’ve been doing so well and have worked so hard to get on my feet again and doing 3full days each week at school, that Im devastated at the thought of it all going down the drain!
I’ve opened a new go fund me for this surgery and will share the link here: https://gofund.me/fa2a41c8
Any ideas for fundraisers would be appreciated as always!
Thanks again for always supporting me… I’m holding onto the hope that again, we can do this together!”
“No dark cloud can forever prevent the sun from shining!”
Mel x