My mom has been losing vision in her eyes and having extreme pain in her spine again. Drs diagnosed the vision issues as ischemic strokes in Kalispell, but the University in Washington had different opinions. Her blood pressure was treated for strokes, but the vision issues have gotten worse recently. Saturday she lost part of the vision in her right eye. Today Drs at the eye clinic in Kalispell say there is new and current damage in both eyes. Kalispell doesn't have the correct equipment to determine the cause and has referred her back to the university of Washington in Seattle. While she is there they also want to do a biopsy of a lession they saw on a spinal CT scan and a more in depth MRI. The endocrinology department in Seattle also want to look for more tumors like the parathyroid tumor she had removed in 2023. There is a chance there are 2 more, (hyperplasia) and that could be the cause of her current issues. Although the parathyroid tumors wouldn't directly cause the BROAs and damage seen in her eyes, it could cause blood pressure spikes that could cause that damage to her eyes. What's happening in her eyes for sure is the blood in her tiny vessels in her eyes is not reaching the end of the vessel, some is leaking out and some new blood vessels are starting to form which can cause blindness (this is the way I heard her Dr explain it...more detailed explanation if you look up BROA of the eyes and ischemic eye strokes). The Drs in Seattle at the University believe that with these 3 exams and a few days they can determine the cause and start treatment, or remove more tumors to save her vision.
My mom works really hard pretty much every day. She's more worried about getting bills paid and buying my brother school clothes than paying for Drs. I'm worried about her vision, and her not being able to work if she doesn't stop and take care of herself. She doesn't qualify for Medicaid and can't afford the insurance she was quoted, but she qualifies for some assistance through the University. Her condition is very rare so they will be using her data as part of their studies. My mom is an artist and I know she needs her vision to continue to do what she loves. I know she wants to be around for my brother and I more than anything and I just want to be able to help her get to help. Most days she's doing good but when she's not it's really scary.
She almost died a couple of times from sepsis from kidney stones that came from the parathyroid tumors. Drs also told her she has developed more kidney stones currently, which is another concern for more parathyroid tumors. We are hoping it is that because that is a fairly easy fix! Once those are gone they will not come back! But because there are a few things happening that usually don't with hyperparathyroidism, the Drs want to do a more thorough exam, and Seattle Drs at the University work as a team to determine what's really going on.
She still has an active law suit against Logan Health also, so that makes it really hard for her to get even basic care in Kalispell!
I am hoping that some of our family and friends can help her get to Seattle so she can get better and be able to live her life. She has gone through so much in the past few years with her health and I just want to see her healthy again! There are some days when the pain is so bad and she's struggling to walk. She has degeneration in her spine & severe bilateral foraminal stenosis and spinal canal stenosis...also potentially part of parathyroid tumors. Parathyroid adenoma or tumor suck calcium from your bones making them weak and cause early degeneration. I can see she's in so much pain but she still goes to work everyday . I just want to see her enjoying her job again and not suffering through it. I want her to be here for my brother and I. I will be getting married soon and I want her to see it! I want her to see my brother graduate and play sports. Please donate if you can to help her get the help she needs to save her vision and possibly even her ability to continue walking 🙏
She needs to raise enough to go to Seattle for 3 days to see a few different doctors, and to pay for the initial visits at each. She has applied for assistance so the initial cost is fairly low for health care. We are not sure what the treatment will be until they determine a few more things, like if she has more parathyroid adenomas or not, what the lession is on her spine (in a different location than the degeneration) & what the new damage is in her eyes (determined by a special machine they use at the University that Montana does not have.) They have classified the damage in her eyes as end organ damage, meaning last stages. Please donate if you can. Her appointments are scheduled for September 3-5. Also please pray that Dr. Pepple and her team of opthalmologists can figure this out with their team!!! And we can get treatment started asap, whatever that might be!
