Help Kate fight CRPS
Donation protected
Kate is my older sister, a former distance runner and lover of all things running and volleyball.
In February of 2013 she took her large “puppy” on a run/walk around her Chicago neighborhood. He saw a squirrel and was determined to catch it. Kate tried to stop him but hit a patch of black ice. It sent her foot off the sidewalk, into a dirt planting area. She landed on the sidewalk.
Kate’s broke her ankle in three places, fractured the tibia and fibula, and completely ruptured the syndesmosis (ligaments holding everything together). I remember overhearing the X-Ray tech say, “wow, I've never seen something this bad”. But, while in the ER, Kate registered for the 2013 Chicago Marathon figuring that was plenty of recovery time. It would have been her 9th marathon and her 6th Chicago Marathon.
Surgery was scheduled for the next day. Unfortunately, Kate would wake up from the surgery with a rare, misunderstood nervous system disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), now known as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Essentially, during the surgery, something caused the messaging from the brain to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system to alter communications, switching her body’s reaction to pain into a constant state of emergency response. The pain of that injury didn’t go away. Surgery caused a neurological over-stimulation turning on the connective tissue of the nervous system as well. CRPS is the most painful disease known to doctors. It is rated on the McGill Pain scale as more painful than unmedicated childbirth or the amputation of a limb. As Kate describes it, imagine the absolute worst pain you have ever experienced. Have that image? Now consider what you would do if it NEVER went away. You would not be able to function, and believe me, she tried. The longer a person has CRPS, the more the brain needs to compensate for the pain. It does this by decreasing cognitive function, limiting the ability to communicate and shutting down various circulatory, immune, physical and emotional functions and capacities. The brain, and consequently, the nervous system operate within a perpetual state of "Fight or Flight".
The prognosis for CRPS? There is NO established treatment. (Doctors make you into a drug and surgery experiment.) There is NO cure. The pain WILL spread throughout the body eventually, to include the internal organs, as the nervous system malfunction systematically expands.
In five and a half years Kate has had:
-14 surgeries for fixing injuries, implanting hardware &/or spinal stimulators, revising &/or removing the implants or hardware, and upgrading SCS hardware/software.
-2 lengthy hospitalizations (one resulting in a partial laminectomy and the other due to an e-Coli infection in the spine from a surgery)
-300+ days (& counting) of physical therapy
During the last hospitalization Kate's CRPS research lead her to a clinic in Northwest Arkansas, called The Neurological Relief Center . Compared to everything else that doctors were doing (heavy duty pain killers, spinal surgeries and multi-day, drug induced sedation), the clinic's approach seemed almost too simplistic, BUT, they were getting results. In the beginning of June, Kate went to the clinic, committing to a 2 week trial treatment. During that time frame the CRPS pain was moving around the body and changing in type of pain, This was considered a very good sign to the clinic doctors, so Kate signed up for 10 more weeks of treatments. The catch? All treatments are 100% out of pocket. Kate has already passed the $40,000 mark and still has 8 more weeks to go!
The reduction in Kate's pain since she started at the clinic has been nothing short of amazing. This clinic has been a blessing to her, but not being able to work for the past 5 years has completely drained all of her savings, retirement accounts, etc. To pay for the treatments, she sold her cars, the house and has moved all her belongings into a storage unit in Michigan, while living in temporary housing in Arkansas. If you know me or her well, you also know it takes a lot for either of us to ask for help. However.....
PLEASE, if you are able to help cover the cost of her treatment up to now (and the costs still remaining over the next 8 weeks), we would greatly appreciate it. Maybe we will all see Kate run that 9th marathon yet!
Thank you.
-Peter
In February of 2013 she took her large “puppy” on a run/walk around her Chicago neighborhood. He saw a squirrel and was determined to catch it. Kate tried to stop him but hit a patch of black ice. It sent her foot off the sidewalk, into a dirt planting area. She landed on the sidewalk.
Kate’s broke her ankle in three places, fractured the tibia and fibula, and completely ruptured the syndesmosis (ligaments holding everything together). I remember overhearing the X-Ray tech say, “wow, I've never seen something this bad”. But, while in the ER, Kate registered for the 2013 Chicago Marathon figuring that was plenty of recovery time. It would have been her 9th marathon and her 6th Chicago Marathon.
Surgery was scheduled for the next day. Unfortunately, Kate would wake up from the surgery with a rare, misunderstood nervous system disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), now known as Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). Essentially, during the surgery, something caused the messaging from the brain to the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system to alter communications, switching her body’s reaction to pain into a constant state of emergency response. The pain of that injury didn’t go away. Surgery caused a neurological over-stimulation turning on the connective tissue of the nervous system as well. CRPS is the most painful disease known to doctors. It is rated on the McGill Pain scale as more painful than unmedicated childbirth or the amputation of a limb. As Kate describes it, imagine the absolute worst pain you have ever experienced. Have that image? Now consider what you would do if it NEVER went away. You would not be able to function, and believe me, she tried. The longer a person has CRPS, the more the brain needs to compensate for the pain. It does this by decreasing cognitive function, limiting the ability to communicate and shutting down various circulatory, immune, physical and emotional functions and capacities. The brain, and consequently, the nervous system operate within a perpetual state of "Fight or Flight".
The prognosis for CRPS? There is NO established treatment. (Doctors make you into a drug and surgery experiment.) There is NO cure. The pain WILL spread throughout the body eventually, to include the internal organs, as the nervous system malfunction systematically expands.
In five and a half years Kate has had:
-14 surgeries for fixing injuries, implanting hardware &/or spinal stimulators, revising &/or removing the implants or hardware, and upgrading SCS hardware/software.
-2 lengthy hospitalizations (one resulting in a partial laminectomy and the other due to an e-Coli infection in the spine from a surgery)
-300+ days (& counting) of physical therapy
During the last hospitalization Kate's CRPS research lead her to a clinic in Northwest Arkansas, called The Neurological Relief Center . Compared to everything else that doctors were doing (heavy duty pain killers, spinal surgeries and multi-day, drug induced sedation), the clinic's approach seemed almost too simplistic, BUT, they were getting results. In the beginning of June, Kate went to the clinic, committing to a 2 week trial treatment. During that time frame the CRPS pain was moving around the body and changing in type of pain, This was considered a very good sign to the clinic doctors, so Kate signed up for 10 more weeks of treatments. The catch? All treatments are 100% out of pocket. Kate has already passed the $40,000 mark and still has 8 more weeks to go!
The reduction in Kate's pain since she started at the clinic has been nothing short of amazing. This clinic has been a blessing to her, but not being able to work for the past 5 years has completely drained all of her savings, retirement accounts, etc. To pay for the treatments, she sold her cars, the house and has moved all her belongings into a storage unit in Michigan, while living in temporary housing in Arkansas. If you know me or her well, you also know it takes a lot for either of us to ask for help. However.....
PLEASE, if you are able to help cover the cost of her treatment up to now (and the costs still remaining over the next 8 weeks), we would greatly appreciate it. Maybe we will all see Kate run that 9th marathon yet!
Thank you.
-Peter
Organizer and beneficiary
Peter Zimmer
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Kate Zimmer
Beneficiary
