Debra Young:
CLASS OF 1986
Richland Northeast High SchoolClass of 1986
Columbia, SC
Ashford UniversityClass of 2010
San diego, CA
Debra's Story
I have a then story and a now story so please be patient:
In 1986; after high school, I was hit by a drunk driver. This accident caused some Neurological damage. After the wreck, I started having seizures, headaches and severe migraines. The seizures were controlled by medication, but the headaches and migraines were not manageable. In the workforce world there is a difference between functional, tolerable and manageable. My problem did not get to a point where I was unable to work until 2010.
In 2006; to add one more Neurological problem, disorder or malformation, I was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation. This is when your Brainstem is herniated from your Spinal Cord.
Of course, after this my headaches and migraines got worse. Between 2006 and 2015, I went to many doctors and through 7 programs that stated that they could fix or diminish my headaches and/or migraines and they did not work. The bad thing was that my insurance did not pay for any of these programs. They were looking at these programs as if I was asking for elective cosmetic surgery. Therefore, these programs that didnât work became very expensive.
Even though I was having trouble from 1986-2010, many good things happen. I was able to get many years of valuable work experience. I worked as a ED specialist for right under 8 years in a Level 1 Trauma Center, an EMT for 6 years, in a Doctorâs office for 4 years as a Medical Assistant, 4 years as a Manager and Supervisor, and 2 years in a Cooperate setting.
I also was fortunate enough to obtain both my AS in Biology from MTC in 1998 and my BA from Ashford University (Online) in San Diego, Ca in 2010. The unfortunate thing is I wasnât able to work after 2010 and as of August of 2012 due to the severity of my headaches and migraines, and the fact that I had Chiari I was placed on Disability.
Here is my now story:
I really thought that I was just going to be stuck at the house suffering with d...Expand for more
aily headaches, going to Emergency Department if the migraines got to bad and I needed a shot and not being able to go to church because the music was too loud and I would come home every Sunday with a headache.
My first light and shining armor came to me by a Periodontist in 2014. He is the special Dentist that did my first implant. He did some kind of x-ray and told me my jaw was out of line and was probably that way from the original wreck back in 1986. Plus, he had a program in his office called Tru-Denta that not only would it lower my headaches and migraines, he gave me a 90% guarantee that I could go back to work. His program did work but the other 10% but related to my Chiari and the problem with me was that 10% was keeping me down.
Some people would hardly consider this blessing; looking back at it (I didnât at the time), but I do now. Early January in 2015, I started showing many different Neurological symptoms. If you look at the symptoms separately and when they popped up, a doctor would easily state you are doing this and letâs start you on this medication. From January to September 2015, I developed about 10 to 12 new Neurological symptoms other than the headaches and migraines. At that point, they started to look at them as a whole instead of separately. It was October of 2015 when the first CT was done that the Doctors realized that my Chiari had moved from 1 cm herniation to 3 cm herniation and I needed Brain, Neck and Spinal surgery.
After many tests, doctor appointments, consults and labs; I was finally scheduled for surgery February 23rd, 2016.
With the exception of one headache that I caused myself, I have not had one headache or migraine since surgery. I of course had suture pain. That is to be expected, but an actual headache, no!!!
The good thing or excellent I should say that has come out of all of this is after being out of work for 6 years, I have released to go back to work.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
Photos
