Support Anastasia’s Apheresis Treatment

Asking for help is difficult, But living every day in a body that causes constant pain is even harder.

For almost five years, I have been living with constant, exhausting muscle pain throughout my entire body, severe stiffness, cramps, tremors, and the feeling that my body has stopped being my ally.

This is a condition that takes away the possibility of a normal, full life.

How it all started

After a single Pfizer vaccination, I experienced an extremely severe reaction.

My temperature rose to almost 40°C (104°F), I had intense convulsions and unbearable muscle pain. I couldn’t get out of bed or even walk to the bathroom, my father had to carry me there and back. I was screaming in pain because my muscles were contracting as if my body was being torn apart from the inside.

The next day, a massive systemic failure began, and my health continued to deteriorate.

Six months later, I became seriously ill with COVID for the second time.

And one month after that, I woke up one morning with a terrifying realization that something had irreversibly changed:

total muscle pain throughout my body, severe stiffness, and the constant sensation of being trapped in an ongoing inflammatory spasm.

That was the beginning of my long-term struggle.

Years of searching and treatment

Over these years, I have seen dozens of doctors and clinics in different countries.

I have received multiple diagnoses, including: fibromyalgia (repeatedly), rheumatic disease, autoimmune syndromes, suspected myositis, post-infectious complications, Hyper-IgM syndrome, and antisynthetase syndrome.

During this time, I have undergone:

• courses of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)

• high-dose steroids for years

• muscle relaxants in large doses for years

• antidepressants and neuromodulators for years

• two surgeries in which nerves in my head and neck were partially disabled in order to reduce pain

• endless tests, blood work, MRIs, CT scans, and specialist consultations

None of this cured me.

It only allowed me to somehow survive.

A condition that almost killed me

One year ago, I experienced another life-threatening complication — cardiac tamponade.

I was admitted to intensive care. In total, I had:

• 700 ml of fluid around my heart

• 200 ml of fluid on each side of my abdominal cavity

I spent two weeks in the hospital, the fluid was drained, and my life was saved.

However, neither the Institute of Rheumatology nor cardiology clinics were able to explain why this happened.

One possible explanation is years of surviving on high doses of steroids and muscle relaxants, which I had to take simply to be able to walk. It may also be a combination of multiple factors.

To this day, I do not have a clear answer and most likely never will.

Why apheresis (plasmapheresis / immunoadsorption)

I am referring specifically to Total Plasma Exchange (TPE) — full plasma exchange.

This is not a milder form of plasmapheresis and not double filtration.

❗️Important clarification:

There are simpler and cheaper procedures (partial plasmapheresis or filtration) that may cost significantly less in other countries.

These use different machines and provide a much lower level of therapeutic impact.

Total Plasma Exchange is the most intensive and aggressive form of apheresis, during which:

• blood plasma is completely removed,

• autoimmune antibodies, immune complexes, and inflammatory mediators are physically eliminated,

• blood cells are returned with full plasma replacement using specialized solutions.

This method is used in severe autoimmune and systemic conditions, when milder approaches are no longer effective.

Why I need it

In post-infectious and autoimmune conditions, the immune system can attack the body’s own tissues for years.

Total Plasma Exchange can:

• significantly reduce autoimmune activity,

• decrease systemic inflammation,

• reduce the intensity of pain and muscle spasms,

• give the body a chance to reset and recover.

This is not a “miracle cure,” but it is a real medical opportunity when other options have already been exhausted.

Cost

• 1 Total Plasma Exchange procedure — 14,000 PLN (≈ $3,900 USD)

• Procedures are performed every other day

• For any effect, at least one course of 5 procedures is required

Additional options (optional)

Ideally, treatment could later be combined with supportive therapies such as ozone therapy or exosome therapy.

However, these require significant additional funding.

There are no guarantees, but this is a real chance that I currently do not have anywhere else.

Why I am asking for help

This treatment is:

• extremely expensive,

• performed frequently (every other day),

• and most of the cost is required within the first weeks.

No insurance company in Poland covers this type of treatment.

I delayed asking for help for a long time and tried to manage on my own, but I now understand that I cannot do this alone.

If you are able to support me — financially or simply by sharing this fundraiser — it would mean more to me than I can express.

Thank you for reading.

Thank you for any form of support.

With love,

Anastasia

https://whydonate.com/fundraising/support-anastasias-apheresis-treatment

P.S. I am also sharing my current medical test results and full medical history for those who would like to look deeper into my case:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1DjLnjYWyN84EHFaV0VZECwj6_wmOFuGq