The last few years have been a rollercoaster ride from a health, wellness, and finance perspective. I had been dealing with a number of off the wall symptoms and generally feeling terrible for quite some time, and was unable to get a proper diagnosis. While I was pushing through as best as I could, there were periods where I was so sick that I was bedridden for weeks. Fever, chills, aches and pains, nausea, digestive issues, severe fatigue, lack of energy, and severe allergies / intolerances / sensitivities to name a few. Missed work. And generally had to pull away from many of the the things I loved to do when I wasn’t working or studying.
After a series of months and countless tests with a specialist, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease, adrenal dysfunction, reactivated EBV, candida, walking pneumonia, and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Because the Lyme disease was diagnosed long after initial onset, it started to impact other aspects within the body (my nervous system, mainly). I was also subjected to several co-infections and bouts of walking pneumonia and reactivated EBV. It wreaked havoc on my personal life, my productivity at work, and my finances. Because I ultimately had to seek care from an out-of-network specialist, my treatment was not covered by insurance. After exhausting my FSA or HSA funds (usually within the first 4-6 months of the year), I would typically have to come out of pocket to cover my treatment (co-pays, allergy serums, prescriptions, medicinal supplements, lab work, procedures, etc.) for the remainder of the year. In the last few years, I’ve exhausted all of my savings, investments, credit, and any extra money to try to support my medical treatment and living expenses.
My living expenses have also increased roughly 10% each year for the last 2-3 years, which further complicates things. I find myself in a very tight financial situation right now. While I am working and taking on side projects / gigs to supplement my income (when my health and wellness permits), the money isn’t coming in fast enough and it simply hasn’t been enough to make ends meet. I’ve curtailed my budget to the barest essentials and it’s still extremely tight. I’m at the point now where I have treatments / procedures that I’ve had to put on hold or stop altogether because there simply isn’t enough to go around for that and my living expenses.
To help lessen the financial strain (at the risk of further impacting rent, utilities, food, and my overall well-being), a total of $7000 in donations would help support some of my medical treatment (for Lyme disease, adrenal dysfunction, and allergies / intolerances / sensitivities), and my living expenses. Any bit you can contribute would be greatly appreciated.
Donations can be sent to: paypal.me/mdimitriw888.
Much gratitude for your time, consideration, and support!