Hi! I'm Jessica, a 30-year-old mental health therapist. I enjoy spending time with my three dogs, my cat, and my incredibly supportive partner. While I can't enjoy hikes or neighborhood walks anymore, I am most at peace sitting in my back yard with my pets. Thank you for considering donating, and I hope the following information will be helpful in understanding what has been taking over my life.

I was about to take a large step in my career, and I was considering other large life plans for the upcoming couple of years, and then..

On March 9, 2025, I started experiencing diarrhea/upset stomach symptoms. I thought maybe I ate something that disagreed with me. Four days later, on Thursday March 13, I knew I was definitely sick when a low fever, chills, and other cold/flu-like symptoms accompanied my stomach upset. The low fever remained for the next 2-3 weeks, along with other cold or infection symptoms. I went to Urgent care on 3/19 and was told it was my anxiety, though my BP was almost 150/100, and they had only done a urinalysis at that point. She dismissed me. Two days later, 3/21, I went to the ER. I knew something was wrong with my body. I could barely get myself dressed or walk into the ER. The ER made me feel better due to IV fluids, and it uncovered potential Seronegative Spodyloarthropothy, SpA, in my SI joints in my hips (also linked to potential Ankylosing Spondylitis, AS, in my neck). The ER doc told me to follow up with rheumatology due to the SpA likelihood and my reporting symptoms. I tried to work for one more week, and then I took most of the next two weeks off of work for a break.

I slowly started to make some improvements (beginning to be able to bathe myself on my own again, stand up long enough to warm up my own leftover food, walk far enough to walk to the back yard and back inside without a presyncope episode, or being able to walk up the stairs without a presyncope episode). By day two back to work, I was completely back to where I was before a break. By day three back to work, which I tried to do in-person, I had heartrate issues like atrial flutter and vtach when I got home so bad that I couldn't breathe well at all. My chest was so tight. These episodes drain me intensely for at least the whole next day. I have declined through the end of April/beginning of May, and then I have started to potentially do a little bit better in the last day or two. It is very up and down.

I had to learn the hard way that I can't just push my body through these moments when I had an asthma attack in the shower the last time I tried to take a shower on my own. I have had to reduce my work amount by about 60% so far, and I am continuing to reduce it further due to inability to maintain where it is currently. I've had to change to 100% virtual work so I can stay at home. I have accrued approximately $4,500 in medical debt thus far through the tests, scans, and appointments, and I have 3 more doctor/specialist appts scheduled right now (as well as 1 bloodwork lab appt and 1 EEG). My monthly income has reduced by 50-100x what I typically make in one month, but monthly bills continue to remain around 4-5k per month (even with as many budget cuts and deferment/forbearance programs as I can enter).

I'm going to list out my symptoms below, but it's looking like viral-induced dysautonomia, most likely POTS, due to an underlying condition like hypermobile Ehler's Danlos Syndrome (hEDS). 5/9/25 marked two months since my life changed. Maybe in the next month, I will have official diagnoses so I can apply for Supplemental disability income (SSI). SSI will let me know if I am accepted or not by Oct.-Dec. 2025 if I apply in these next few weeks with the application I've already started. My workplace is not large enough to qualify for FMLA. I am seeking other types of assistance, but I'm struggling to find them.

These two months have been two months filled with stress, confusion, anger, grief, moments of extreme gratitude, happiness, appreciation of things I never knew I would appreciate, and identity shifting toward who I am becoming with this as part of me (or who I will be after this has healed). I can't wait until I can go camping in the mountains or at a lake somewhere.

Anything that anyone can contribute would go toward basic groceries and bills first and then toward medical expenses, unless otherwise denoted. I am happy to provide any medical bills needed to show the expenses incurred, provide any other types of information needed, or accept other resources/suggestions you have.

SYMPTOMS LIST:

• Diarrhea (started 3/9 but ended about 3/17 or 18) 

• Fever added onto diarrhea 3/13 and has been daily off and on ever since (no higher than 99.6 each day, though I usually run lower than 98.6, about 97.7ish) 

•-- Low-grade fever has returned as of 5/15 along with increased shortness of breath, occasional sore throat, and increased exhaustion

•-- Ended about 3/30-3/31, only 1 or 2 very minor fevers since then I believe 

•-- Associated chills, body aches, sweats, exhaustion through 3/30-3/31

• Weird smelling, darker poop even after diarrhea stopped (unsure if blood but don't believe so) 

•-- Went away 1 week after diarrhea stopped

• Dark urine (brown on 3/19)

•-- Totally gone after better hydration in hospital on 3/21

• Nausea, stomach discomfort, bloating, pain

•-- 4/10 update: continued nausea, mainly associated with vertigo and dizziness, lack of appetite but making myself eat, stomach discomfort, gas/bloating

