A young woman named Terry, who uses the TikTok handle @sugarbunn10, has shared a distressing account in a video, stating she has been “officially been left to die in the US.” She explains that she lives with severe gastroparesis, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), hyperacusis, and insomnia, alongside other neurological symptoms. Terry is visibly upset and crying at the start of the video, her face appearing red and blotchy.
Terry describes gastroparesis as a condition where the stomach is paralyzed. She says that since early 2022, she has been unable to tolerate solid food or water, relying entirely on IV fluids for hydration. She is able to consume up to two Ensure shakes a day, or one shake and some ice cream, but states her body does not tolerate water. She emphasizes that gastroparesis affects individuals differently, and this has been her personal experience.
She further explains that her POTS condition requires her to drink even more water than an average person, yet she cannot take any water orally. Terry states that due to the severity of her sound sensitivity and insomnia, she was compelled to leave her apartment in Southern California. There, she had access to daily, life-saving at-home IV fluids and a nurse who administered them. Her entire care team and hospital system in Southern California are now gone.
Lack of medical coverage for essential hydration forces woman to seek unsustainable solutions
Terry recounts that she had no other option but to relocate to Northern California. However, upon arrival, she discovered a significant lack of available IV fluid treatments covered by her insurance. She expressed confusion, saying, “I don’t know why, uh, nowhere does hydration only.” She noted that the few infusion centers she found either specialized in other treatments like antibiotics or TPN, or would only provide IVs if a patient was on those specific medications, not solely for hydration.
According to the video’s creator, she described the resulting dehydration as “so horrible every other day.” To manage, Terry has been relying on expensive mobile IV clinics, which she stated is not a sustainable or affordable solution. She is running out of money and expressed concern that her veins cannot withstand receiving IVs every other day. Terry also noted that the mobile IV services would not even be available the following day. Terry’s struggle to get basic hydration covered shows how insurance can fail patients with serious medical conditions, as one woman was told by Cigna that her heart attack treatment wasn’t medically necessary.
Terry expressed deep frustration, stating, “I don’t know what is happening,” because after living with gastroparesis and POTS for nearly five years, she feels some medical professionals are now suggesting her conditions are “psychiatric and mental.” She feels abandoned and states, “I’m left with people who think it’s not real.” She reiterated the critical shortage of IV fluids in Northern California, asserting that returning to Southern California is her only chance of survival.
Tearfully, she explained that she lacks the necessary help, funds, and support to make the move. She lamented that if her only option was to end up in a hospital, she would have remained in Southern California to avoid the trauma she has experienced over the past two months, including the loss of her doctor and care team. She stated, “I don’t know what the answer is. I think my story ends here. I don’t want it to. I’m fighting so, so hard.”
Terry passionately asserted, “Nobody is dehydrating themselves to death on purpose. Nobody is not drinking water on purpose.” She finds it dangerous to label her life-threatening gastroparesis as mental or psychiatric, clarifying, “It’s not. It’s nerve damage. I’ve had it for five years.” She feels she is being treated unfairly, stating, “You would think I did something really bad to somebody the way that I’m being treated. I haven’t done anything to anybody.”
She mentioned that she has created a GoFundMe link in her bio, but expressed uncertainty about what it could realistically help with, questioning if she could raise enough money to cover rent in Orange County. She believes that hospitals in Orange County have a better understanding of gastroparesis compared to those in Northern California. However, she cannot drive herself due to her sound sensitivity and needs assistance to travel there. She concluded by saying, “This is how disabled and chronically ill people die,” and desperately stated, “I need a room. I need a safe place in Orange County, which I don’t have.”
Terry’s video includes the public caption: “#gastroparesis #chronicallyill #hyperacusis #help”.
The public has responded to Terry’s video with a range of comments. One commenter wrote, “Just ONE dot.” Another stated, “THIS IS WHY WE VOTE BLUE WE NEED FREE HEALTHCARE.” A suggestion was made, “go to a public hospital where they have to take you.” Another commenter expressed, “The USA ‘healthcare’ system is an appalling joke.” One person simply wrote, “Water this plant 🌱.” Finally, a comment read, “Insurance is f–king evil we need healthcare for all.”
