The story of Jessica
I was in a car accident my senior year of high school. Someone hit my car while I was at a dead stop. Little did I know that it would change my entire life and have me push through battles no teenager should ever have to face. My back hurt and no matter how many chiropractor visits I went to every week and pt sessions as well as doing yoga and so many other natural methods one can try, one can only progress so far when the actual problem is completely ignored by the dr and misdiagnosed repeatedly. First, it was whiplash of the lower back, then it was my si joint which needed a xray guided joint injection, and the actual reason behind the pain? A tarlov cyst that was over 4 cm, yes cm, long by the time I had surgery in september 2016. It was clearly visible on my mri in 2013. I was the one in 2016 that diagnosed it and reached out to a specialist to have it confirmed. It was then confirmed that with the increasing pain, decreasing sensation, muscle weakness, bladder problems, also thr bone erosion the cyst was causing, it was decided that surgery was best for me. Unfortunately my surgeon didnt do the surgery properly as it failed in three months, the cyst came bsck, I have more nerve damage from the surgery, and I got adhesive arachnoiditis from the surgery which was not told to me was a possibility of the surgery. Now the cyst is inoperable because of the arachnoisitis. I am in even more pain and bed bound 24/7. I had to drop out of college despite being a honour student as well as a President/Vice President’s list student and in a national honor society. I am 22 and I know the prognosis of the arachnoiditis as well as do my best to stay up to date on the research for the diseases. I have been told by a doctor that I was going to kill myself while he was taking me off of all pain meds and then being told that the pain was all in my head and then the same doctor then proceeded to lie on my chart. I advocate for myself and help other patients as well. I am outraged when others are not treated as a human, with respect. I am very familiar with the disease and the mechanisms of it and what it can cause and the symptoms behimd it. I have no problem sitting on the phone talking to someone’s doctor that way if it means the patient and doctor have a better understanding of both the disease and the symptoms as well as the treatments that are a go and no go. I do the same thing for my guinea pigs on guinea pig forums to help others. I have been told several times to sue but it would put me through so much stress and just be more of a mess than it is worse. Every flare is the disease worsening to some degree. I domt want to streess myself into a flare up and stay in one for who knows how long. I would rather help others by supporting them and advocating than by getting dirty money and feeling emotionally horrible. I am stronger than my disease with my support system.