•-- 5/5 - explosive, cramping, emergent diarrhea returned on 4/26. Haven't had normal, consistent BM since. Eating at all, but esp a meal, seems to trigger diarrhea again (doesn't matter if dairy free or gluten free so far)

• Frequent headaches and migraines (daily), when it had been months in between them

•-- 4/10 update: still more frequent headaches, migraines, and neck/back/hip pain than it had been before I got sick

•-- 5/5 - continued increased back, hip, neck, head pain compared to pre-illness baseline

• Nerve sensitivity, nerve pain, weakness of muscles, tingling nerves/muscles (especially right foot, as if water was poured over it)

•-- Exacerbated by standing for too long, like more than 30-60 mins

•-- Also pins and needles feeling in bottom of feet, especially first thing in the morning or after I've been sitting down for multiple hours (has always happened as far as i can remember)

•-- Sensitivity to touch more than normal, as well as smell, sound, light, and ESP temps. I've always been hypersensitive to heat, sweating more than ever the past couple years regardless of weight gain or loss, and now I'm just as hypersensitive to cold too - 5/5 update

• Brain fog, fatigue, confusion, memory issues, "my words are not wording" = NOT good when you're a therapist - screwing up at work in sessions because my words won't come out with what I'm thinking and feeling accurately. Aphasia-like symptoms but not.

•-- Taking longer and longer to send an email for the last 2+ months, like 30-45 mins for an email that I need to sound professional

•-- Now an email takes hours or days - 5/5/25 --Or weeks - 5/14/25 update

•-- Memory issues example: Not remembering a client was in a car wreck the session prior when it's what we discussed almost the whole session

•-- 5/5 update- Have had to reduce work for 2/3 capacity and fully virtual to about 1/3 capacity. My brain and body are not functional anymore. 

• Slow speech, particularly when I've physically over-exerted myself (like it just takes so much effort to talk and find the right words, as well as to process what is being said to me)

• Dizziness, loss of balance and coordination, vertigo

•-- Worse when turning my head or body too quickly, when eyes are closed or looking upward, when going from seated/lying down to standing, when walking up the stairs or exerting myself

• Constant fatigue/exhaustion, excess need for sleep, increased need for naps (had not been taking naps at all since I started my ADHD medication), need for minimum 9 hours of sleep at night to be able to function well the next day

• Vertigo and dizziness seem to have improved a fair amount with major salt/electrolyte intake increase - 5/5 update

• -- Increased salt and electrolytes seem to help my general health and exhaustion feelings, like a lotttt of extra salt/electrolytes

• Acute blurry vision in right eye on 3/19

• Floaters or black spots/white spots/stars in vision frequently

•-- Especially in darker lighting, feeling like something in peripheral vision is moving, like a shadow or large bug, but I know it isn't really there. Opthamology appt. said all was well but noted peripheral corioretinal inflammation in both eyes in documentation. 

• High blood pressure reaching 147/98 on 3/19 and 133/ ...? Idk what example I had been typing here

•-- Long documented hx showing that slightly under 120/80 is normal for me, like 110/70ish

•-- Occasional low or high BP since then, usually high top & low # or high bottom #

• Pounding heartbeat in chest, ears, throughout my body, especially if I've exerted any physical energy (like walking out in the back yard with my dogs, walking up the stairs, showering, getting dressed, walking around the kitchen, etc. - all other basic tasks that I should be able to do)

•-- Rapid heartrate

•-- Heart palpitations

•-- HR increases 30-60 bpm upon standing up. Random spikes of 199/200bpm for 1-2mins tops on different days since Fitbit tracking, always at late nighttime.

•-- Afib and other potential heart rhythm abnormalities shown on Apple Watch ECG scans, frequent unhealthy HRV readings on Fitbit and smart health apps

• Shortness of breath, especially after walking up stairs or if talking too rapidly 

• Blood pooling in lower extremities when standing

•-- Has been like this for years. Thought it was normal to have one leg get super pale when you elevate it slightly to shave it and the other one is purple. Worse since illness.

• Piezigous papules in both feet. Thought this was normal.

• 8/9 on Beighton hEDS scale

• Mottled skin when cold. Thought this was normal. Temperature sensitivities way worse since illness.

• All symptoms exacerbated exertion, or what used to be basic stuff. Taking a shower, making a meal, walking around the back yard, walking up the stairs, standing up too long, carrying heavy-ish things, etc. It's like I'm supposed to live seated or supine forever now.

• Urinary urgency. Don't know I have to pee until it's SO bad. Have peed on myself and on the floor due to this. No burning or itching like UTI/infection symptoms, only urgency. Began 2nd week of all symptoms when still working in office and still continuing now, with this 5/5 update.

•-- Urgency, incontinence, struggling to void, double voiding. Finally have terms to describe what's happening. - 5/14/25 update