A woman who needs IV fluids to stay hydrated says her insurance stopped covering them after she moved: ‘I wanna live more than anything’

TikTok users are expressing concern for a California resident named Terry (sugarbunn10), who says she is in the middle of a medical emergency. In a video with over ten million views, Terry said she has been struggling to access life-saving care since a move to Northern California left her without the IV hydration she needs. Terry, who documents her life with chronic illness, started her video by saying, “I have officially been left to die in the U.S.”

In her video, Terry appears hunched over, flushed, shaky, and in tears as she tells viewers that she lives with POTS and hyperacusis, a severe sensitivity to sound. The current problem, she said, is her severe gastroparesis, a paralyzed stomach. She said she can’t tolerate solid food and has “been completely reliant on IV fluids since early 2022 because my body does not tolerate water,” though she can sometimes manage small amounts of ice cream or specific shakes.

Terry said that unlike the full care team she had in Southern California, her insurance in Northern California doesn’t cover simple IV fluids for hydration. Since it allegedly covers only “specialty infusions,” like antibiotics, she has had to rely on mobile IV clinics. “That’s not sustainable,” she said, noting they were expensive and only available irregularly, leaving her quickly becoming dehydrated.

Terry says her new doctors dismissed her

Terry said, “I don’t know what is happening, because I’ve had gastroparesis and POTS for almost five years now, and now everyone is thinking that it’s psychiatric and mental.” She told viewers she believes medical professionals in her new area don’t understand her condition the way her doctors in Orange County did.

Terry said she wants to return to Southern California but lacks the funds, support, and transportation to make the trip. “I don’t have the support I need for survival, to stay alive. But I wanna live more than anything,” she told viewers.

Commenters expressed concern, with one user writing, “We could see physically how you’re not okay.” Others urged her to seek immediate help, including one who wrote, “Coming from a social work student, PLEASE go to the ER and request to be connected to a hospital social worker. They will fight for you and get you the resources you need.”

Others questioned her hydration methods and suggested alternatives like thickened liquids. One person wrote, “if you can handle thick liquids like ice cream, you can get thickener to help Gatorade or any rehydrating drink too,” while another said, “If you can eat ice cream, you can also eat gelled water; it’s available at pharmacies.” Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances can escalate quickly, with one traveler describing how his body locked up abroad before he was treated with IV fluids.

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify her insurer’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Terry’s TikTok video.